Gamma limit of the nonself-dual Chern-Simons-Higgs energy (Q941419)

In 1974 Shiing-Shen Chern and James Simons proposed a three-dimensional quantum field theory describing the topological order of states related to the fractional quantum Hall effect. The model has subsequently been used by Edward Witten to tackle problems in pure mathematics, i.e.\ the study of three-manifolds. A generalization, the classical self-dual Chern-Simons-Higgs (CSH) model including a scalar potential has been investigated by many authors with possible applications in solid state physics such as high temperature superconductivity, notably by Ysiong Yang, showing the existence of both electrically and magnetically charged vortices. In a previous paper published 2008 in [\textit{M. Kurzke} and \textit{D. Spirn}, Commun. Contemp. Math. 10, No.~1, 1--16 (2008; Zbl 1211.58005)] studied the scaling limit of the CSH energy. In the present article they extend their investigation enabling them to compute the critical field for the nucleation of a vortex. The reader ought to be aware that to date most rigorous work has been restricted to the self-dual model in contrast the more general nonself-dual case examined now. As in Ginzburg-Landau theory, the current and the magnetic field are quantized about a topological vertex. Moreover, the CSH magnetic field induces a quantized electric charge depending on a given parameter of the model. The authors follow a standard approach. They consider static solutions of the CSH system as stationary points of the classical energy functional defined on a bounded simply connected two-dimensional domain including an external magnetic field.