P. E. Goa

Dendritic magnetic instability in superconducting MgB2 films

Magneto-optical imaging reveal that below 10 K the penetration of magnetic flux in MgB2 films is dominated by dendritic structures abruptly formed in response to an applied field. The dendrites show a temperature-dependent morphology ranging from quasi-1D at 4 K to large tree-like structures near 10 K. This behaviour is responsible for the anomalous noise found in magnetization curves, and strongly suppresses the apparent critical current. The instability is of thermo-magnetic origin, as supported by our simulations of vortex dynamics reproducing the variety of dendritic flux patterns.

Onset of dendritic flux avalanches in superconducting films

We report a detailed comparison of experimental data and theoretical predictions for the dendritic flux instability, believed to be a generic behavior of type-II superconducting films. It is shown that a thermomagnetic model published very recently [Phys. Rev. B 73, 014512 (2006)10.1103/PhysRevB.73.014512] gives an excellent quantitative description of key features like the stability onset (first dendrite appearance) magnetic field, and how the onset field depends on both temperature and sample size. The measurements were made using magneto-optical imaging on a series of different strip-shaped samples of MgB2. Excellent agreement is also obtained by reanalyzing data previously published for Nb.

Dendritic flux patterns in MgB2 films

Magneto-optical studies of a c-oriented MgB2 film with a critical current density of 107?A?cm-2 demonstrate a breakdown of the critical state at temperatures below 10?K. Instead of conventional uniform and gradual flux penetration in an applied magnetic field, we observe an abrupt invasion of complex dendritic structures. When the applied field subsequently decreases, similar dendritic structures of the return flux penetrate the film. The static and dynamic properties of the dendrites are discussed.

Magneto-optical imaging setup for single vortex observation

A recently developed high-resolution magneto-optical imaging (MOI) setup is reviewed. It is the first MOI system capable of resolving the individual vortices in a type-II superconductor. We give a detailed description of the whole setup, and discuss its measured properties in terms of magnetic sensitivity and signal-noise characteristics. A simple model for the image intensity distribution due to a vortex lattice is developed, and for the intensity profile across a single vortex, we find good agreement between model calculations and experimental data. The minimum vortex spacing resolved experimentally is 1.3 μm. Our analysis shows that increased resolution can most easily be achieved by increasing the light input intensity, but maximum resolution is ultimately limited by the effective extinction ratio through the optical system and mechanical vibrations in the setup.

Manipulation of vortices by magnetic domain walls

In a type-II superconductor, the magnetic field penetrates in the form of thin filaments called vortices. The controlled behavior of these vortices may provide the basis for a new generation of nanodevices. We present here a series of experiments showing simultaneous manipulation and imaging of individual vortices in a NbSe2 single crystal. The magnetic field from a Bloch wall in a ferrite garnet film (FGF) is used to manipulate the vortices. High-resolution magneto-optical imaging enables real-time observation of the vortex positions using the Faraday effect in the same FGF. Depending on the thickness of the sample, the vortices are either swept away or merely bent with the Bloch wall.

Interaction between a magnetic domain wall and a superconductor

memory device based on active control of generation and annihilation of vortices by means of one or more domain walls. In recent years superconducting circuits based on single-flux-quantum pulses have been shown to provide a family of digital electronics with ultrahigh speed and very low-power dissipitation. At clock rates exceeding 10 GHz and an operation speed of many hundred GHz, these devices can in the future outrun any semiconductor device. 7 Using domain walls as active ‘‘vortex gates,’’ we may add an additional degree of freedom in these devices. It is known that bismuth-substituted ferrite garnet films with in-plane magnetization have domain walls with very low coercivity that can be moved without ambiguity at frequencies up to several GHz. 6 Furthermore, in such materials Bloch walls are easily formed by external magnetic fields or stress patterns, and these could be manipulated in numerous ways suitable for a memory device.

Hydrodynamic Instability of the Flux-Antiflux Interface in Type-II Superconductors

A possible mechanism of the macroturbulence instability observed in fluxline systems during remagnetization of superconductors is proposed. It is shown that when a region with flux is invaded by antiflux the interface can become unstable if there is a relative tangential flux motion. This condition occurs at the interface owing to the anisotropy of the viscous motion of vortices. The phenomenon is similar to the instability of the tangential discontinuity in classical hydrodynamics. The obtained results are supported by magneto-optical observations of flux distribution on the surface of a YBCO single crystal with twins.

Single vortices observed as they enter NbSe2

We observe single vortices as they penetrate the edge of a superconductor using a high-sensitivity magneto-optical microscope. The vortices leap across a gap near the edge, a distance that decreases with increasing applied field and sample thickness. This behaviour can be explained by the combined effect of the geometrical barrier and bulk pinning.

Interplay of dendritic avalanches and gradual flux penetration in superconducting MgB2 films

Magneto-optical imaging was used to study a zero-field-cooled MgB2 film at 9.6 K where in a slowly increasing field the flux penetrates by an abrupt formation of large dendritic structures. Simultaneously, a gradual flux penetration takes place, eventually covering the dendrites, and a detailed analysis of this process is reported. We find an anomalously high gradient of the flux density across a dendrite branch, and a peak value that decreases as the applied field increases. This unexpected behaviour is reproduced by flux creep simulations based on the non-local field–current relation in the perpendicular geometry. The simulations also provide indirect evidence that flux dendrites are formed at an elevated local temperature, consistent with a thermo-magnetic mechanism of the instability.

Flux Jumps in Magnesium Diboride

Magneto-optical imaging was used to study flux penetration into MgB2 films in a slowly increasing perpendicular applied field. A variety of flux jumps and avalanches have been observed at temperatures below 10 K. At small fields, jumps with typical size of 20 μm and regular shape occur at random locations along the flux front. Above some threshold field of 2–10 mT, big dendritic jumps with dimensions comparable to the sample size (mm scale) take place. The jumps are developing extremely fast, result in highly-branching irreproducible flux patterns, and effectively suppress the apparent critical current. Both types of jumps are believed to result from thermo-magnetic instability.