Dynamics of liquid crystal vortex in a layered superconductor

Abstract

We report the dynamics of liquid crystal vortices in layered dilute Fe-doped NbS2 superconductors. We observed enhanced superconductivity with Fe atom doping. The thermally activated vortex flow causes a broad resistive transition. The temperature dependence of the melting field Hm on the applied magnetic field exhibits an upturn behavior as the temperature decreases. The result indicates that the vortex has transitioned from solid to liquid crystal phase. The in-plane anisotropy with twofold symmetry results from the different number of vortex pairs that stably exist on conduction planes when liquid crystal vortices move between neighboring layers. We suggest that under high magnetic fields, the resistance is suppressed due to the pinning of three-dimensional vortices formed by aligned vortex loops

    Similar works