Project Info

Vortex dynamics in superconductors

Serena Eley | serenaeley@mines.edu

The current carrying capacity Jc of type-II superconductors is severely limited by dissipation from the motion of vortices, magnetic flux lines that appear inside these materials upon immersion in sufficiently high magnetic fields. To date, no superconductor has achieved a Jc higher than ~25-30% its theoretical maximum Jd. Incorporating nanoparticle inclusions into superconducting films is a well-established route for boosting Jc because defects can trap vortices. In fact, superconductors containing nanoparticles have produced some of the highest critical currents, hence, this growth technique shows promise for producing next-generation superconductors with critical currents near Jd. To achieve this, we need to garner a better understanding of vortex-nanoparticle and vortex-vortex interactions, the latter of which is thought to be requisite for attaining Jd. Recent results from time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations show that the magnetic-field dependence of the critical current strongly depends on the number of vortices captured by individual inclusions, and specifically predict a small dip in Jc(B) at high fields as the signature of inclusions having trapped two vortices.

More Information

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