Effect of supercurrent injection on vortex penetration and expulsion fields in mesoscopic superconducting squares

We report an experimental study on the effect of supercurrent injection on vortex states in mesoscopic superconductors. The sample consists of an Al square with side of 1.1 μm, which is directly connected to Al leads for current injection. The vortex penetration/expulsion is detected by the voltage change across a small tunnel junction attached to the square. We find that the vortex penetration/expulsion fields are significantly influenced by the external current of the order of 10 μA. The shift of the vortex penetration/expulsion fields is interpreted in terms of the forces exerted by the external current.