291 research outputs found
Dynamic Formation of Metastable Intermediate State Patterns in Type-I Superconductors
Structure of the intermediate state in type-I superconducting lead (Pb) is
shown to be very sensitive to the ramp rate of an applied magnetic field. The
configurations of resulting static patterns depend sensitively on the shape of
the specimen. In particular, geometric barrier, present in the samples with
rectangular cross-section, plays an important role in determining the sharp
boundary between the phases of different topology. We propose that seemingly
laminar (stripe) pattern obtained as a result of the fast field ramp is simply
an imprint left behind by the fast-moving flux tubes. Our results confirm that
flux tube phase is topologically favorable.Comment: to be presented at LT-25 (Amsterdam, 2008
Nernst effect, quasiparticles, and d-density waves in cuprates
We examine the possibility that the large Nernst signal observed in the
pseudogap regime of hole-doped cuprates originates from quasiparticle transport
in a state with d-density wave (DDW) order, proposed by S. Chakravarty et al.
[Phys. Rev. B 63, 094503 (2001)]. We find that the Nernst coefficient can be
moderately enhanced in magnitude by DDW order, and is generally of negative
sign. Thus, the quasiparticles of the DDW state cannot account for the large
and positive Nernst signal observed in the pseudogap phase of the cuprates.
However, the general considerations outlined in this paper may be of broader
relevance, in particular to the recent measurements of Bel et al. in NbSe_2 and
CeCoIn_5 [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 066602 (2003); ibid. 92, 217002 (2004)].Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures; published versio
Dynamics of stripe patterns in type-I superconductors subject to a rotating field
The evolution of stripe patterns in type-I superconductors subject to a
rotating in-plane magnetic field is investigated magneto-optically. The
experimental results reveal a very rich and interesting behavior of the
patterns. For small rotation angles, a small parallel displacement of the main
part of the stripes and a co-rotation of their very ends is observed. For
larger angles, small sideward protrusions develop, which then generate a zigzag
instability, ultimately leading to a breaking of stripes into smaller segments.
The short segments then start to co-rotate with the applied field although they
lag behind by approximately . Very interestingly, if the rotation is
continued, also reconnection of segments into longer stripes takes place. These
observations demonstrate the importance of pinning in type-I superconductors.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.
Behavior of vortices near twin boundaries in underdoped
We use scanning SQUID microscopy to investigate the behavior of vortices in
the presence of twin boundaries in the pnictide superconductor
Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2. We show that the vortices avoid pinning on twin boundaries.
Individual vortices move in a preferential way when manipulated with the SQUID:
they tend to not cross a twin boundary, but rather to move parallel to it. This
behavior can be explained by the observation of enhanced superfluid density on
twin boundaries in Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2. The observed repulsion from twin
boundaries may be a mechanism for enhanced critical currents observed in
twinned samples in pnictides and other superconductors
Current-induced vortex dynamics in Josephson-junction arrays: Imaging experiments and model simulations
We study the dynamics of current-biased Josephson-junction arrays with a
magnetic penetration depth smaller than the lattice spacing. We compare the
dynamics imaged by low-temperature scanning electron microscopy to the vortex
dynamics obtained from model calculations based on the resistively-shunted
junction model, in combination with Maxwell's equations. We find three bias
current regions with fundamentally different array dynamics. The first region
is the subcritical region, i.e. below the array critical current I_c. The
second, for currents I above I_c, is a "vortex region", in which the response
is determined by the vortex degrees of freedom. In this region, the dynamics is
characterized by spatial domains where vortices and antivortices move across
the array in opposite directions in adjacent rows and by transverse voltage
fluctuations. In the third, for still higher currents, the dynamics is
dominated by coherent-phase motion, and the current-voltage characteristics are
linear.Comment: 10 pages, with eps figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.
Equilibrium topology of the intermediate state in type-I superconductors of different shapes
High-resolution magneto-optical technique was used to analyze flux patterns
in the intermediate state of bulk Pb samples of various shapes - cones,
hemispheres and discs. Combined with the measurements of macroscopic
magnetization these results allowed studying the effect of bulk pinning and
geometric barrier on the equilibrium structure of the intermediate state.
Zero-bulk pinning discs and slabs show hysteretic behavior due to geometric
barrier that results in a topological hysteresis -- flux tubes on penetration
and lamellae on flux exit. (Hemi)spheres and cones do not have geometric
barrier and show no hysteresis with flux tubes dominating the intermediate
field region. It is concluded that flux tubes represent the equilibrium
topology of the intermediate state in reversible samples, whereas laminar
structure appears in samples with magnetic hysteresis (either bulk or
geometric). Real-time video is available in
http://www.cmpgroup.ameslab.gov/supermaglab/video/Pb.html
NOTE: the submitted images were severely downsampled due to Arxiv's
limitations of 1 Mb total size
Observation of Andreev bound states in YBaCuO/Au/Nb ramp-type Josephson junctions
We report on Josephson and quasiparticle tunneling in YBa2Cu3O7-x(YBCO)/Au/Nb
ramp junctions of several geometries. Macroscopically, tunneling occurs in the
ab-plane of YBCO either in the (100) and (010) direction, or in the (110)
direction. These junctions have a stable and macroscopically well defined
geometry. This allows systematic investigations of both quasiparticle and
Josephson tunneling over a wide range of temperature and magnetic field. With
Nb superconducting, its gap appears in the quasiparticle conductance spectra as
Nb coherence peaks and a dip at the center of a broadened zero-bias conductance
peak (ZBCP). As we increase the temperature or an applied magnetic field both
the Nb coherence peaks and the dip get suppressed and the ZBCP fully develops,
while states are conserved. With Nb in the normal state the ZBCP is observed up
to about 77 K and is almost unaffected by an increasing field up to 7 T. The
measurements are consistent with a convolution of density of states with
broadened Andreev bound states formed at the YBCO/Au/Nb junction interfaces.
Since junctions with different geometries are fabricated on the same substrate
under the same conditions one expects to extract reliable tunneling information
that is crystallographic direction sensitive. In high contrast to Josephson
tunneling, however, the quasiparticle conductance spectra are crystallographic
orientation insensitive: independent whether the tunneling occurs in the (100)
or (110) directions, a pronounced ZBCP is always observed, consistent with
microscopic roughness of the junction interfaces. Qualitatively, all these
particularities regarding quasiparticle spectra hold regardless whether the
YBCO thin film is twinned or untwinned.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
Topological Hysteresis in the Intermediate State of Type-I Superconductors
Magneto-optical imaging of thick stress-free lead samples reveals two
distinct topologies of the intermediate state. Flux tubes are formed upon
magnetic field penetration (closed topology) and laminar patterns appear upon
flux exit (open topology). Two-dimensional distributions of shielding currents
were obtained by applying an efficient inversion scheme. Quantitative analysis
of the magnetic induction distribution and correlation with magnetization
measurements indicate that observed topological differences between the two
phases are responsible for experimentally observable magnetic hysteresis.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex
Quasiparticle scattering time in superconducting films: from dirty to clean limit
We study the quasiparticle energy relaxation processes in superconducting Nb
films of different thicknesses corresponding to different electron mean free
paths in a state far from equilibrium, that is the highly dissipative flux-flow
state driven up to the instability point. From the measured current-voltage
curves we derive the vortex critical velocity for several temperatures.
From the values, the quasiparticle energy relaxation time
is evaluated within the Larkin-Ovchinnikov model and
numerical calculations of the quasiparticle energy relaxation rates are carried
out to support the experimental findings. Besides the expected constant
behavior of for the dirty samples, we observe a strong
temperature dependence of the quasiparticle energy relaxation time in the clean
samples. This feature is associated with the increasing contribution from the
electron-phonon scattering process as the dirty limit is approached from the
clean regime
Nucleation and Collapse of the Superconducting Phase in Type-I Superconducting Films
The phase transition between the intermediate and normal states in type-I
superconducting films is investigated using magneto-optical imaging. Magnetic
hysteresis with different transition fields for collapse and nucleation of
superconducting domains is found. This is accompanied by topological hysteresis
characterized by the collapse of circular domains and the appearance of
lamellar domains. Magnetic hysteresis is shown to arise from supercooled and
superheated states. Domain-shape instability resulting from long-range magnetic
interaction accounts well for topological hysteresis. Connection with similar
effects in systems with long-range magnetic interactions is emphasized
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