199 research outputs found
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
Universal temperature scaling of flux line pinning in high-temperature superconducting thin films
Dissipation-free current transport in high-temperature superconductors is one
of the most crucial properties of this class of materials which is directly
related to the effective inhibition of flux line movement by defect structures.
In this respect epitaxially grown thin films of YBa2Cu3O7-d (YBCO) are proving
to be the strongest candidates for many widescale applications that are close
to realization. We show that the relation between different defect structures
and flux line pinning in these films exhibits universal features which are
clearly displayed in a detailed analysis of the temperature-dependent behaviour
of local critical currents. This allows us to identify different pinning
mechanisms at different temperatures to be responsible for the found critical
currents. Additionally, the presence of grain boundaries with very low
misorientation angles affects the temperature stability of the critical
currents which has important consequences for future applications.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures To be published in Journal of Physics: Condensed
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Current density inhomogeneity throughout the thickness of superconducting films and its effect on their irreversible magnetic properties
We calculate the distribution of the current density in superconducting
films along the direction of an external field applied perpendicular to the
film plane. Our analysis reveals that in the presence of bulk pinning is
inhomogeneous on a length scale of order the inter vortex distance. This
inhomogeneity is significantly enhanced in the presence of surface pinning. We
introduce new critical state model, which takes into account the current
density variations throughout the film thickness, and show how these variations
give rise to the experimentally observed thickness dependence of and
magnetic relaxation rate.Comment: RevTex, 9 PS figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.
Platelet glycoprotein VI cluster size is related to thrombus formation and phosphatidylserine exposure in collagen-adherent platelets under arterial shear
Background: Collagen-induced platelet activation is predominantly mediated by glycoprotein (GP) VI through formation of receptor clusters that coincide with the accumulation of signaling molecules and are hypothesized to drive strong and sustained platelet activation. Objectives: To determine the importance of GPVI clusters for thrombus formation in whole blood under shear. Methods: We utilized whole blood microfluidics and an anti-GPVI nanobody (Nb), Nb28, labeled with AlexaFluor 488, to assess the distribution of GPVI on the surface of platelets adhering to a range of collagen-like substrates with different platelet activation potentials. Results: Automated analysis of GPVI surface distribution on platelets supported the hypothesis that there is a relationship between GPVI cluster formation, thrombus size, and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure. Substrates that supported the formation of macroclusters also induced significantly bigger aggregates, with increased amounts of PS-exposing platelets in comparison to substrates where no GPVI clusters were detected. Furthermore, we demonstrate that only direct inhibition of GPVI binding, but not of downstream signaling, is able to disrupt cluster formation. Conclusion: Labeled anti-GPVI Nb28 permits visualization of GPVI clustering under flow conditions. Furthermore, whilst inhibition of downstream signaling does not affect clustering, it does prevent thrombus formation. Therefore, GPVI macroclustering is a prerequisite for thrombus formation and platelet activation, namely, PS exposure, on highly GPVI-dependent collagen surfaces
Anisotropic, non-monotonic behavior of the superconducting critical current in thin YBa2Cu3O7-d films on vicinal SrTiO3 surfaces
The critical current density of epitaxial YBCO films grown on vicinal SrTiO3
substrates was investigated by electrical transport measurements along and
across the steps of the SrTiO3 surface for a range of temperatures of 10 K to
85 K and in applied magnetic fields varying from 0 to 14 T. For vicinal angles
of 4 and 8 degrees, we found evidence of enhanced pinning in the longitudinal
direction at low magnetic fields for a wide region of temperatures and
attribute this phenomenon to anti-phase boundaries in the YBCO film. The
transverse Jc data showed a peak in the Jc(H) curve at low magnetic fields,
which was explained on the basis of magnetic interaction between Abrikosov and
Abrikosov-Josephson vortices. The in-plane Jc anisotropy observed for vicinal
angles of 0.4 degrees was reversed with respect to the 8 degree and 4 degree
samples. This phenomenon was interpreted on the basis of strain induced in the
YBCO film by the stepped substrate's surface.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
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Flux line lattice structure and behavior in antiphase boundary free vicinal YBa2Cu3O7-delta thin films
Field angle dependent critical current, magneto-optical microscopy and high resolution electron microscopy studies have been performed on YBa2Cu3O7-delta thin films grown on miscut substrates. High resolution electron microscopy images show that the films studied exhibited clean epitaxial growth with a low density of antiphase boundaries and stacking faults. Any antiphase boundaries (APBs) formed near the film substrate interface rapidly healed rather than extending through the thickness of the film. Unlike vicinal films grown on annealed substrates, which contain a high density of antiphase boundaries, magneto-optical imaging showed no filamentary flux penetration in the films studied. The flux penetration is, however, asymmetric. This is associated with intrinsic pinning of flux strings by the tilted a-b planes and the dependence of the pinning force on the angle between the local field and the a-b planes. Field angle dependent critical current measurements exhibited the striking vortex channeling effect previously reported in vicinal films. By combining the results of three complementary characterization techniques it is shown that extended APB free films exhibit markedly different critical current behavior compared to APB rich films. This is attributed to the role of APB sites as strong pinning centers for Josephson string vortices between the a-b planes. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics
Strong Pinning in High Temperature Superconductors
Detailed measurements of the critical current density jc of YBa2Cu3O7 films
grown by pulsed laser deposition reveal the increase of jc as function of the
filmthickness. Both this thickness dependence and the field dependence of the
critical current are consistently described using a generalization of the
theory of strong pinning of Ovchinnikov and Ivlev [Phys. Rev. B 43, 8024
(1991)]. From the model, we deduce values of the defect density (10^21 m^-3)
and the elementary pinning force, which are in good agreement with the
generally accepted values for Y2O3-inclusions. In the absence of clear evidence
that the critical current is determined by linear defects or modulations of the
film thickness, our model provides an alternative explanation for the rather
universal field dependence of the critical current density found in YBa2Cu3O7
films deposited by different methods.Comment: 11 pages; 8 Figures; Published Phys. Rev. B 66, 024523 (2002
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