Transport and magnetic properties of Co-doped BaFe_{2}As_{2} epitaxial thin films

We report resistivity, Hall coefficient, current-voltage characteristics, and magneto-optical imaging measurements of epitaxial Co-doped BaFe_{2}As_{2} thin films deposited on MgO(001) substrate. The Hall resistivity of the films has a substantial contribution arising from anomalous Hall effect of ferromagnetic components. The critical current density (J_{c}) of the films is ~2 MA/cm^{2} at low temperatures. Differential magneto-optical images of the remanent state give similar J_{c} values and also exhibit presence of extended defects in the film.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Effects of particle irradiations on vortex states in iron-based superconductors

Various kinds of energetic particles are irradiated into iron-based superconductors, and their effects on the critical current density (Jc) and vortex dynamics have been systematically studied. It is found that Jc is enhanced and vortex dynamics is strongly suppressed by energetic particles having a sufficient energy deposition rate, similar to the case of high temperature cuprate superconductors. The enhancement of Jc, in general, persists up to much higher irradiation doses than in cuprates. However, details of the effect of irradiation depend on the kind of ion species and their energies. Even with the same ions and energies, the effect is not universal for different kinds of iron-based superconductors. The correlated nature of defects created by heavy-ion irradiation is confirmed by the angular dependence of irreversible magnetization