Journal article
Imaging of vortex states in mesoscopic superconductors
Applied physics letters, v 87(16), pp 162515-162515-3
14 Oct 2005
Abstract
Enhanced vortex pinning in nanoscale-engineered superconductors increases the superconducting critical currents by orders of magnitude. Spatial imaging of vortices in these systems at high magnetic fields would provide further insight into the pinning mechanisms and enable development of high-pinning-strength materials. We have developed a novel method of fabricating atomically flat superconductor surfaces containing periodic array of normal metal pinning centers. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we map the local density of states in this heterostructure showing the vortex distribution at different applied magnetic fields. By increasing the applied magnetic field, the normal metal pinning centers accommodate several vortices per center until reaching the saturation point, beyond which new vortices get accommodated in the interstitial superconducting regions. The arrangement and pinning of the interstitial vortices is determined by the periodic pinning potential, and repulsive vortex-vortex interaction.
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Details
- Title
- Imaging of vortex states in mesoscopic superconductors
- Creators
- Goran Karapetrov - Argonne National LaboratoryJan Fedor - Material Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 and Institute of Electrical Engineering, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 84104 Bratislava, Slovak RepublicMaria Iavarone - Argonne National LaboratoryM Marshall - Center for Microanalysis of Materials, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 81801R Divan - Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439
- Publication Details
- Applied physics letters, v 87(16), pp 162515-162515-3
- Publisher
- American Institute of Physics
- Grant note
- W-31-109-ENG-38 / DOE DEFG02-91-ER45439 / DOE
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Academic Unit
- Physics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000232557900052
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-28344433166
- Other Identifier
- 991019295188504721
InCites Highlights
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Physics, Applied