An effective string theory of Abrikosov–Nielsen–Olesen vortices

We obtain an effective string theory of the Abrikosov–Nielsen–Olesen vortices of the Abelian Higgs model. The theory has an anomaly free effective string action which, when the extrinsic curvature is set equal to zero, yields the Nambu–Goto action. This generalizes previous work in which a string representation was obtained in the London limit, where the magnitude of the Higgs field is fixed. Viewed as a model for long distance QCD, it provides a concrete picture of the QCD string as a fluctuating Abrikosov–Nielsen–Olesen vortex of a dual superconductor on the border between type I and type II.