Dendritic flux penetration in Pb films with a periodic array of antidots

We explore the flux-jump regime in type-II Pb thin films with a periodic array of antidots by means of magneto-optical measurements. A direct visualization of the magnetic flux distribution allows to identify a rich morphology of flux penetration patterns. We determine the phase boundary $H^*(T)$ between dendritic penetration at low temperatures and a smooth flux invasion at high temperatures and fields. For the whole range of fields and temperatures studied, guided vortex motion along the principal axes of the square pinning array is clearly observed. In particular, the branching process of the dendrite expansion is fully governed by the underlying pinning topology. A comparative study between macroscopic techniques and direct local visualization shed light onto the puzzling $T-$ and $H-$independent magnetic response observed at low temperatures and fields. Finally, we find that the distribution of avalanche sizes at low temperatures can be described by a power law with exponent $\tau \sim 0.9(1)$

The behaviour and productivity of mid-lactation dairy cows provided daily pasture allowance over 2 or 7 intensively grazed strips

Research into the effects of intense grazing regimes on cattle behaviour and productivity will support the ethical intensification of pastoral dairy production. Two treatments were applied to two herds of 30 mid-lactation cows over 28 days. Cows were offered an estimated 12 kg DM/cow (above 5 cm from ground level) of irrigated pasture per day. The control herd received their daily pasture allocation in two equal grazings while the experimental herd received theirs over seven smaller grazings. Backgrazing beyond the current allocation (morning or afternoon) was prevented. Individual records were taken daily for milk production and behaviour (MooMonitor+). Milk composition, energy corrected milk (ECM), and live weight were recorded weekly. Feeding mid-lactation dairy cows over seven smaller grazing allocations reduced the time cows spent ruminating (p p p p > 0.05). Cattle may have adapted their ingestive behaviour in response to the more intensive strip-grazing regime utilised in this study, with negative consequences for digestive processes and consequently milk production. Intense grazing regimes need to support the ingestive, digestive, and social behaviours of cattle

Guided vortex motion in superconductors with a square antidot lattice

We have measured the in-plane anisotropy of the vortex mobility in a thin Pb film with a square array of antidots. The Lorentz force, acting on the vortices, was rotated by adding two perpendicular currents and keeping the amplitude of the net current constant. One set of voltage probes was used to detect the vortex motion. We show that the pinning landscape provided by the square antidot lattice influences the vortex motion in two different ways. First, the modulus of the vortex velocity becomes angular dependent with a lower mobility along the diagonals of the pinning array. Second, the vortex displacement is preferentially parallel to the principal axes of the underlying pinning lattice, giving rise to a misalignment between the vortex velocity and the applied Lorentz force. We show that this anisotropic vortex motion is temperature dependent and progressively fades out when approaching the normal state.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Genetic diversity in reintroduced and restocked polpulations of the common hamster (cricetus cricetus

Contains fulltext : 91853.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)10 p

In-plane anisotropic vortex motion induced by a square array of antidots

We report on electro-transport measurements on a Pb thin film with a square array of antidots, for the whole angular range of in-plane current orientations. We demonstrate that the interaction of a moving flux line lattice with a periodic pinning potential, breaks the rotational symmetry and induces a guided vortex motion along the principal symmetry orientations of the pinning array. As a consequence, we found that for orientations different than the symmetry directions, the vortex velocity is not aligned with the Lorentz force. We show that this anisotropic vortex motion is temperature dependent and progressively fades out when approaching the normal state. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Flux pinning properties of holes and blind holes arranged periodically in a superconductor

We investigate the dynamic response of a vortex lattice in nanostructured superconducting Pb films by means of ac-magnetization measurements. We compare the flux pinning properties of superconducting Pb films with arrays of fully perforated holes (antidots) and partially drilled holes (blind holes). Our results show that an array of blind holes, characterized by a thin superconducting bottom layer, gives rise to a less efficient pinning potential than an array of antidots. On top of that, a lower number of flux quanta trapped per pinning site (the saturation number), is observed for the blind hole array. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved