S. S. Banerjee

Anomalous peak effect in CeRu2 and 2H-NbSe2: Fracturing of a flux line lattice

CeRu 2 and 2H-NbSe 2 display remarkable similarities in their magnetic response, reflecting the manner in which the weakly pinned flux line lattice (FLL) loses spatial order in the peak-effect (PE) regime. We present evidence for discontinuous changes in the screening response near the onset of the PE in these systems, and demonstrate history-dependent effects. We attribute these features to a disorder-induced fracturing and entanglement of the FLL, as an alternative to the appearance of a spatially modulated ground state for CeRu 2 .

Metastability and switching in the vortex state of 2H-NbSe2

History-dependent metastable states with different bulk properties are formed in the vortex state of the type-II superconductor 2H-NbSe2. Magnetic measurements demonstrate the difference between the shielding responses of a field- and a zero-field-cooled state, and provide a procedure for switching the system from one state to the other.

Laser processed channels of easy vortex motion in YBa2Cu3O7−δ films

Vortex dynamics in laser-patterned channels for easy motion in YBa2Cu3O7−δ thin-film bridges has been investigated by electric transport and magneto-optical measurements. It has been found that the laser-writing technique, relying on selective deoxygenation of the illuminated areas of YBa2Cu3O7−δ films, enables manufacturing of channels with the decreased field of the first penetration and pinning strength. Current-induced vortices confined in such channels move coherently within a limited temperature and bias ranges. Coherence in vortex motion was confirmed by the direct observation of self-resonant, Josephson-like current steps on the bridge current-voltage characteristics.

Large Low-Frequency Fluctuations in the Velocity of a Driven Vortex Lattice in a Single Crystal of 2H-NbSe2 Superconductor

The driven state of a well-ordered flux line lattice in a single crystal of 2H-NbSe2 in the time domain has revealed the presence of substantial fluctuations in velocity, with large and distinct time periods (~ seconds). A superposition of a periodic drive in the driven vortex lattice causes distinct changes in these fluctuations. We propose that prior to onset of the peak effect there exist hithertofore unexplored regime of coherent dynamics, with unexpected behaviour in velocity fluctuations.

First-order phase transition from the vortex liquid to an amorphous solid

We present a systematic study of the topology of the vortex solid phase in superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 samples with low doses of columnar defects. A new state of vortex matter imposed by the presence of geometrical contours associated with the random distribution of columns is found. The results show that the first-order liquid-solid transition in this vortex matter does not require a structural symmetry change.

Disordered type-II superconductors: a universal phase diagram for low-Tc systems

A universal phase diagram for weakly pinned low-Tc type-II superconductors is revisited and extended with new proposals. The low-temperature “Bragg glass” phase is argued to transform first into a disordered, glassy phase upon heating. This glassy phase, a continuation of the high-field equilibrium vortex glass phase, then melts at higher temperatures into a liquid. This proposal provides an explanation for the anomalies observed in the peak effect regime of 2H-NbSe2 and several other low-Tc materials which is independent of the

Step change in equilibrium magnetization across the peak effect in 2H-NbSe2

Isothermal magnetization measurements across the peak effect (PE) region in a clean superconducting crystal of 2H-NbSe 2 reveal a step increase in the equilibrium magnetization suggestive of a first order phase transition. We relate this observation to the entropy change associated with the occurrence of order-disorder transformation across the PE in a weakly pinned flux line lattice (FLL).

Effect of field inhomogeneity on the magnetisation measurements in the peak effect region of CeRu2 superconductor

Abstract Detailed magnetisation measurements are presented for a cubic Laves phase superconducting single crystal CeRu 2 . These measurements have been performed in the peak effect regime using Quantum Design SQUID Magnetic Property Measurement System (MPMS). To understand the influence of magnetic field inhomogeneity of this set up, on the measured magnetisation, all the data is recorded for different scan lengths. We clearly demonstrate that some of the anomalous magnetisation results reported in literature are artefacts of field inhomogeneity. We also present a model based on Critical State Model to simulate the effect of field inhomogeneity on the measured magnetisation.

Temperature Variations of the Disorder-Induced Vortex-Lattice-Melting Landscape

Differential magneto-optical imaging of the vortex-lattice-melting process in Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8) crystals reveals unexpected effects of quenched disorder on the broadening of the first-order phase transition. The melting patterns show that the disorder-induced melting landscape T(m)(H,r) is not fixed, but rather changes dramatically with varying field and temperature along the melting line. The changes in both the scale and shape of the landscape are found to result from the competing contributions of different types of quenched disorder which have opposite effects on the local melting transition.

Magnetic phase diagram of anisotropic superconductor 2H-NbSe2

Abstract We report the magnetic phase diagram of a clean single crystal of 2H-NbSe 2 and present an update on the determination of its intrinsic superconducting parameters.