Columnar defects and vortex fluctuations in layered superconductors

Journal Article · Mon Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1996 · Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.53.R8855· OSTI ID:282934

Koshelev, A E ^[1]; Le Doussal, P ^[2]; Vinokur, V M ^[1]

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1. Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States)
2. CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique Theorique de l`Ecole Normale Superieure, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75231 Paris (France)

We investigate fluctuations of Josephson-coupled pancake vortices in layered superconductors in the presence of columnar defects. We study the thermodynamics of a single pancake stack pinned by columnar defects and obtain the temperature dependence of localization length, pinning energy, and critical current. We study the creep regime and compute the crossover current between linelike and pancakelike creep motion. We find that columnar defects effectively increase interlayer Josephson coupling by suppressing thermal fluctuations of pancakes. This leads to an upward shift in the decoupling line most pronounced around the matching field. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 282934
• Journal Information: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter, Journal Name: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter Journal Issue: 14 Vol. 53; ISSN 0163-1829; ISSN PRBMDO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
66 PHYSICS
COUPLING
CRYSTAL DEFECTS
HIGH-TC SUPERCONDUCTORS
JOSEPHSON EFFECT
LAYERED MATERIALS
MAGNETIC FLUX
THERMODYNAMICS