Thermally activated hopping of a single Abrikosov vortex

Journal Article · Thu Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.47.8996· OSTI ID:6941094

Sanders, S C ^[1]; Sok, J; Finnemore, D K ^[2]; Li, Q ^[3]

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1. Electromagnetic Technology Division, National Institute of Standards Technology, Boulder, Colorado 80303 (United States)
2. Ames Laboratory and Department of Physics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 (United States)
3. Materials Science Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973 (United States)

Thermally activated hopping of a single Abrikosov vortex has been investigated for a thin Pb film that was decorated with an artificial pinning structure. To determine the location of the vortex, the Pb film is fabricated to be one electrode of a cross-strip superconductor/normal-metal/insulator/superconductor (SNIS[prime]) Josephson junction. Distortions in the Fraunhofer pattern specify the vortex location. As the temperature is raised toward [ital T][sub [ital c]], the vortex depins from the artificial pinning site and reproducibly moves through the same sequence of other pinning sites before it leaves the junction area of the Pb film. The first thermal depinning occurs when the order parameter of the bulk superconductor is about 20% of the [ital T]=0 value. The trajectory is not random.

• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016; W-7405-ENG-82
• OSTI ID: 6941094
• Journal Information: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States) Vol. 47:14; ISSN PRBMDO; ISSN 0163-1829
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

665411* -- Basic Superconductivity Studies-- (1992-)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ABRIKOSOV THEORY
ELEMENTS
FILMS
JUNCTIONS
LEAD
METALS
MOTION
SUPERCONDUCTING FILMS
SUPERCONDUCTING JUNCTIONS
TEMPERATURE RANGE
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0000-0013 K
VORTICES