Flux vortices and transport currents in type II superconductors

This article is concerned with the mechanisms by which type II super-conductors can carry currents. The equilibrium properties of the vortex lattice are described and the generalized driving force in gradients of temperature and field is derived using irreversible thermodynamics. This leads to expressions for thermal cross effects which can include pinning forces.

The field distributions which occur in a range of situations are derived and a number of useful solutions of the critical state given. In particular, the distribution in a longitudinal field is obtained, and the conditions under which force-free configurations can break down by the cutting of vortices discussed.

The effects of lattice rigidity on the summation of pinning forces is considered and it is shown that a summation based on statistical arguments uses the same approximations and leads to the same results as a dissipation argument. Theoretical expressions are derived for the vortex pinning interaction to a number of different metallurgical defects. The theoretical models are compared critically with experimental measurements of pinning forces and other related phenomena, such as flux creep, low amplitude vortex oscillations and vortex lattice defect effects. Finally, the implications for technological materials are assessed.     

Flux vortices and transport currents in type II superconductors

This article is concerned with the mechanisms by which type II superconductors can carry currents. The equilibrium properties of the vortex lattice are described and the generalized driving force in gradients of temperature and field is derived using irreversible thermodynamics. This leads to expressions for thermal cross effects which can include pinning forces. The field distributions which occur in a range of situations are derived and a number of useful solutions of the critical state given. In particular, the distribution in a longitudinal field is obtained, and the conditions under which force-free configurations can break down by the cutting of vortices discussed. The effects of lattice rigidity on the summation of pinning forces is considered and it is shown that a summation based on statistical arguments uses the same approximations and leads to the same results as a dissipation argument. Theoretical expressions are derived for the vortex pinning interaction to a number of different metallurgical defects. The theoretical models are compared critically with experimental measurements of pinning forces and other related phenomena, such as flux creep, low amplitude vortex oscillations and vortex lattice defect effects. Finally, the implications for technological materials are assessed.     

Dynamical phase transition of a driven vortex lattice with disordered pinning

We have numerically solved the overdamped equation of vortex motion in a two-dimensional driven vortex lattice with disordered pinning, in which the driving Lorentz force, the pinning force due to point defects, the intervortex interacting force, and the thermal fluctuation force are taken into account. It is found that the vortex density and pinning strength are two important factors of affecting the melting transition of a vortex lattice. At low magnetic fields, there exist hysteresis loops of the average vortex velocity and the average pinning force vs. the driving force, from which the feature of a first-order melting transition of the vortex motion can be clearly seen. As the magnetic field is increased beyond a critical value, the hysteresis loops disappear and the melting transition is replaced by a second-order glass transition. We have also studied the influence of intervortex interactions on the vortex melting transition by comparing several forms of repulsive forces between the vortices.     

The volume pinning force for different shapes of the interaction potential between defects and flux lines

The volume pinning force in superconductors with randomly distributed line defects nearly perpendicular to the flux lines is calculated for model as well as realistic interaction potentials between single defects and single flux lines. Both attractive and repulsive interactions defect — flux line were considered. The line defects were constructed from point defects distributed with constant density on straight lines. The deviations of the results from the theory of Labusch are considerable for small elementary interaction forces between defects and flux lines. The deviations (as well as the differences between repulsive and attractive interaction potentials) are larger for the realistic interaction potential than those for the different model potentials. The threshold values for the flux line distortion (under which no net volume pinning can exist) is also given.     

Mode-locking behaviour: ac response of a driven disordered vortex lattice

Using random pinning force simulations, we study numerically the alternating current (ac) response of the driven disordered vortex lattice. In the presence of a superimposed ac force, mode-locking steps are observed in the velocity－direct current (dc) force characteristics at high dc forces, where a smectic order occurs. The step width shows damped oscillations with the strength of interaction between vortices, in good agreement with recent experiments.     

磁通交流响应的锁模特性研究

本数值研究无序磁通点阵的交流响应．我们在交流驱动力叠加的速度-直流驱动力曲线上发现了锁模台阶．台阶宽度随交流驱动力振幅呈Bessel函数振荡．台阶速度线性依赖于交流驱动力频率．此外，我们还首次考察了温度对锁模特性的影响．发现：台阶速度不随温度的变化而改变，直至台阶消失；热涨落将抹平钉扎势，因此破坏微观速度的调制，另外热涨落还破坏磁通的相干运动，从而导致台阶宽度随温度呈指数衰减．     

Pinning in superconductors with attractive and repulsive interaction defect-flux line

We illustrate some results of the statistical theory of pinning as well as the processes which lead to the existence of volume pinning force, and calculate some quantities determining the pinning and other effects in type II superconductors by means of a model potential for both attractive and repulsive interactions between individual defects and individual flux lines. For some of these quantities (e.g. the volume pinning force) in superconductors with line defects perpendicular to the flux lines, we find large differences with respect to the shape and character (attractive, repulsive) of the interaction potential, whereas other quantities (e.g. the maximum reversible displacement of the flux line lattice, the force on the flux line lattice in the reversible regime) are rather little dependent on the shape and the character of the interaction potential.     

Numerical calculation of elastic pinning parameters by point pins

One-dimensional numerical simulations of the pinned vortex lattice have been carried out using an inverted model in which widely spaced and weak point pinning centres are distorted by a rigid lattice. This allows us to simulate a much larger array than if we had to find the position of each vortex separately. Using steepest descent and molecular dynamics methods, the Labusch parameter is found to have similar power law dependencies on the density of pins and elementary pinning force to the bulk pinning force. This implies that the maximum reversible displacement is a constant and it is found to be roughly 0.2 of a vortex spacing. The results are in agreement with the Larkin-Ovchinnikov theory of collective pinning. Quasi-static shifting of the pins over the rigid vortex lattice allowed the size of avalanches in the flow state to be measured. The distribution of avalanche sizes displays power law behaviour over several decades.     

磁通格子的有序-无序相变和反向熔化

考虑了无序钉扎、热涨落和磁通互作用, 用Monte Carlo分子动力学模拟方法研究二维磁通格子在无序钉扎强度和温度空间的相图, 以及由布拉格玻璃相到非晶磁通玻璃相和到磁通液体相的有序-无序相变.为了决定磁通格子的序，计算了静态结构因子和磁通格子位形的有限尺寸指数.计算结果表明，Bragg玻璃相在低温的无序磁通玻璃相和高温的磁通液体相之间 , 表现出磁通格子的反向熔化行为.分析后认为，这一反向熔化行为起因于磁通之间互作用的温度效应. 关键词： Ⅱ类超导体 磁通格子 相图 结构因子 反向熔化     

NUMERICAL STUDIES ON THE DYNAMICS OF DISORDERED VORTEX LATTICE

Flow behavior of the driven two-dimensional vortex lattice is numerically studied with different densities of randomly distributed pointlike pinning centers. Different features in the curves of velocity-force dependence are found between the elastic and plastic regimes. Scaling fit between force and velocity above the critical driving force can be obtained in the elastic regime but fails in the plastic regime. Transition from the lastic to plastic regimes is accompanied by maximum peaks in the differential curves of velocity-force dependence in the disordered vortex lattice.     

Commensurability effects in the critical forces of a superconducting film with Kagomé pinning array at submatching fields

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we find the commensurability force peaks in a two-dimensional superconducting thin-film with a Kagomé pinning array. A transport force is applied in two mutually perpendicular directions, and the magnetic field is increased up to the first matching field. Usually the condition to have pronounced force peaks in systems with periodic pinning is associated to the rate between the applied magnetic field and the first matching field, it must be an integer or a rational fraction. Here, we show that another condition must be satisfied, the vortex ground state must be ordered. Our calculations show that the pinning size and strength may dramatically change the vortex ground state. Small pinning radius and high values of pinning strength may lead to disordered vortex configurations, which fade the critical force peaks. The critical forces show anisotropic behavior, but the same dependence on pinning strength and radius is observed for both driven force directions. Different to cases where the applied magnetic field is higher than the first matching field, here the depinning process begins with vortices weakly trapped on top of a pinning site and not with interstitial vortices. Our results are in good agreement with recent experimental results.     

Electrostatic interactions in molecular dynamics simulation of a three-dimensional system with periodicity in one direction

The Mellin transform and Poisson summation formula are used to derive an expression for the Coulomb interaction energy of a three-dimensional system with periodicity in one direction. Initially, calculations are performed for interactions characterized by any inverse power and, using the analytical continuation of the energy function, one obtains the final expression for the interaction energy of charges. We consider also a special case when two different charges are located on a line parallel to the periodicity direction. The energy and force expressions are identical to those obtained from the Lekner summation which is simply a sum over reciprocal lattice terms. The convergence behaviour of the Lekner summation is compared with that based on the Ewald type approach.     

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.     

Effect of pinning and driving force on the metastability effects in weakly pinned superconductors and the determination of spinodal line pertaining to order—disorder transition

We explore the effect of varying drive on metastability features exhibited by the vortex matter in single crystals of 2H-NbSe₂ and CeRu₂ with varying degree of random pinning. The metastable nature of vortex matter is reflected in the path dependence of the critical current density, which in turn is probed in a contact-less way via AC-susceptibility measurements. The sinusoidal AC magnetic field applied during AC susceptibility measurements appears to generate a driving force on the vortex matter. In a nascent pinned single crystal of 2H-NbSe₂, where the peak effect (PE) pertaining to the order—disorder phenomenon is a sharp first-order-like transition, the supercooling feature below the peak temperature is easily wiped out by the reorganization caused by the AC driving force. In this paper, we elucidate the interplay between the drive and the pinning which can conspire to make the path-dependent AC-susceptibility response of different metastable vortex states appear identical. An optimal balance between the pinning and driving force is needed to view the metastability effects in typically weakly pinned specimen of low temperature superconductors. As one uses samples with larger pinning in order to differentiate the response of different metastable vortex states, one encounters a new phenomenon, viz., the second magnetization peak (SMP) anomaly prior to the PE. Supercooling/superheating can occur across both the PE and the SMP anomalies and both of these are known to display non-linear characteristics as well. Interplay between the path dependence in the critical current density and the non-linearity in the electromagnetic response determine the metastability effects seen in the first and the third harmonic response of the AC susceptibility across the temperature regions of the SMP and the PE. The limiting temperature above which metastability effects cease can be conveniently located in the third harmonic data, and the observed behavior can be rationalized within the Bean’s critical state model. A vortex phase diagram showing different vortex phases for a typically weakly pinned specimen has been constructed via the AC susceptibility data in a crystal of 2H-NbSe₂ which shows the SMP and the PE anomalies. The phase space of coexisting weaker and stronger pinned regions has been identified. It can be bifurcated into two parts, where the order and disorder dominate, respectively. The former part continuously connects to the reentrant disordered vortex phase pertaining to the small bundle pinning regime, where the vortices are far apart, interaction effects are weak and the polycrystalline form of flux line lattice prevails.     

Defect migration in a moving fluxon array

Flux flow noise in Niobium foils, in which local random perturbations of vortex motion due to pinning are negligible, is associated with defects in the moving vortex lattice. Cross correlation measurements reveal that defects and vortex lattice travel with the same drift velocity.     

Equilibrium states of planar vortices in a three-dimensional josephson medium and meaning of the pinning-energy concept

Various ways of specifying the pinning-energy concept for planar vortices in a three-dimensional cellular Josephson medium are analyzed. It is shown that, for values of the pinning parameter I that are not small, a universal characteristic of vortex interaction with the lattice cannot be found, since the displacement of a vortex distorts its shape. At small values of I, the maximum pinning force can be chosen for such a characteristic. Two equilibrium states of a vortex are analyzed for stability. It is revealed that the state of higher energy is not inevitably unstable. A correct analysis of stability must be based on exploring a quadratic form that describes the energy of a current configuration. Such an investigation is performed for the equilibrium state of a vortex. At small values of the pinning parameter, the vortex state of higher energy is quasistable.     

INFLUENCE OF PINNING CENTRE DISTRIBUTION ON THE DYNAMICS OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL VORTEX SYSTEM

Numerical study of the influence of the distribution of pinning centres on the dynamics of a two-dimensional vortex system is performed. The superconductor sample has a periodic structure with a pinned region of length L_p and an unpinned region of length L_x-L_p along the direction of driving force (Lorentz force). Results show that, at zero temperature, the critical force F_c increases with the increase of L_p, indicating that the homogeneity of pinning centres helps to enhance the critical electric current of the superconductor. At large driving forces, vortex static channels form in the pinned region even for L_px.     

Weak to strong pinning crossover

Material defects in hard type II superconductors pin the flux lines and thus establish the dissipation-free current transport in the presence of a finite magnetic field. Depending on the density and pinning force of the defects and the vortex density, pinning is either weak collective or strong. We analyze the weak to strong pinning crossover of vortex matter in disordered superconductors and discuss the peak effect appearing naturally in this context.     

Ordering of the vortex lattice in Mo-Re films

We investigated the vortex lattice ordering induced by an applied current in thick (700-900 nm) Mo-Re films with strong pinning. Measurements of I-V characteristics as a function of field and at different temperatures were carried out. We found that, as in the case of weakly pinning amorphous samples, dynamic ordering can occur only if the size of the vortex correlated region is at least two times the intervortex distance. Received 20 July 2001     

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