On the mechanisms of transport losses in high-temperature superconductors

Monte Carlo simulations of a high-temperature superconductor carrying an alternating transport current have been performed. The influence of defect concentration and external magnetic field on the transport energy losses is investigated. We show that there are two components of the losses in a superconductor carrying an alternating transport current: a hysteresis component related to the superconductor remagnetization by the self-current field and a dynamic component related to the steady flow of vortices-antivortices and their annihilation in the superconductor.