Abstract
A magnetic inclusion inside a superconductor gives rise to a fascinating complex of vortex loops. Our calculations, done in the framework of the Ginzburg-Landau theory, reveal that loops always nucleate in triplets around the magnetic core. In a mesoscopic superconducting sphere, the final superconducting state is characterized by those confined vortex loops and the ones that eventually spring to the surface of the sphere, evolving into vortex pairs piercing through the sample surface.