Induced vacuum magnetic flux in quantum spinor matter in the background of a topological defect in two-dimensional space

Abstract: A topological defect in the form of the Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen vortex is considered as a gauge-flux-carrying tube that is impenetrable for quantum matter. The relativistic spinor matter field is quantized in the vortex background in $2+1$-dimensional conical space-time which is a section orthogonal to the vortex axis; the most general set of boundary conditions ensuring the impenetrability of the vortex core is employed. We find the induced vacuum current circulating around the vortex and the induced vacuum magnetic field strength pointing along the vortex axis. The requirement of finiteness and physical plausibility for the total induced vacuum magnetic flux allows us to restrict the variety of admissible boundary conditions. The dependence of the results on the transverse size of the vortex, as well as on the vortex flux and the parameter of conicity, is elucidated.