Dissociation of Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen vortices

In this paper we discuss how Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen vortices can act as impurities that seed first-order phase transitions. The seeding mechanism comes about through dissociation of what is normally considered to be topologically stable defects. We discuss the conditions necessary for dissociation in which the core, which contains the seed of stable phase, becomes unstable and grows radially, converting the system from a metastable phase to a stable phase. We also discuss some peculiar characteristics of vortices in superfluid He3- He4 and the vortex dissociation that occurs when the He3- He4 phase separates at low temperatures.