Vortex core deformation and stepper-motor ratchet behavior in a superconducting aluminum film containing an array of holes

We investigated experimentally the frequency dependence of a superconducting vortex ratchet effect by means of electrical transport measurements and modeled it theoretically using the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau formalism. We demonstrate that the high frequency vortex behavior can be described as a discrete motion of a particle in a periodic potential, i.e., the so-called stepper-motor behavior. Strikingly, in the more conventional low frequency response a transition takes place from an Abrikosov vortex rectifier to a phase slip line rectifier. This transition is characterized by a strong increase in the rectified voltage and the appearance of a pronounced hysteretic behavior.     

Rectification by an imprinted phase in a Josephson junction

A Josephson phase shift can be induced in a Josephson junction by a strategically nearby pinned Abrikosov vortex (AV). For an asymmetric distribution of an imprinted phase along the junction (controlled by the position of the AV) such a simple system is capable of rectification of ac current in a broad and tunable frequency range. The resulting rectified voltage is a consequence of the directed motion of a Josephson antivortex which forms a pair with the AV when at local equilibrium. The proposed realization of the ratchet potential by an imprinted phase is more efficient than the asymmetric geometry of the junction itself, is easily realizable experimentally, and provides rectification even in the absence of an applied magnetic field.     

Rectified vortex motion in an Nb film with a spacing-graded array of holes

Superconducting Nb thin films with a spacing-graded array of holes were prepared by electron beam lithography. Two films with different hole gradients were fabricated. The ac-driven vortices were investigated in Nb superconductors with a spacing-graded array of holes. The measurements revealed pronounced rectified voltage when the vortex lattice is driven by an ac injected current. The rectified voltage is mainly caused by the strength of the vortex–vortex interaction. The rectified motion of a vortex is affected by the pinning potential of the spacing-graded array and the applied magnetic field. The vortex–vortex interaction strength changes the effective pinning landscape of the vortices and an asymmetric potential is formed. Vortices depin easily from high concentration to low concentration of pinning sites. In both samples, the ac-driven vortices exhibit a variety of dynamical responses and the rectified voltage is tunable with the applied magnetic field.     

High-efficiency deterministic Josephson vortex ratchet

We investigate experimentally a Josephson vortex ratchet--a fluxon in an asymmetric periodic potential driven by a deterministic force with zero time average. The highly asymmetric periodic potential is created in an underdamped annular long Josephson junction by means of a current injector providing an efficiency of the device up to 91%. We measured the ratchet effect for driving forces with different spectral content. For monochromatic high-frequency drive the rectified voltage becomes quantized. At high driving frequencies we also observe chaos, subharmonic dynamics, and voltage reversal due to the inertial mass of a fluxon.     

Current-driven dynamics in Josephson junction networks with an asymmetric potential

Current-driven dynamics of Josephson junction networks (JJNs) is studied using numerical simulations. We consider a JJN with an asymmetric and periodic potential of vortices, which is realized by saw-tooth modulation of junction critical currents. When external ac currents are applied to the JJN in a magnetic field, there appears a ratchet effect, and then directed motion of vortices is induced in certain system parameter regimes. A ratchet behavior is observed even for JJNs with weak structural disorder. We clarify the vortex pinning and dynamics in the JJN as a ratchet system.     

Vortex-rectification effects in films with periodic asymmetric pinning

We study the transport of vortices excited by an ac current in an Al film with an array of nanoengineered asymmetric antidots. The vortex response to the ac current is investigated by detailed measurements of the voltage output as a function of ac current amplitude, magnetic field, and temperature. The measurements revealed pronounced voltage rectification effects which are mainly characterized by the two critical depinning forces of the asymmetric potential. The shape of the net dc voltage as a function of the excitation amplitude indicates that our vortex ratchet behaves in a way very different from standard overdamped models. Rather, the repinning force, necessary to stop vortex motion, is considerably smaller than the depinning force, resembling the behavior of the so-called inertia ratchets. Calculations based on an underdamped ratchet model provide a very good fit to the experimental data.     

Vortex dynamics in two-dimensional Josephson junction arrays with asymmetrically bimodulated potential

On the basis of resistively-shunted junction dynamics, we study vortex dynamics in two-dimensional Josephson junction arrays with asymmetrically single and bimodulated periodic pinning potential for the full range of vortex density f. The ratchet effect occurring at a certain range of temperature, current, and f, is observed in our simulation. We explain the microscopic behavior behind this effect by analyzing the vortex distribution and interaction. The reversal of the ratchet effect can be observed at several f values for a small driven current. This effect is stronger when the asymmetric potential is simultaneously introduced in two directions.     

Coherent motion of vortices driven by both dc and ac current in a Josephson junction ratchet array

We have studied the vortex dynamics in a ratchet array of Josephson junctions in the presence of magnetic field of 1/5 flux quantum per plaquette. The ratchet potential consists of both alternate critical currents for all the vertical junctions and alternate shunt capacitances for all the horizontal junctions. The vortices driven by an ac current in some parameters are found to show the directional motion as well as the asymmetric current-voltage characteristics. We use the time-dependent vorticity and the time-dependent vorticity-vorticity correlation function to analyze the motion of vortices on a few fractional Shapiro steps. We have found that vortices on a fractional Shapiro n/5-step move coherently through n plaquettes during a single ac cycle. The asymmetric features of the ratchet array gradually disappear as finite temperature increases.     

Demonstration of a controllable three-dimensional Brownian motor in symmetric potentials

We demonstrate a Brownian motor, based on cold atoms in optical lattices, where isotropic random fluctuations are rectified in order to induce controlled atomic motion in arbitrary directions. In contrast to earlier demonstrations of ratchet effects, our Brownian motor operates in potentials that are spatially and temporally symmetric, but where spatiotemporal symmetry is broken by a phase shift between the potentials and asymmetric transfer rates between them. The Brownian motor is demonstrated in three dimensions and the noise-induced drift is controllable in our system.     

Rectifying effect in a Josephson junction ratchet array

We have studied numerically a rectifying effect in an underdamped Josephson junction ratchet array driven by dc and ac current. The array consists of both alternating potential barriers and alternating inter-capacitances along the direction of vortex flow. The guide banks of high critical currents are assigned for all the longitudinal junctions to prevent the percolative pattern of vortex motion. In some junction parameters, we see a rectifying effect which indicates a finite value of the time-averaged voltage at zero dc bias. The directional dependence of the vortex motion becomes fairly large when the junction parameters lie in an optimal range which gives rise to a Shapiro step at zero dc bias. Such a rectifying effect survives for small thermal fluctuation, but eventually disappear beyond a certain critical temperature.     

Quantum ratchets with few bands below the barrier

We investigate directed motion in nonadiabatically rocked ratchet systems sustaining few bands below the barrier. Upon restricting the dynamics to the lowest M bands, the total system-plus-bath Hamiltonian is mapped onto a discrete tight-binding model containing all the information both on the intrawell and interwell tunneling motion. A closed form for the current in the incoherent tunneling regime is obtained. In effective single-band ratchets, no current rectification occurs. We apply our theory to describe rectification effects in vortex quantum ratchets devices. Current reversals upon variation of the ac-field amplitude or frequency are predicted.     

Three-junction SQUID rocking ratchet

We investigate three-junction SQUIDs which show voltage rectification if biased with an ac current drive with zero mean value. The Josephson phase across the SQUID experiences an effective ratchet potential, and the device acts as an efficient rocking ratchet, as demonstrated experimentally for adiabatic and nonadiabatic drive frequencies. For high-frequency drives the rectified voltage is quantized due to synchronization of the phase dynamics with the external drive. The experimental data are in excellent agreement with numerical simulations including thermal fluctuations.     

Stationary probability flow and vortices for the Smoluchowski–Feynman ratchet

Smoluchowski–Feynman ratchet is in contact with two heat reservoirs with different temperatures. We study the non-equilibrium stationary state with a ratchet rotating unidirectionally, based on the probability flow field, which are obtained either by solving the Fokker–Planck equation (with no inertial effect) or by computer simulations (with an inertial effect). Vortex pattern in the probability flow is found, whose sense of rotation, on the one hand, is determined by a simple thermodynamic argument and, on the other hand, determines rotational direction of the ratchet. Small efficiency of the ratchet is also discussed within this vortex framework.     

Origin of reversed vortex ratchet motion

We experimentally demonstrate that the origin of multiply reversed rectified vortex motion in an asymmetric pinning landscape not only is a consequence of the vortex-vortex interactions but also essentially depends on the ratio between the characteristic interaction distance and the period of the asymmetric pinning potential. We study four samples with different periods d of the asymmetric potential. For large d the dc voltage V(dc) recorded under a ac excitation indicates that the average vortex drift is from bigger to smaller dots for all explored positive fields. As d is reduced, a series of sign reversals in the dc response are observed as a function of field. We show that the number of sign reversals increases as d decreases. These findings are in agreement with recent computer simulations and illustrate the relevance of the different characteristic lengths for the vortex rectification effects.     

Superconducting vortex pinning with artificial magnetic nanostructures

This review is dedicated to summarizing the recent research on vortex dynamics and pinning effects in superconducting films with artificial magnetic structures. The fabrication of hybrid superconducting/magnetic systems is presented together with the wide variety of properties that arise from the interaction between the superconducting vortex lattice and the artificial magnetic nanostructures. Specifically, we review the role that the most important parameters in the vortex dynamics of films with regular array of dots play. In particular, we discuss the phenomena that appear when the symmetry of a regular dot array is distorted from regularity towards complete disorder including rectangular, asymmetric, and aperiodic arrays. The interesting phenomena that appear include vortex-lattice reconfigurations, anisotropic dynamics, channeling, and guided motion as well as ratchet effects. The different regimes are summarized in a phase diagram indicating the transitions that take place as the characteristic distances of the array are modified respect to the superconducting coherence length. Future directions are sketched out indicating the vast open area of research in this field.     

Vortex motion in high-Tc films and a micropattern-induced phase transition

A micropattern-induced transition in the mechanism of vortex motion and vortex mobility is observed in high-T_c thin films. The competition between the anomalous Hall effect and the guidance of vortices by rows of microholes (antidots) lead to a sudden change in the direction of vortex motion that is accompanied by a change in the critical current density and microwave losses. The latter effect demonstrates the difference in vortex mobility in different phases of vortex motion in between and within the rows of antidots.     

Experimental adiabatic vortex ratchet effect in Nb films with asymmetric pinning trap

Nb films grown on top of an array of asymmetric pinning centers show a vortex ratchet effect. A net flow of vortices is induced when the vortex lattice is driven by fluctuating forces on an array of pinning centers without reflection symmetry. This effect occurs in the adiabatic regime and it could be mimiced only by reversible DC driven forces.     

磁通密度对第Ⅱ类超导体磁通动力学的影响

计算了二维无序钉扎系统中磁通运动的平均速度、微分电阻、纵向电压噪声和静态结构因子.通过在不同磁通密度下的磁通运动形式,给出了磁通运动的动力学相图.研究表明,磁通晶格存在钉扎相、塑性流相、近晶流相,和运动玻璃相.在运动玻璃相中,随着驱动力的进一步增加,横向玻璃态和运动Bragg玻璃态相继出现.磁通密度增大有利于有序相的出现.当磁通密度增大到一定程度时,近晶流动相会消失.磁通运动随着外加驱动电流增大发生从塑性流动相到运动玻璃相的转变 关键词： Ⅱ类超导体 磁通动力学 运动玻璃     

Controlling the motion of interacting particles: homogeneous systems and binary mixtures

We elaborate on recent results on the transport of interacting particles for both single-species and binary mixtures subject to an external driving on a ratchetlike asymmetric substrate. Moreover, we also briefly review motion control without any spatial asymmetric potential (i.e., no ratchet). Our results are obtained using an analytical approach based on a nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation as well as via numerical simulations. By increasing the particle density, the net dc ratchet current in our alternating (ac)-driven systems can either increase or decrease depending on the temperature, the drive amplitude, and the nature of the inter-particle interactions. This provides an effective control of particle motion by just changing the particle density. At low temperatures, attracting particles can condense at some potential minima, thus breaking the discrete translational symmetry of the substrate. Depending on the drive amplitude, an agglomeration or condensation results either in a drop to zero or in a saturation of the net particle velocity at densities above the condensation density-the latter case producing a very efficient rectification mechanism. For binary mixtures we find three ways of controlling the particle motion of one (passive) B species by means of another (active) A species: (i) Dragging the target particles B by driving the auxiliary particles A, (ii) rectifying the motion of the B particles on the asymmetric potential created by the A-B interactions, and (iii) dynamically modifying (pulsating) this potential by controlling the motion of the A particles. This allows to easily control the magnitude and direction of the velocity of the target particles by changing either the frequency, phase and/or amplitude of the applied ac drive(s).     

Dissipative dynamics of superfluid vortices at nonzero temperatures

We consider the evolution and dissipation of vortex rings in a condensate at nonzero temperatures in the context of the classical field approximation, based on the defocusing nonlinear Schr?dinger equation. The temperature in such a system is fully determined by the total number density and the number density of the condensate. The collisions with noncondensed particles reduce the radius of a vortex ring until it completely disappears. We obtain a universal decay law for a vortex line length and relate it to mutual friction coefficients in the fundamental equation of vortex motion in superfluids.