Symmetry breaking induced by a magnetic field in a quasi-two-dimensional d-wave superconductor

A model of quasi-two-dimensional d-wave superconductor, with strong nesting properties of the Fermi surface is considered. The orbital effect of a moderate magnetic field applied perpendicularly to the conducting planes is studied in the mean field approximation. It is shown that the field can induce a time reversal symmetry breaking SDW order coexisting with the superconducting order and can open a gap over the whole Fermi surface. The anomalies recently observed in the heat conductivity in might be ascribed to this effect. Received 7 May 1999 and Received in final form 13 August 1999     

Resistive state of superconducting structures with fractal clusters of a normal phase

The effect of morphologic factors on magnetic flux trapping and critical currents in a superconducting structure, which presents a type II percolation superconductor with pinning centers, is considered. The role of pinning centers is played by fractal clusters of the normal phase. The properties of these clusters are analyzed in detail: their statistics is studied, the distribution of critical currents of depinning is found, and the depen-dences of the main statistical parameters on the fractal dimension are obtained. The effect of fractal clusters of the normal phase on the electric field caused by the motion of the magnetic flux after the vortices have been broken away from pinning centers is considered. The current-voltage characteristics of superconducting structures in a resistive state are obtained for an arbitrary fractal dimension. It is found that the fractality of the boundaries of normal-phase clusters forces magnetic flux trapping, thereby increasing the critical current.     

Optical magnetic flux generation in superconductor

The generation of the magnetic flux quanta inside the superconductors is studied as a new effect to destroy superconductivity using femtosecond (fs) laser. The vortices are successfully generated in the YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ thin film striplines by the fs laser. It is revealed that the vortex distribution in the strip reflects the fs laser beam profile.     

Dynamics of a magnetic flux jump in a composite superconductor

An attempt is made at direct experimental verification of the theory of thermomagnetic instability in composite superconductors under conditions of external magnetic field or transport current variations. The development of thermomagnetic instability in the form of a magnetic flux jump is experimentally studied in a bulk low-temperature composite niobium-tin superconductor. The liquid-helium-cooled sample representing a compressed tape helix (helicoid) is placed in an external magnetic field orthogonal to the turn plane and varying with a constant rate. For the first time, both the magnetic induction inside the sample and its temperature are simultaneously detected in experiments. The sample overheat preceding the magnetic flux jump is measured to be 0.23 + 0.02 K. This value is found to be independent of the rate of the external magnetic field variation and the value of the jump itself and coincides, within the experimental accuracy, with the temperature parameter of electric field buildup involved in the general exponential I-V characteristic of the composite superconductor, which depends on temperature and magnetic induction.     

Percolating granular superconductor in a magnetic field

An array of Josephson tunnel junctions is studied as a model for granular superconductors. We determine the critical line in the (H, T)-plane, separating the phase-coherent and incoherent region as a function of the magnetic field. Both positional disorder and junction-dilution are treated. Approaching the percolation threshold from above, the critical exponent of the upper critical field is found to be 0.60±0.03.     

Mechanisms of flux line lattice motion in a peak effect superconductor

The abrupt change in voltage-current characteristic of a Nb-10 at.% Mo alloy observed as H is increased past a peak in the critical current implies a change in the mechanism of flux line lattice motion at the peak.     

Avalanche dynamics of magnetic flux in a two-dimensional discrete superconductor

The critical state of a two-dimensional discrete superconductor in an external magnetic field is studied. This state is found to be self-organized in the generalized sense, i.e., is a set of metastable states that transform to each other by means of avalanches. An avalanche is characterized by the penetration of a magnetic flux to the system. The sizes of the occurring avalanches, i.e., changes in the magnetic flux, exhibit the power-law distribution. It is also shown that the size of the avalanche occurring in the critical state and the external magnetic field causing its change are statistically independent quantities.     

A multisublattice magnetic phase induced by external field in a singlet magnet

The theory of magnetization in a longitudinal magnetic field is developed for an easy-plane multisublattice antiferromagnet with a singlet ground state and a strong single-ion anisotropy exceeding the magnitude of exchange interaction. The magnetic-field-induced phase transition from the singlet (magnetically dis-ordered) state to a multisublattice antiferromagnetic state represents a displacive magnetic phase transition. At T=0, this transition proceeds continuously and belongs to second-order phase transitions, while at T ≠0, the behavior changes to jumplike and the process becomes the first-order phase transition.     

Cholesteric pitch-transitions induced by a magnetic field in a sample containing incomplete number of pitches

We investigate the pitch transitions induced by an external bulk field in a Cholesteric Liquid Crystal slab of finite thickness ℓ that contains an incomplete number of π-twists. The analysis is performed for a magnetic field that is (i) perpendicular to the helical axis, and (ii) tilted with respect to one of the easy directions imposed by planar and rigid boundary conditions. For finite ℓ we obtain a cascade of transitions, where the bulk expels a half-pitch at a time with increasing field to avoid divergences in the elastic energy. The dependence of the threshold magnetic field inducing the expulsion on the easy axes twist angle δ is investigated for all the cascade of pitch transitions and in particular for the final one, corresponding to the Cholesteric-Nematic transition. In the ℓ → ∞ limit this dependence disappears and we reobtain the results of de Gennes for an infinite sample.     

Homogeneous NMR line shift induced by magnetic doping in a superconductor

It is shown theoretically that a uniform conduction electron spin polarization, induced by magnetic doping, arises in a superconducting state. Measurements of the corresponding Knight shift enable one to determine the sign of the s-f exchange constant.     

Electric/magnetic flux tube on the background of magnetic/electric field

It is argued that the phenomenon of a flux tube in quantum chromodynamics is closely connected with a spontaneously symmetry breakdown of gauge theory. It is shown that in the presence of a mass term in the SU(2) gauge theory the Nielsen‐Olesen equations describe the flux tube surrounded by an external field.     

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)     

Granular high-temperature superconductor film in a steady magnetic field

An electrodynamic model is constructed for a granular Josephson high-temperature superconductor film in a steady magnetic field. The field induces anisotropy and spatial inhomogeneity for a high-frequency field. The data can be used in boundary-value treatments for layered structures that include high-temperature superconductor films, and also in research on acoustoelectronic and magnetostatic interactions of surface acoustoelectronic and magnetostatic waves with the high-temperature superconductor medium.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 8, pp. 91–94, August, 1995.     

On magnetic field penetration into a granulated superconductor

The frequency dependence of the magnetic response of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x high-temperature supercon-ducting ceramics is studied. The experimental results are obtained for different values of the constant ((0–99)×10⁻⁴ T) and variable ((0.18–7.24)×10⁻⁴ T) components of the external magnetic field in the frequency range from 60 Hz to 1 MHz. A simple qualitative model of the distributed Josephson medium is offered to account for the results obtained.     

Multi-bubble motion behavior of uniform magnetic field based on phase field model

Aiming at the interaction and coalescence of bubbles in gas–liquid two-phase flow, a multi-field coupling model was established to simulate deformation and dynamics of multi-bubble in gas–liquid two-phase flow by coupling magnetic field, phase field, continuity equation, and momentum equation. Using the phase field method to capture the interface of two phases, the geometric deformation and dynamics of a pair of coaxial vertical rising bubbles under the applied uniform magnetic field in the vertical direction were investigated. The correctness of results is verified by mass conservation method and the comparison of the existing results. The results show that the applied uniform magnetic field can effectively shorten the distance between the leading bubble and the trailing bubble, the time of bubbles coalescence, and increase the velocity of bubbles coalescence. Within a certain range, as the intensity of the applied uniform magnetic field increases, the velocity of bubbles coalescence is proportional to the intensity of the magnetic field, and the time of bubbles coalescence is inversely proportional to the intensity of the magnetic field.