  In superconductors with large values of the Ginzburg-Landau parameter,
exposed to magnetic fields close to the upper critical field, the magnetic
field is practically homogeneous across the sample and the density of
supercurrents is negligibly small. In this case, there is no obvious reason for
the formation of Abrikosov vortices, characteristic for the commonly known
mixed state. We consider an alternative model for describing the mixed state.
We argue that with decreasing magnetic field the traditional vortex structure
is adopted via a first order phase transition, revealed by discontinuities in
the magnetization as well as the resistivity.
