Distribution of the local magnetic field of the vortex lattice near the surface of an anisotropic superconductor in oblique external magnetic fields

The distribution of the magnetic field in the unit cell of the Abrikosov vortex lattice near the surface of a uniaxial, anisotropic, type-II superconductor in an oblique external magnetic field is determined on the basis of the London model for the cases in which the symmetry axis is perpendicular and parallel to the boundary of the superconductor. The distribution of the local magnetic field is obtained as a function of the distance from the surface of the superconductor and the inclination angle of the external field. It is shown for an YBaCuO high-T _c superconductor that the investigation of the distribution function of the local magnetic field as a function of the angle of the external magnetic field relative to the symmetry axis and to the surface of the superconductor can yield important information about the anisotropic properties of the superconductor. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1935–1939 (November 1997)     

Sliding Abrikosov lattice in a superconductor with a regular array of artificial pinning centers: AC conductivity and criticality at small frequencies

Dynamics of the flux lattice in the mixed state of strongly type-II superconductor near the upper critical field subjected to AC field and interacting with a periodic array of short range pinning centers is considered. The superconductor in a magnetic field in the absence of thermal fluctuations on is described by the time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau equations. For a special case of the δ-function shaped pinning centers and for pinning array commensurate with the Abrikosov lattice (so that vortices outnumber pinning centers) an analytic expression or the AC conductivity is obtained. It is found that below a certain critical pinning strength and for sufficiently low frequencies there exists a sliding Abrikosov lattice, which vibrates nearly uniformly despite interactions with the pinning centers. At very small frequencies the conductivity diverges at the critical pinning strength.     

Shape of a magnetic resonance line in a thin film on the surface of anisotropic superconductor with irregularly distributed Abrikosov’s vortices

The form of an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in a thin paramagnetic film (λ/10, λ-London’s depth of magnetic field penetration into superconductor) overlying the surface of an anisotropic superconductor is calculated taking into account the local magnetic field non-uniformity of an irregular Abrikosov’s vortex lattice. It is shown that the form of EPR is noticeably varied with the degree of irregularity of the superconductor vortex lattice. It is suggested that an inclusion of this circumstance into consideration may essentially change the conclusions made on the lattice type and parameters of this superconductor, which are typically derived from the analysis of the EPR form. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 1, pp. 49–52, January, 2007.     

Noncollinear orientation of external magnetic field and flux lines penetrating an isotropic hard superconductor

Penetration by Abrikosov flux lines of an isotropic hard superconductor in the critical state induced by changes in the orientation of external magnetic field has been theoretically investigated. The analysis has been based on the microscopic nonlocal model taking into account forces of bulk and surface pinning, alongside magnetic forces of interaction of the row of penetrating vortices with existing flux lines, Meissner currents, and vortex images. New vortices penetrate a superconductor only when the angle through which the field is rotated is larger than a certain critical value. It has been determined that the alignment of entering vortices is essentially different from that of the applied magnetic field. The feasibility of detecting noncollinearity effects is discussed. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 1804–1816 (November 1998)     

A color magnetic vortex condensate in QCD

It is shown that there exists a very close analogy between a lattice of vortices in a superconductor near the critical field and a condensate of color magnetic flux tubes due to the unstable mode in QCD. This analogy makes it possible to identify a dynamical Higgs field in QCD. We show that the color magnetic flux tubes are quantized in terms of the center group Z(2) in the SU(2) case. In the case of SU(N) it is possible to select a color direction of the field such that one has Z(N) quantization.     

Topological vortices in a two-gap superconductor

Based on the ϕ-mapping theory, we derive a new rigorous equation describing the distribution of the magnetic field for vortices in a two-gap superconductor, of which the so-called modified London equation is just a special case in a one-flavor limit. We explicitly investigate the London penetration depth, the Meissner and mixed states and Josephson effect. A magnetic flux quantization condition for vortices in a two-gap superconductor is also derived, from which it follows that in a two-gap superconductor there exist vortices which carry an arbitrary fraction of magnetic flux quantum. The branch processes during the evolution of the vortices in a two-gap superconductor are discussed.     

Vortex structure in superconductors with a many-component order parameter

Abstract

The phenomenological theory of superconductors with a many-component order parameter (OP) is developed. On the basis of a generalized Ginzburg-Landau functional, equations for a two-component-OP superconductor are derived. It is shown that such a superconductor is specified by three length dimensionality parameters—penetration depth λ, correlation length ζ, and width d of the boundary between two superconducting-phase domains. With λ ? d ? ζ, the equations for the OP of a superconductor in a magnetic field can be explored analytically. The transition from the superconducting to the mixed phase may occur not only by the formation of ordinary Abrikosov vortices, but also owing to vortices that have two cores, each transferring a half-integral flux quantum. The total flux transferred by a vortex certainly constitutes an integral quantum. The cores of such a dimer are interconnected by two domain walls, which exercise confinement within the dimer. The distance between the cores in the dimer is of the order of d. Within a domain wall that separates two superconducting-phase domains, a dimer may fall apart into two vortices with a half-integral flux quantum.

For many-component-OP superconductors in a magnetic field, vortex structures of a more complicated nature than a dimer may occur. An individual core may transfer a fractional flux quantum, but the structure as a whole transfers an integral flux quantum. Confinement of individual cores occurs owing to a complicated system of domain walls determined by the topological charges of these vortices.

Under certain conditions, on attaining field H _c1, vortices may arise first in the domain walls, carrying a fractional flux quantum, and then within the superconducting domains.     

Magnetic flux penetration into high-temperature superconductors in the vortex liquid state under the blow-up conditions

The problem of magnetic field penetration into a type-II high-temperature superconductor that is in the weakly pinned vortex-liquid phase is considered. A magnetic field on the superconductor boundary rises with time in the blow-up regime. A model hydrodynamic equation describing the magnetic induction distribution in the vortex-liquid phase for thermomagnetic motion of the flux is derived. Analytical expressions for the depth and rate of magnetic field penetration into the superconductor are found. It is demonstrated that these quantities depend on parameters of the problem: index of power n in the boundary regime characterizing the penetration rate of vortices into the superconducting half-space and a parameter describing the effect of random pinning forces and thermal fluctuations on the magnetic flux distribution.     

Features of magnetization reversal in LCMO/YBCO heterostructures

The change in the magnetic domain structure due to the proximity of a superconductor has been experimentally investigated for the first time. The complex character of magnetization reversal at temperatures below critical, caused by the mutual long-range effect of a superconductor and a magnet, has been shown. In particular, it is found that even magnetization reversal of the heterostructure by an in-plane field leads to the formation of Abrikosov vortices in the superconductor, carrying a flux perpendicularly to the film plane. It is shown that this is a consequence of the transformation of narrow domain walls into wide stripes due to the interaction with scattering fields from the superconductor. In turn, after penetration of the magnetic flux into the superconductor at some depth, the scattering fields cause backward magnetization reversal of the external film edge, as a result of which vortices with oppositely directed fluxes enter the crystal and propagate in the superconductor bulk in the form of chains along twins, as in the case of magnetization by a perpendicular magnetic field. Thus, at longitudinal magnetization, the flux enters the superconducting film in the form of wide stripes with alternating perpendicular induction, which is explained by the long-range interaction of the scattering fields of the superconductor with the manganite magnetization.     

Shape of the magnetic resonance line in a thin film on the surface of an anisotropic superconductor

The shape of the EPR line in a thin (=λ/2, where λ is the London penetration depth of the magnetic field in the superconductor) paramagnetic film deposited on the surface of an anisotropic superconductor is calculated in an oblique magnetic field with allowance for the inhomogeneity of the local magnetic field of the Abrikosov vortex lattice. It is shown that, as the tilt angle of the external magnetic field is varied, the shape of the EPR line changes noticeably. This fact can give additional information about the superconductor parameters (the symmetry type of the vortex lattice and the anisotropy parameter of the superconductor). Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 386–388 (March 1999)     

Muon spin rotation in heavy-electron pauli-limit superconductors

The formalism for analyzing the magnetic field distribution in the vortex lattice of Pauli-limit heavy-electron superconductors is applied to the evaluation of the vortex lattice static linewidth relevant to the muon spin rotation (??SR) experiment. Based on the Ginzburg-Landau expansion for the superconductor free energy, we study the evolution with respect to the external field of the static linewidth both in the limit of independent vortices (low magnetic field) with a variational expression for the order parameter and in the near H _c2 ^P (T) regime with an extension of the Abrikosov analysis to Pauli-limit superconductors. We conclude that in the Ginzburg-Landau regime in the Pauli-limit, anomalous variations of the static linewidth with the applied field are predicted as a result of the superconductor spin response around a vortex core that dominates the usual charge-response screening supercurrents. We propose the effect as a benchmark for studying new puzzling vortex lattice properties recently observed in CeCoIn₅.     

Muons as local probes of three-body correlations in the mixed state of type-II superconductors

The vortex glass state formed by magnetic flux lines in a type-II superconductor is shown to possess nontrivial three-body correlations. While such correlations are usually difficult to measure in glassy systems, the magnetic fields associated with the flux vortices allow us to probe these via muon-spin rotation measurements of the local field distribution. We show via numerical simulations and analytic calculations that these observations provide detailed microscopic insight into the local order of the vortex glass and more generally validate a theoretical framework for correlations in glassy systems.     

Effect of a constant magnetic field on echo signals in high-temperature superconductor powders

The generation of acoustic and vortex oscillations in high-temperature superconductor (HTSC) powders excited by radiofrequency (rf) pulses was analyzed in detail in our earlier publications. The rf magnetic field stimulates oscillations of magnetic vortices on the surface of an HTSC grain, which are transformed into lattice vibrations via the pinning centers at the surface, thus inducing a propagating acoustic wave. The allowance for second-order nonlinearity in the gradient of deviation of the crystal lattice from its equilibrium position in the equation for the acoustic wave leads to a dependence of the natural frequency of crystal lattice vibrations on the amplitude and duration of pulses exciting these vibrations. Such a dependence is responsible for echo signals that can be detected experimentally. The proposed model makes it possible to interpret most experimental results for BiPbSrCaCuO superconducting samples. We consider the effect of a constant magnetic field on the amplitude and the echo signal decay time. We observed a clearly manifested peak that was not described by other authors. The model proposed here provides an obvious explanation for this peak.     

Distribution of the current density in the cylindrical sample of the type II superconductor

Deviation from a homogeneous distribution of the vortex line lattice and magnetic field induced by transport current near H_c2 in the cylindrical sample of type II superconductor in the mixed state without pinning is determined. The dependence of the critical current density on the position in the sample is calculated.     

Vortex liquid crystals in anisotropic type II superconductors

In an isotropic type II superconductor in a moderate magnetic field, the transition to the normal state occurs by vortex lattice melting. In certain anisotropic cases, the vortices acquire elongated cross sections and interactions. Systems of anisotropic, interacting constituents generally exhibit liquid crystalline phases. We examine the possibility of a two step melting in homogeneous type II superconductors with anisotropic superfluid stiffness from a vortex lattice into first a vortex smectic and then a vortex nematic at high temperature and magnetic field. We find that fluctuations of the ordered phase favor an instability to an intermediate smectic-A in the absence of intrinsic pinning.     

Numerical calculations of the driving force on an Abrikosov vortex

The driving force on an Abrikosov vortex is calculated numerically from the London equation and involved energies for a vortex perpendicular to the screening current near the surface of a superconductor. Compared with previous analytical derivation of the total force, the partial magnetic, kinematic, and external forces are also obtained so that the nature of the driving force may be deeply discussed. It is shown that the force is neither a Lorentz force nor a Magnus force as often believed and that in order to get a correct result, the image effects and the work done by the applied field must be taken into account. A name of London force is suggested for the driving force. A deep understanding of the nature of the driving force on Abrikosov vortices may also be important in the study of vortex pinning and dynamics in type-II superconductors.     

Vortex sublattice melting in a two-component superconductor

We consider the vortices in a superconductor with two individually conserved condensates in a finite magnetic field. The ground state is a lattice of cocentered vortices in both order parameters. We find two phase transitions: (i) a "vortex sublattice melting" transition where vortices in the field with lowest phase stiffness ("light vortices") lose cocentricity with the vortices with large phase stiffness ("heavy vortices"), entering a liquid state (the structure factor of the light vortices vanishes continuously; this transition is in the 3Dxy universality class); (ii) a first-order melting transition of the lattice of heavy vortices, in a liquid of light vortices.     

Magnetic-field effects on the size of vortices below the surface of NbSe2 detected using low energy beta-NMR

A low energy radioactive beam of polarized 8Li has been used to observe the vortex lattice near the surface of superconducting NbSe2. The inhomogeneous magnetic-field distribution associated with the vortex lattice was measured using depth-resolved beta-detected NMR. Below Tc, one observes the characteristic line shape for a triangular vortex lattice which depends on the magnetic penetration depth and vortex core radius. The size of the vortex core varies strongly with the magnetic field. In particular, in a low field of 10.8 mT, the core radius is much larger than the coherence length. The possible origin of these giant vortices is discussed.     

Magnetic vortices and thermoelectric effect in a hollow superconducting cylinder

The question of a surface barrier which determines the behavior of a vortex in a hollow superconducting cylinder of finite thickness in an external magnetic field is discussed, taking into account magnetic flux quantization in the cavity. The behavior of magnetic vortices in a hollow superconductor in the presence of a thermoelectric current is also considered. Pairs of magnetic vortices with opposite magnetic field orientations (vortex-antivortex pairs) are generated by this current near T _c. The thermoelectric current drives the antivortex (the vortex with oppositely directed field) out of the cylinder, whereas the vortex is ejected into the cavity and remains on the inside cylinder surface as a current. The number of magnetic flux quanta trapped inside the cylinder increases by one. The relation of this mechanism to the “giant” thermoelectric effect in hollow superconductors is discussed. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 111, 2175–2193 (June 1997)     

Altering magnetic response of superconductors by rotation

It is generally believed that, at a certain temperature below the critical one, magnetic response of a superconductor (SC) is determined solely by its intrinsic properties. Here we show that the mechanical rotation of a SC can easily change the values of the critical fields at which the superconductivity is destroyed (type-1 SC) or the vortices penetrate into (exit from) the material (type-2 SC). This is due to a superposition of the Meissner current induced by the external field, and the spontaneous current on the surface of the SC induced by the mechanical rotation. As a result, the critical fields of a SC can be increased or decreased, depending on the geometrical form of the material and the relative orientation of rotation and the external field.