Observation of Dynamic Interaction of Vortices with Pinning Centers by Lorentz Microscopy

When a magnetic field penetrates a superconductor, it forms lattices of thin filaments called magnetic vortices. If a current is applied, these vortices move if not pinned down, destroying the superconductivity. The spatiotemporal behavior of the vortices was observed in a niobium film with a square...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1996-03, Vol.271 (5254), p.1393-1395
Main Authors: Matsuda, Tsuyoshi, Harada, Ken, Kasai, Hiroto, Kamimura, Osamu, Tonomura, Akira
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Climate
Crystal lattices
Electric current
Image contrast
Ion beams
Laboratory Equipment
Magnetic fields
Magnetic flux
Magnetism
Material films
Microscopes
Microscopy
Motion
Observation
Physics
Superconductivity
Superconductors
Thin films
Vortex motion
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Summary:When a magnetic field penetrates a superconductor, it forms lattices of thin filaments called magnetic vortices. If a current is applied, these vortices move if not pinned down, destroying the superconductivity. The spatiotemporal behavior of the vortices was observed in a niobium film with a square lattice of defects made by ion irradiation. The vortices formed a domain of lattices. When the intensity of the applied magnetic field was decreased, the vortices were driven out of the film across its edges; when the intensity was increased, the vortices were driven into the film. The lattice exhibited brief and intermittent flow in "rivers" along domain boundaries. The rivers did not always flow along the same paths because new lattice domain configurations emerged whenever the flow stopped.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.271.5254.1393