The nature of five-quadrant magnetic isotherms for is different from that for in a single crystal of YNi2B2C, pointing towards an anisotropic behaviour of the flux line lattice (FLL). For, a well defined peak effect (PE) and second magnetization peak (SMP) can be observed and the loop is open prior to the PE. However, for, the loop is closed and one can observe only the PE. We have investigated the history dependence of magnetization hysteresis data for by recording minor hysteresis loops. The observed history dependence in across different anomalous regions are rationalized on the basis of su-perheating/supercooling of the vortex matter across the first-order-like phase transition and possible additional effects due to annealing of the disordered vortex bundles to the underlying equilibrium state.
We have measured the low temperature heat capacity Cp and microwave surface impedance Zs in the vortex state of YNi_2B_2C. In contrast to conventional s-wave superconductors, Cp shows a nearly \sqrt H-dependence. This \sqrt H-dependence persists even after the introduction of the columnar defects which change the electronic structure of the vortex core regime dramatically and strongly disturb the regular vortex lattice. On the other hand, flux flow resistivity obtained from Zs is nearly proportional to H. Taken together, these results indicate that the vortex state of YNi_2B_2C is fundamentall…
The magnetic field distribution in the vortex state of YNi2B2C has been probed by muon spin rotation (muSR). The analysis based on the London model with nonlocal corrections shows that the vortex lattice has changed from hexagonal to square with increasing magnetic field H. At low fields the vortex core radius, rho_v(H), decreases with increasing H much steeper than what is expected from the sqrt(H) behavior of the Sommerfeld constant gamma(H), strongly suggesting that the anomaly in gamma(H) primarily arises from the quasiparticle excitations outside the vortex cores.
We present an inelastic neutron scattering study of phonon lineshapes in the vortex state of the type-II superconductor YNi$_2$B$_2$C. In a previous study [Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{101}, 237002 (2008)] it was shown that certain phonons exhibit a clear signature of the superconducting gap $2Δ$ on entering the superconducting state. Our interest was to find out whether or not the lineshape of such phonons reflects the inhomogeneous nature of the vortex state induced by a magnetic field smaller than the upper critical field $B_{c2}$ .We found that this is indeed the case because the observed phon…
Explorations of the order-disorder transformation in vortex matter in single crystals of tetragonal structured (c/a $\sim$3) borocarbide superconductors, $YNi_2B_2C$ and $LuNi_2B_2C$, reveal that vortex arrays experience different effective pinning in different crystallographic directions. We surmise that correlation exists between the large anisotropy in effective pinning/disorder and the differences in the (local) symmetry transition from rhombohedral to (quasi) square vortex lattice(VL). For field along high symmetry directions, like, c-axis and ab-basal plane, the VL symmetry is close to s…
To determine the superconducting gap function of YNi2B2C, we calculate the local density of states (LDOS) around a single vortex core with the use of Eilenberger theory and the band structure calculated by local density approximation assuming various gap structures with point-nodes at different positions. We also calculate the angular-dependent heat capacity in the vortex state on the basis of the Doppler-Shift method. Comparing our results with the STM/STS experiment, the angular-dependent heat capacity and thermal conductivity, we propose the gap-structure of YNi2B2C, which has the point-nod…
We present magnetic field dependence of the critical current density from dc-magnetization measurements concerning the anisotropic behavior of flux line lattice (FLL) in a single crystal of YNi_2B_2C. The peak effect (PE) phenomenon is observed for all crystallographic orientations, but the second magnetization peak (SMP) anomaly is observed only for H//a. Our study reveals that the FLL obtained when H//[100] is better ordered within the basal plane. However, the FLL for H// c is found to be even more ordered than that for H//[110]. The perfect square symmetry of the FLL for H//c is perhaps re…
Recently, Mun et.al. (Phys. Rev. Lett., 76, 2790 (1996)) have published their results on single crystal YNi_2B_2C, claiming that their experimental observations can be explained in terms of formation of Vortex Glass and Lattice melting. Our experiments, carried out on samples obtained from the SAME source, reveal a much richer phase diagram and span wider regions of experimental parameter space than Mun et. al. that encompasses most of their observations. We speculate that this material has anomalous intrinsic properties and the results cannot be explained by simple models about the flux latti…
We have studied the pinning force density Fp of YNi_2B_2C superconductors for various field orientations. We observe anisotropies both between the c-axis and the basal plane and within the plane, that cannot be explained by usual mass anisotropy. For magnetic field $H \parallel c$, the reorientation structural transition in the vortex lattice due to nonlocality, which occurs at a field $H_1 \sim 1kOe$, manifests itself as a kink in Fp(H). When $H \bot c$, Fp is much larger and has a quite different H dependence, indicating that other pinning mechanisms are present. In this case the signature o…
Measurements of the rf penetration depth λ(T,H,θ) are used to study the superconducting order parameter, vortex dynamics in the mixed state and delineate critical fields in the borocarbide superconductor YNi_2B_2C. The lower critical field has an anomalous T dependence, H_{c1}(T)=1.12[1-(T/T_c)] kOe, which is however consistent with independent superfluid density measurements at microwave frequencies. The vortex response is dominated by viscous flux flow, indicative of extremely weak pinning, and is parametrized by a field scale H_{c2,eff}. The angular dependence of the vortex contribution λ(θ…
Recent experiments on single crystals of YNi$_2$B$_2$C have revealed the presence of point nodes in the superconducting energy gap Delta(k} at k = (1,0,0), (0,1,0), (-1,0,0), and (0,-1,0). In this paper we investigate the effects of impurity scattering on the quasiparticle spectrum in the vortex state of s+g-wave superconductors, which is found to be strongly modified in the presence of disorder. In particular, a gap in the quasiparticle energy spectrum is found to open even for infinitesimal impurity scattering, giving rise to exponentially activated thermodynamic response functions, such as …
We present magnetization measurements in single crystals of the tetragonal $YNi_2B_2C$ compound, which exhibit the phenomenon of peak effect as well as the second magnetization peak anomaly for H $>$ 0.5T (H $||$ c). At the lower field (50mT $<$ H $<$ 200mT), we have observed the presence of flux jumps, which seem to relate to a structural change in the local symmetry of the flux line lattice (a first order re-orientation transition across a local field in some parts of the sample, in the range of 100mT to 150mT). These flux jumps are also observed in a single crystal of $LuNi_2B_2C$ for H $||…
On the basis of the quasiclassical theory of superconductivity, we obtain a formula for the local density of states (LDOS) around a vortex core of superconductors with anisotropic pair-potential and Fermi surface in arbitrary directions of magnetic fields. Earlier results on the LDOS of d-wave superconductors and NbSe$_2$ are naturally interpreted within our theory geometrically; the region with high intensity of the LDOS observed in numerical calculations turns out to the enveloping curve of the trajectory of Andreev bound states. We discuss experimental results on YNi$_2$B$_2$C within the qu…
We have studied the field-orientational dependence of zero-energy density of states (FODOS) for a series of systems with different Fermi surface and superconducting gap structures. Instead of phenomenological Doppler-shift method, we use an approximate analytical solution of Eilenberger equation together with self-consistent determination of order parameter and a variational treatment of vortex lattice. First, we compare zero-energy density of states (ZEDOS) when a magnetic field is applied in the nodal direction ($ν_{node}(0)$) and in the antinodal direction ($ν_{anti}(0)$), by taking account…
Quantized bound states at a vortex core are discretized in YNi$_2$B$_2$C. By using scanning tunneling spectroscopy with an unprecedented 0.1 nm spatial resolution, we find and identify the localized spectral structure, where in addition to the first main peak with a positive low energy, a second subpeak coming from the fourfold symmetric gap structure is seen inside the energy gap. Those spectral features are understood by solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation for a fully three-dimensional gap structure. A particle-hole asymmetric spectrum at the core site and quantum oscillation in the sp…
Theory of quasiparticle spectra and the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) oscillation in type-II superconductors are developed based on the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations for vortex-lattice states. As the pair potential grows through the superconducting transition, each degenerate Landau level in the normal state splits into quasiparticle bands in the magnetic Brillouin zone. This brings Landau-level broadening, which in turn leads to the extra dHvA oscillation damping in the vortex state. We perform extensive numerical calculations for three-dimensional systems with various gap structures. It is ther…
The microwave complex surface impedance Z_s of Y(Ni_{1-x}Pt_x)_2B_2C was measured at 0.5 K under magnetic fields H up to 7T. In nominally pure YNi_2B_2C, which is a strongly anisotropic s-wave superconductor, the flux flow resistivity ρ_f calculated from Z_s was twice as large as that expected from the conventional normal-state vortex core model. In Pt-doped samples where the gap anisotropy is smeared out, the enhancement of ρ_f is reduced and ρ_f approaches to the conventional behavior. These results indicate that energy dissipation in the vortex core is strongly affected by the anisotropy of…
It is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally that the low energy density of states $N(E)$ is described by a singular V-shape form $N(E)=N_0(H)+α|E|+O(E^2)$ for all clean superconductors in a vortex state, irrespective of the underlying gap structure. The linear term $α|E|$ which has been not recognized so far is obtained by exactly evaluating the vortex contribution. Based on microscopic Eilenberger theory $N(E)$ is evaluated for isotropic gap, line and point node gaps to yield a V-shape $N(E)$. STS-STM experiments on NbSe$_2$ and YNi$_2$B$_2$C give direct evidence for this. We provide …
We develop an alternative method to solve the Eilenberger equations numerically for the vortex-lattice states of type-II superconductors. Using it, we clarify the magnetic-field and impurity-concentration dependences of the magnetization, the entropy, the Pauli paramagnetism, and the mixing of higher Landau levels in the pair potential for two-dimensional $s$- and $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave superconductors with the cylindrical Fermi surface.
In cuprate high-temperature superconductors the small coherence lengths and high transition termperatures result in strong thermal fluctuations, which render the superconducting transition in applied magnetic fields into a wide continuous crossover. A state with zero resistance is found only below the vortex melting transition, which occurs well below the onset of superconducting correlations. Here we investigate the vortex phase diagram of the novel Fe-based superconductor in form of a high-quality single crystal of Ba0.5K0.5Fe2As2, using three different experimental probes (specific heat, th…
We show that the density of states and the thermodynamic properties of a 2D d-wave superconductor in the vortex state with applied magnetic field $\bf H$ in the plane depend on the angle between $\bf H$ and the order parameter nodes. Within a semiclassical treatment of the extended quasiparticle states, we obtain fourfold oscillations of the specific heat, measurement of which provides a simple probe of gap symmetry. The frequency dependence of the density of states and the temperature dependence of thermodynamic properties obey different power laws for field in the nodal and anti-nodal direct…
The first-order nature of the vortex-lattice melting transition in copper-based layered high-Tc superconductors is well established. The associated discontinuities in magnetization have been extensively studied, for example, in YBa2Cu3O7 and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8, while the respective latent heats have been systematically investigated only in YBa2Cu3O7 and related compounds. The apparent absence of such signatures in conventional superconductors such as Nb raises the question whether or not the concept of vortex-lattice melting is applicable at all in such materials. Based on available literature to d…
Magnetic response of a superconductor depends on the thermodynamic stability of vortex in the material. Here we show that the vortex stability has a close relation with the ratio of the magnetic field at the vortex core center to the thermodynamic critical field. This finding provides a new criterion for the classification of the superconductors according to their magnetic responses.
Stability of standing flux-antiflux front in anisotropic layered superconductors is considered. We describe two assisting mechanisms destabilizing the standing vortex-antivortex front. There are anisotropy of the layered superconductors and the heat, released by the vortex dynamics. We present the conditions of the front stability for various anisotropy and heating parameters. We predict that even small vortex-antivortex heating can result in front instability. The characteristic size of the unstable pattern is estimated.
Thermodynamic stability of composite vortex in a two-component superconductor is investigated by the Ginzburg-Landau theory. The predicted nature of these vortices has recently attracted much attention. Here we consider axially symmetric quantized vortex and show that the stability of vortex depends on three independent dimensionless parameters: $κ_{1}$, $κ_{2}$, $κ_ξ$, where $κ_{i}(i=1,2)$ is the Ginzburg-Landau parameter of individual component, $κ_{ξ}=ξ_{1}/ξ_{2}$ is the ratio of two coherence lengths. We also show that there exists thermodynamic stable vortex in type-1+type-2 or type-2+typ…
The density of states of a 2D d-wave superconductor in the vortex state with applied magnetic field $\bf H$ in the plane is shown to exhibit fourfold oscillations as a function of the angle of the field with respect to the crystal axes. We find further that the frequency dependence of the density of states and the temperature dependence of transport coefficients obey different power laws, thus leading to different magnetic scaling functions, for field in the nodal and anti-nodal direction. We discuss the consequences of this anisotropy for measurements of the specific heat.
Existence of thermodynamically stable composite vortices in a two-component superconductor may form distinctive vortex patterns, and may lead to type-1.5 superconductivity. Here we study the surface energy of the two-component superconductor and show that the sign of surface energy is determined not only by the Ginzburg-Landau parameters $κ_i (i=1,2)$ of two superconducting components, but also by a temperature independent parameter $κ_ξ$, which is defined as the ratio of the coherence lengths of two components. Since the negative surface energy conduces to the invasion of thermodynamically st…
The behavior of vortex matter in $\mathrm{Bi_{2}Sr_{2}CaCu_{2}O_{8}}$ in the presence of a low concentration of tilted columnar defects (CDs) was studied using magneto-optical measurements and molecular dynamics simulations. We find that while the dynamic properties are significantly affected by tilting the field away from CDs, the thermodynamic lines are angle independent. Our simulations reveal that vortex pancakes remain localized along CDs even at large tilting angles thus preserving the thermodynamic features, while suppression of irreversible properties is caused by vortex kink sliding.
It is shown that the large effect of heavy ion-irradiation on the thermodynamical properties of the anisotropic superconductor YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-δ}$ extends well into the superconducting fluctuation regime. The presence of the induced amorphous columnar defects shifts the specific heat maximum at the normal-to-superconducting transition. This effect is similar to that recently put into evidence in cubic K$_{x}$Ba$_{1-x}$BiO$_{3}$ ($x \simeq 0.35$). In both compounds, vortex pinning manifests itself as a sharp angular dependence of the \em equilibrium \rm torque. In YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-…
In discussing the phase transition of the three-dimensional complex |psi|^4 theory, we study the geometrically defined vortex-loop network as well as the magnetic properties of the system in the vicinity of the critical point. Using high-precision Monte Carlo techniques we investigate if both of them exhibit the same critical behavior leading to the same critical exponents and hence to a consistent description of the phase transition. Different percolation observables are taken into account and compared with each other. We find that different connectivity definitions for constructing the vorte…
A thermodynamically stable vortex-antivortex pattern has been revealed in mesoscopic type I superconducting triangles, contrary to type II superconductors where similar patterns are unstable. The stable vortex-antivortex "molecule" appears due to the interplay between two factors: a repulsive vortex-antivortex interaction in type I superconductors and the vortex confinement in the triangle.
We have investigated the magnetic phase diagram of a fully oxygenated detwinned YBa2Cu3O7 single crystal by means of magneto-caloric and magnetization measurements, and found thermodynamic evidence for a temperature dependent first-order phase-transition line deep within the vortex-solid region. The associated discontinuities in the entropy are apparently proportional to the magnetic flux density, which may hint at a structural transition of the vortex lattice.
The nonlinear dynamics of thermal and electromagnetic perturbations in the vortex state of type II superconductors is analyzed with account of dissipation and dispersion effects. A theoretical analysis shows that nonlinear thermal and electromagnetic dissipative waves (structures) may be formed under certain conditions on the sample surface. The structures possess a finite-amplitude and propagate at a constant velocity. The possibility of experimental observation of thermomagnetic shock waves is briefly discussed.
We report a pronounced peak effect in the magnetization and the magnetocaloric coefficient in a single crystal of the superconductor Nb3Sn. As the origin of the magnetization peak effect in classical type-II superconductors is still strongly debated, we performed an investigation of its underlying thermodynamics. Calorimetric experiments performed during field sweeps at constant temperatures reveal that the sharp increase in the current density occurs concurrently with additional degrees of freedom in the specific heat due to thermal fluctuations and a liquid vortex phase. No latent heat due t…
We measure the transverse thermoelectric coefficient $α_{xy}$ in simulations of type-II superconductors in the vortex liquid regime, using the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) equation with thermal noise. Our results are in reasonably good quantitative agreement with experimental data on cuprate samples, suggesting that this simple model of superconducting fluctuations contains much of the physics behind the large Nernst effect observed in these materials.
Building on the discovery that a Weyl superconductor in a magnetic field supports chiral Landau level motion along the vortex lines, we investigate its transport properties out of equilibrium. We show that the vortex lattice carries an electric current $I=\tfrac{1}{2}(Q_{\rm eff}^2/h)(Φ/Φ_0) V$ between two normal metal contacts at voltage difference $V$, with $Φ$ the magnetic flux through the system, $Φ_0$ the superconducting flux quantum, and $Q_{\rm eff}<e$ the renormalized charge of the Weyl fermions in the superconducting Landau level. Because the charge renormalization is energy dependent…
While the electrodynamic treatment of a superconducting thin film by Yeh et al. [Phys. Rev. B 48, 9861 (1993)] ostensibly has application for the "thin-film limit," their work is shown to employ bulk-like instead of thin-film electrodynamics, and as such obtains an ostensible violation of the first law of thermodynamics and a surface resistance independent of the resistivity. Other theoretical and experimental difficulties are briefly noted.
We calculate various thermodynamic quantities of vortex liquids in a layered superconductor by using the nonperturbative parquet approximation method, which was previously used to study the effect of thermal fluctuations in two-dimensional vortex systems. We find there is a first-order transition between two vortex liquid phases which differ in the magnitude of their correlation lengths. As the coupling between the layers increases,the first-order transition line ends at a critical point. We discuss the possible relation between this critical end-point and the disappearance of the first-order …
We study the effect of quenched disorder in the thermodynamic magnitudes entailed in the first-order vortex phase transition of the extremely layered Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8 + δ}$ compound. We track the temperature-evolution of the enthalpy and the entropy-jump at the vortex solidification transition by means of AC local magnetic measurements. Quenched disorder is introduced to the pristine samples by means of heavy-ion irradiation with Pb and Xe producing a random columnar-track pins distribution with different densities (matching field $B_Φ$). In contrast with previous magneto-optica…
By means of local Hall probe ac and dc permeability measurements we investigated the phase diagram of vortex matter for the HgBa$_2$CuO$_{4+δ}$ superconductor in the regime near the critical temperature. The second peak line, $H_{\rm sp}$, in contrast to what is usually assumed, doesn't terminate at the critical temperature. Our local ac permeability measurements revealed pronounced hysteretic behavior and thermomagnetic history effects near the onset of the second peak, giving evidence for a phase transition of vortex matter from an ordered qausilattice state to a disordered glass.
The melting transition of the vortex lattice in highly anisotropic, layered superconductors with commensurate, periodic columnar pins is studied in a geometry where magnetic field and columnar pins are normal to the layers. Thermodynamic properties and equilibrium density distributions are obtained from numerical minimizations of an appropriate free-energy functional. We find a line of first-order transitions that ends at a critical point as the pin concentration is increased. A simple Landau theory providing a semi-quantitative explanation of the numerical results is proposed.
A systematic calculation of magnetization and specific heat contributions due to fluctuations of vortex lattice in strongly type II superconductors to precision of 1% is presented. We complete the calculation of the two loop low temperature perturbation theory by including the umklapp processes. Then the gaussian variational method is adapted to calculation of thermodynamic characteristics of the 2D and the 3D vortex solids in high magnetic field. Based on it as a starting point for a perturbation theory we calculate the leading correction providing simultaneously an estimate of precision. The…
Nernst and electrical resistivity measurements in superconducting YBCO and BSCCO with and without columnar defects show a distinctive thermodynamics of the respective liquid vortex matter. At a field dependent high temperature region in the phase diagram the Nernst signal is independent of structural defects in both materials. At lower temperatures, in YBCO, defects contribute only to the vortex mobility and the transport entropy is that of a system of vortex lines. The transition to lower temperatures in BSCCO has a different origin, the maximum in the Nernst signal when decreasing temperatur…
We present an exact mathematical description of Josephson vortices and of the Meissner effect in periodic thin-layer superconductor/insulator structures with an arbitrary number of identical junctions N-1 (N is the number of superconducting layers) in terms of localized solutions to a system of differential equations for phase differences. We establish a general criterion of the existence of localized solutions. We show that Meissner solutions are characterized by several Josephson lengths [N/2 lengths for even N, and (N-1)/2 lengths for odd N]. We derive an exact expression for the superheati…
The first integrals of the Ginzburg-Landau equations for a vortex-free state of superconductors with different mixed symmetries of the order parameter are found. The general boundary conditions for the order parameter at the ideal interface between the superconductor and vacuum are derived. Based on these integrals and boundary conditions, we analyze the stability criteria for vortex-free state in unconventional superconductors. The threshold field above which the Abrikosov vortices can enter the superconductor is found to be higher or equal to the thermodynamic critical field for all states u…
Traditionally the Nernst and Ettingshausen effects in the vortex liquid are described in terms of the "transport entropy" of vortices, S_d. According to current theories, the main contribution to S_d is originated from the electromagnetic free energy, F^{em}, which includes kinetic and magnetic energy of superconducting currents circulating around vortex cores. However, this concept contradicts the London postulate, according to which a supercurrent consists of macroscopic number of particles in a single quantum state and does not transfer any entropy. Here we resolve this contradiction and sh…
We have developed the quasi-classical formalism for a self-induced vortex state in ferromagnetic superconductors. By combining the spatially averaged approximation of the superconductivity with the phenomenological form of the ferromagnetism, we demonstrate the thermodynamic properties of the p-wave triplet equal-spin-pairing state with the spontaneous vortex lattice. The occurrence condition for the self-induced vortex state is discussed within this formalism. The comparison of the calculated quantities with the observed ones indicates that the self-induced vortex state indeed occurs in UCoGe…
Of the many different kinds of glassy states found in nature, spin glasses and structural glasses (e.g. normal window glass) have probably received the most attention. One of the central questions concerning the glassy state is whether the "glass" is a distinct thermodynamic phase from the "liquid" phase. It is believed that this may actually be the case for spin glasses, whereas the glass transition in structural glasses appears to be mostly kinetic in nature. Supercooled structural liquids, however, exhibit a wide range of behaviors, which can be classified using the "strong-fragile" scheme …
The effect of a magnetic field component parallel to the superconducting layers on longitudinal Josephson plasma oscillations in the layered high temperature superconductor Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ is shown to depend on the thermodynamic state of the underlying vortex lattice. Whereas the parallel magnetic field component depresses the Josephson Plasma Resonance (JPR) frequency in the vortex solid phase, it may enhance it in the vortex liquid. There is a close correlation between the behavior of microwave absorption near the JPR frequency and the effectiveness of pancake vortex pinning, w…
The spectrum of core excitations of the Abrikosov vortex pinned by a nanohole of the size of the coherence length is considered. While the neutral zero energy Majorana core state remains intact due to its topological origin, the energy of charged excitations is enhanced significantly compared to that in the unpinned vortex. As a consequence of the pinning the minigap separating the Majorana state from the charged levels increases to a signicant fraction of superconducting gap. Suppression of the thermodynamic and kinetic effects of the charged excitations allows to isolate the Majorana state s…
Magnetization measurements in La{2-x}Sr{x}CuO{4} crystals indicate vortex order-disorder transition manifested by a sharp kink in the second magnetization peak. The transition field exhibits unique temperature dependence, namely a strong decrease with temperature in the entire measured range. This behavior rules out the conventional interpretation of a disorder-driven transition into an entangled vortex solid phase. It is shown that the transition in La{2-x}Sr{x}CuO{4} is driven by both thermally- and disorder-induced fluctuations, resulting in a pinned liquid state. We conclude that vortex so…
Phase transition between the vortex glass and the Bragg glass phases in high-$T_{\rm c}$ superconductors in $\vec{B}\parallel\vec{c}$ is studied by Monte Carlo simulations in the presence of point pins. A finite latent heat and a $δ$-function peak of the specific heat are observed, which clearly indicates that this is a thermodynamic first-order phase transition. Values of the entropy jump and the Lindemann number are consistent with those of melting transitions. A large jump of the inter-layer phase difference is consistent with the recent Josephson plasma resonance experiment of Bi$_{2}$Sr$_…
We study the melting of the pancake vortex lattice in a layered superconductor in the limit of vanishing Josephson coupling. Our approach combines the methodology of a recently proposed mean-field substrate model for such systems with the classical density functional theory of freezing. We derive a free-energy functional in terms of a scalar order-parameter profile and use it to derive a simple formula describing the temperature dependence of the melting field. Our theoretical predictions are in good agreement with simulation data. The theoretical framework proposed is thermodynamically consis…
We study the field dependence of the quasi-particle density of states, the thermodynamics and the transport properties in the vortex state of d-wave superconductors when a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the conducting plane, specially for the low field and the low temperature compared to the upper critical field and transition temperature, respectively, $H/H_{c2} \ll 1$ and $T/T_c \ll 1$. Both the superfluid density and the spin susceptibility exhibit the characteristic $\sqrt{H}$-field dependence, while the nuclear spin lattice relaxation rate T$_1^{-1}$ and the thermal conductivi…
The peak effect in weakly pinned superconductors is accompanied by metastable vortex states. Each metastable vortex configuration is characterized by a different critical current density J_c, which mainly depends on the past thermomagnetic history of the superconductor. A recent model [G. Ravikumar, et al, Phys. Rev. B 61, R6479 (2000)] proposed to explain the history dependent J_c postulates a stable state of vortex lattice with a critical current density J_c^{st}, determined uniquely by the field and temperature. In this paper, we present evidence for the existence of the stable state of the…
We study the thermodynamics of a model of pancake vortices in layered superconductors. The model is based on the effective pair potential for the pancake vortices derived from the London approximation of a version of the Lawrence-Doniach model which is valid for extreme type-II superconductors. Using the hypernetted-chain (HNC) approximation, we find that there is a temperature below which multiple solutions to the HNC equations exist. By explicitly evaluating the free energy for each solution we find that the system undergoes a first-order transition between two vortex liquid phases. The low-…
In a single-component Ginzburg-Landau model which possesses thermodynamically stable vortex excitations, the zero-field superconducting phase transition is second order even when fluctuations are included. Beyond the mean-field approximation the transition is described in terms of proliferation of vortex loops. Here we determine the order of the superconducting transition in an effective 3D vortex-loop model for the recently proposed multiband type-1.5 superconductors. The vortex interaction is nonmonotonic, i.e., exponentially screened and attractive at large separations, and short-range repu…
ac strain based thermodynamic criterion for vortex lattice in type-II superconductors
Chongqing University（重庆大学）；Hebei Normal University（河北师范大学）；Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院物理研究所）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）；University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学）
