Line vortices in a three-dimensional ordered Josephson medium

Two equilibrium configurations of a line vortex in a three-dimensional ordered Josephson medium are considered: (i) the vortex core is at the center of a cell and (ii) the vortex core is on a contact. Infinite systems of equations describing these configurations are derived. In going to a finite system, the currents far away from the center are neglected. A new technique for solving the finite system of equations is suggested. It does not require smallness of phase discontinuities at all vortex cells and, therefore, can be applied for any values of pinning parameter I down to zero. The structures and energies of both equilibrium states for isolated line vortices are calculated for any I from the range considered. For I >0.3, a vortex can be thought of as fitting a square of 5×5 cells. For lower I, the vortex energy can be expressed as a sum of the energies of the small discrete core and the quasi-continuous outside. The core energy is comparable to the energy of the outside and is a major contributor to the vortex energy when I is not too small. For any I, the energy of the vortex centered on the contact is higher than the energy of the configuration centered at the center of the cell.