We present data of multi harmonic magneto-dynamic experiments. In particular, we performed ac magnetic susceptibility experiments on layered pnictide-oxide quaternary compound NdOFeAs doped with fluorine. The experiments allow measure the critical temperature and probe the flux dynamic behavior using the third harmonic component of the ac susceptibility of a NdF0.16FeAsO0.84 bulk sample as a function of temperature and frequency of the applied ac magnetic fields. Measured signals are connected with the non-linear superconducting flux dynamic behavior and are characterized by a flux critical states sustaining a superconducting critical current. In this framework the irreversibility line that describes the stable superconducting state has been extracted from the onset of the third harmonic signal vs. frequency. Finally we present also the analysis of the flux dynamic dimensionality in the investigated sample.
A safe, simple and easily scaleable one-step sintering method is proposed to fabricate newly discovered superconductors of SmO1-xFxFeAs. Superconducting transition with the onset temperature of 54.6 K and high critical fields Hc2(0) >=200 T were confirmed in SmO1-xFxFeAs with x = 0.3. At 5 K and self field, critical current density Jc estimated from the magnetization hysteresis using the whole sample size and the average particle size reached 8.5x10^3 and 1.2x10^6 A/cm^2, respectively. Moreover, the Jc exhibited a very weak dependence on magnetic field. Microstructural characterizations reveal…
A series of polycrystalline SmO1-xFxFeAs bulks (x=0.15, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4) were prepared by the conventional solid state reaction. Resistivity, susceptibility, magnetic hysteresis, critical current density and microstructure of these samples have been investigated. It is found that critical transition temperature Tc increases steadily with increasing fluorine content, with the highest onset Tc=53 K at x=0.4. On the other hand, the superconductivity seems correlated with lattice constants; that is, Tc rises with the shrinkage of a-axis while resistivity increases with the enlargement of c-axis. …
A trapped magnetic field of greater than 3 T has been achieved in a single grain GdBa2Cu3O7-δ (GdBaCuO) bulk superconductor of diameter 30 mm by employing pulsed field magnetisation (PFM). The magnet system is portable and operates at temperatures between 50 K and 60 K. Flux jump behaviour was observed consistently during magnetisation when the applied pulsed field, Ba, exceeded a critical value (e.g. 3.78 T at 60 K). A sharp dBa/dt is essential to this phenomenon. This flux jump behaviour enables the magnetic flux to penetrate fully to the centre of the bulk superconductor, resulting in full …
The influence of surface treatment on AC loss in melt-processed quasi-single crystal HTS was investigated with resonance oscillations technique. We have found that amplitude dependencies of AC loss on magnetic field amplitude become rather complicated after surface polishing. The experimental data show well distinguished dynamic crossover from absence of barrier at low rates of field variation to its appearence at higher rates. An explaination of such a dynamic surface barrier appearance based on consideration of along surface vortex propagation was suggested.
Domelike magnetic-flux-density distributions previously have been observed experimentally and analyzed theoretically in superconducting films with edges, such as in strips and thin plates. Such flux domes have been explained as arising from a combination of strong geometric barriers and weak bulk pinning. In this paper we predict that, even in films with bulk pinning, flux domes also occur when vortices and antivortices are produced far from the film edges underneath current-carrying wires, coils, or permanent magnets placed above the film. Vortex-antivortex pairs penetrating through the film …
Thermally-controlled flux avalanche dynamics in bulk NbTi superconductor
Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences（波兰科学院物理研究所）；O. Galkin Donetsk Institute for Physics and Engineering, National Academy of Science（乌克兰国家科学院奥·加尔金顿涅茨克物理与工程研究所）
We use macroscopic holes drilled in a bulk YBCO superconductor to probe its magnetic properties in the volume of the sample. The sample is subjected to an AC magnetic flux with a density ranging from 30mT to 130mT and the flux in the superconductor is probed by miniature coils inserted in the holes. In a given hole, three different penetration regimes can be observed: (i) the shielded regime, where no magnetic flux threads the hole; (ii) the gradual penetration regime, where the waveform of the magnetic field has a clipped sine shape whose fundamental component scales with the applied field; a…
Magnetic critical current density and relaxation rate have been measured on $MgB_2$ bulks from 1.6 K to $T_c$ at magnetic fields up to 8 Tesla. A vortex phase diagram is depicted based on these measurement. Two phase boundaries $H_{irr}^{bulk}(T)$ and $H_{irr}^{g}(T)$ characterizing different irreversible flux motions are found. The $H_{irr}^{bulk}(T)$ is characterized by the appearance of the linear resistivity and is attributed to quantum vortex melting induced by quantum fluctuation of vortices in the rather clean system. The second boundary $ H_{irr}^g(T) $ reflects the irreversible flux m…
High-resolution magneto-optical technique was used to analyze flux patterns in the intermediate state of bulk Pb samples of various shapes - cones, hemispheres and discs. Combined with the measurements of macroscopic magnetization these results allowed studying the effect of bulk pinning and geometric barrier on the equilibrium structure of the intermediate state. Zero-bulk pinning discs and slabs show hysteretic behavior due to geometric barrier that results in a topological hysteresis -- flux tubes on penetration and lamellae on flux exit. (Hemi)spheres and cones do not have geometric barrie…
The distributions of electrical current and magnetic field in a thin-film superconductor ring is calculated by solving the London equation. The maximum amount of flux trapped by the hole, the fluxoid saturation number, is obtained by limiting the current density by the depairing current. The results are compare it with similar results derived for the bulk case of a long hollow cylinder [Nordborg & Vinokur, Phys. Rev. B 62, 12408 (2000)]. In the limit of small holes our result reduces to the Pearl solution for an isolated vortex in a thin film. For large hole radius, the ratio between saturatio…
The recent discovery of intermediate-temperature superconductivity (ITC) in MgB2 by Akimitsu et al. and its almost simultaneous explanation in terms of a hole-carrier-based pairing mechanism by Hirsch, has triggered an avalanche of studies of its structural, magnetic and transport properties. As a further contribution to the field we report the results of field (H) and temperature (T) dependent magnetization (M) measurements of a pellet of uniform, large-grain sintered MgB2. We show that at low temperatures the size of the pellet and its critical current density, Jc(H) - i.e. its M(H) - ensure…
The damping of the oscillations of a small permanent magnet (spherical shape, radius 0.1 mm) levitating between two parallel epitaxial YBCO films is measured as a function of oscillation amplitude and temperature. At small amplitudes the dissipation is found to be orders of magnitude lower than in bulk YBCO, Q-factors exceeding one million at low temperatures. With increasing amplitude the dissipation becomes exponentially large, exceeding the bulk values at large drives. We describe our results by calculating the ac shielding currents flowing through trapped flux whose motion gives rise to el…
The trapped magnetic field is examined in bulk high-temperature superconductors that are artificially drilled along their c-axis. The influence of the hole pattern on the magnetization is studied and compared by means of numerical models and Hall probe mapping techniques. To this aim, we consider two bulk YBCO samples with a rectangular cross-section that are drilled each by six holes arranged either on a rectangular lattice (sample I) or on a centered rectangular lattice (sample II). For the numerical analysis, three different models are considered for calculating the trapped flux: (i), a two…
We present a detailed magneto-optical investigation of the magnetic flux penetration in polycrystalline MgB2 slabs made by direct reaction of B and Mg. Our results unambiguously indicate a uniform, Bean critical state magnetization behavior with almost no electromagnetic granularity. From the measured magnetic flux profiles we were able to extract the temperature dependence of the critical current density Jc(T). The Jc(T) value reaches 1.8x10^5 A/cm2 at 10K and 0.12T, in good agreement with global magnetization measurements.
Superconducting bulk (RE)Ba$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-x}$ materials (RE-rare earth elements) have been successfully used to generate magnetic flux densities in excess of 17 T. This work investigates an alternative approach by trapping flux in stacks of second generation high temperature superconducting tape from several manufacturers using field cooling and pulsed field magnetisation techniques. Flux densities of up to 13.4 T were trapped by field cooling at ~5 K between two 12 mm square stacks, an improvement of 70% over previous value achieved in an HTS tape stack. The trapped flux approaches the recor…
Angle dependent torque measurements have been carried out on the organic superconductor, kappa-(ET)2Cu(NCS)2 at extremely low temperatures (25 - 300 mK). Magneto-thermal instabilities are observed in the form of abrupt magnetization (flux) jumps for magnetic field sweeps of 0 - 20 tesla. A fractal analysis of the flux jumps indicates that the instabilities do show a self similar structure with a fractal dimension varying between 1.15 - 1.6. The fractal structure of the flux jumps in our sample shows a stricking similarity to that of MgB2 thin film samples, in which magneto-optical experiments …
In the present investigation, we report a systematic study of Ag admixing in MgB2 prepared by solid-state reaction at ambient pressure. All the samples in the present investigation have been subjected to structural/ microstructural characterization employing x-rays diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) techniques. The magnetization measurements were performed by physical property measurement system (PPMS). The TEM investigations reveal the formation of MgAg nanoparticles in Ag admixed samples. These nanoparticles may enhance critical current density due to their size (~…
We present a method for characterizing the propagation of the magnetic flux in an artificially drilled bulk high-temperature superconductor (HTS) during a pulsed-field magnetization. As the magnetic pulse penetrates the cylindrical sample, the magnetic flux density is measured simultaneously in 16 holes by means of microcoils that are placed across the median plane, i.e. at an equal distance from the top and bottom surfaces, and close to the surface of the sample. We discuss the time evolution of the magnetic flux density in the holes during a pulse and measure the time taken by the external m…
A simple contactless method suitable to discern between the intergrain (circular) current, which flows in the thin superconducting ring, and the intragrain current, which does not cross the weakest link, has been proposed. At first, we show that the intergrain current may directly be estimated from the magnetic flux density $B(\pm z_0)$ measured by the Hall sensor positioned in the special points $\pm z_0$ above/below the ring center. The experimental and the numerical techniques to determine the value $z_0$ are discussed. Being very promising for characterization of a current flowing across t…
The magnetic response of type-II superconductors can be irreversible due to two different reasons: vortex pinning and barriers for flux penetration. Even without bulk pinning and in absence of a microscopic Bean-Lingston surface barrier for vortex penetration, superconductors of nonellipsoidal shape can exhibit a large geometric barrier for flux penetration. This edge barrier and the resulting irreversible magnetization loops and flux-density profiles are computed from continuum electrodynamics for superconductor strips and disks with constant thickness, both without and with bulk pinning. Exp…
Magnetic relaxation and critical current density have been measured on a $MgB_2$ thin film in a wide region of temperature with the magnetic field up to 8 T. The irreversibility line has also been determined. It is found that the relaxation rate has a very weak temperature dependence below $1/2 T_c$ showing a clear residual relaxation rate at zero K, which cannot be easily explained as due to thermally activated flux creep. Furthermore the relaxation rate has a strong field dependence. The flux dynamics of thin films are very similar to that of high pressure synthesized bulks although the rela…
The current density in a disk-shaped superconducting bulk magnet and the magnetic levitation force exerted on the superconducting bulk magnet by a cylindrical permanent magnet are calculated from first principles. The effect of the superconducting parameters of the superconducting bulk is taken into account by assuming the voltage-current law and the material law. The magnetic levitation force is dominated by the remnant current density, which is induced by switching off the applied magnetizing field. High critical current density and flux creep exponent may increase the magnetic levitation fo…
Onset of the transitional flux-avalanche regime in bulk NbTi controlled by the thermal boundary conductance
Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences（波兰科学院物理研究所）；O. Galkin Donetsk Institute for Physics and Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine（乌克兰国家科学院奥·加尔金顿涅茨物理工程学院）
The damping of the oscillations of a small permanent magnet (spherical shape, radius 0.1 mm) levitating between two parallel YBCO surfaces is measured as a function of oscillation amplitude and temperature. The losses in the samples (epitaxial thin films, bulk granular and bulk melt-textured) are analyzed in terms of oscillating shielding currents flowing through trapped flux lines whose motion gives rise to electric fields. We find dissipation to originate from different mechanisms of flux dynamics. At small amplitudes there is a linear regime described by a surface resistance varying from 10…
By comparing the voltage-current (V-I) curves obtained before and after cutting a sample of 2H-NbSe2, we separate the bulk and edge contributions to the transport current at various dissipation levels and derive their respective V- I curves and critical currents. We find that the edge contribution is thermally activated across a current dependent surface barrier. By contrast the bulk V-I curves are linear, as expected from the free flux flow model. The relative importance of bulk and edge contributions is found to depend on dissipation level and sample dimensions. We further show that the peak…
We have studied the remanent magnetic flux distribution in bulk melt-textured YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) crystals after their magnetization in quasi-static and pulsed magnetic fields up to 6T. It has been shown that, provided that the magnetic pulse is sharp enough and its amplitude much exceeds the twice penetration magnetic field, the pulse magnetization technique becomes extremely sensitive to the sample inhomogeneities. Using this method with appropriate parameters of the magnetic pulse, we have particularly demonstrated that the growth of YBCO crystals in the growth sectors (GSs) responds for a mac…
Enhancement of flux pinning by magnetic nanoparticles embedded into the bulk of type-2 superconductor is studied both theoretically and experimentally. Magnetic part of the pinning force associated with the interaction between a spherical magnetic inclusion and an Abrikosov vortex was calculated in the London approximation. Calculations are supported by the experimental results obtained on sonochemically modified MgB2 superconductor with embedded magnetic Fe2O3 nanoparticles and compared to MgB2 with nonmagnetic Mo2O5 pinning centers of similar concentration and particle size distribution. It …
In order to study the time-reversal symmetry (${\cal T}$) breaking near a (110) surface of a high-$T_C$ cuprate YBCO, we consider the flux phase in a bilayer $t-J$ model. Although the stable solution in the bulk is the $d_{x^2-y-2}$-wave superconducting (SC) state, free energy of the flux phase is close to it, and thus the flux phase may occur when the SC order is disturbed by inhomogeneity, e.g., surface or impurity. It is found that, depending on the doping rate, the flux phase in which spontaneous magnetic fields in two layers have opposite signs may be stabilized. This may lead to a surfac…
The flux penetration near a semicircular indentation at the edge of a thin superconducting strip placed in a transverse magnetic field is investigated. The flux front distortion due to the indentation is calculated numerically by solving the Maxwell equations with a highly nonlinear $E(j)$ law. We find that the excess penetration, $Δ$, can be significantly ($\sim$ 50%) larger than the indentation radius $r_0$, in contrast to a bulk supercondutor in the critical state where $Δ=r_0$. It is also shown that the flux creep tends to smoothen the flux front, i.e. reduce $Δ$. The results are in very g…
Drilling holes in a bulk high-Tc superconductor enhances the oxygen annealing and the heat exchange with the cooling liquid. However, drilling holes also reduces the amount of magnetic flux that can be trapped in the sample. In this paper, we use the Bean model to study the magnetization and the current line distribution in drilled samples, as a function of the hole positions. A single hole perturbs the critical current flow over an extended region that is bounded by a discontinuity line, where the direction of the current density changes abruptly. We demonstrate that the trapped magnetic flux…
We report an unusual enhancement of the magnetic induction in single crystals of the magnetic superconductor RbEuFe$_4$As$_4$ , highlighting the interplay between superconducting and magnetic subsystems in this material. Contrary to the conventional Meissner expulsion of magnetic flux below the superconducting transition temperature, we observe a substantial boost of the magnetic flux density upon approaching the magnetic transition temperature, Tm. Direct imaging of the flux evolution with a magneto-optical technique, shows that the magnetic subsystem serves as an internal magnetic flux pump,…
Using a new horizontal flux growth technique to produce high quality crystals of the unconventional superconductor YFe$_2$Ge$_2$ has led to a seven-fold reduction in disorder scattering, resulting in mm-sized crystals with residual resistivities $\simeq \SI{0.45}{\micro\ohm\centi\meter}$, resistivity ratios $\simeq 430$ and sharp superconducting heat capacity anomalies. This enables searching multi-probe experiments investigating the normal and superconducting states of YFe$_2$Ge$_2$. Low temperature heat capacity measurements suggest a significant residual Sommerfeld coefficient, consistent w…
Doping effect of diamond nanoparticles on the superconducting properties of MgB2 bulk material has been studied. It is found that the superconducting transition temperature Tc of MgB2 is suppressed by the diamond-doping, however, the irreversibility field Hirr and the critical current density Jc are systematically enhanced. Microstructural analysis shows that the diamond-doped MgB2 superconductor consists of tightly-packed MgB2 nano-grains (~50-100 nm) with highly-dispersed and uniformly-distributed diamond nanoparticles (~10-20 nm) inside the grains. High density of dislocations and diamond n…
We succeeded in the synthesis of high-Jc MgB2 bulks via high energy ball-milling of elemental Mg and B powder at ambient temperatures. Alternatively to longtime mechanical alloying technique, the mixed powder was ball-milled for only 1h and the completed reaction is achieved by subsequent annealing. The correlations among synthesis parameters, microstructures and superconducting properties in MgB2 bulks were investigated. Samples were characterized by XRD and SEM, and the magnetization properties were examined in a SQUID magnetometer. The high- Jc, approximately 1.7*106A/cm2(15K, 0.59T), and i…
The synthesis and characterization of PVA (Poly Vinyl Acetate) doped bulk MgB2 superconductor is reported here. PVA is used as a Carbon source. PVA doping effects made two distinguishable contributions: first enhancement of Jc field performance and second an increase in Hc2 value, both because of carbon incorporation into MgB2 crystal lattice. The susceptibility measurement reveals that Tc decreased from 37 to 36 K. Lattice parameter a decreased from 3.085 A to 3.081 A due to the partial substitution of Carbon at Boron site. PVA doped sample exhibited the Jc values greater than 10^5 A/cm2 at 5…
We present exact numerical calculations of supercurrent density, inductance, and impurity-induced flux noise of cylindrical superconducting wires in the nonlocal Pippard regime, which occurs when the Pippard coherence length is larger than the London penetration depth. In this regime the supercurrent density displays a peak away from the surface, and changes sign inside the superconductor, signalling a breakdown of the usual approximation of local London electrodynamics with a renormalized penetration depth. Our calculations show that the internal inductance and the bulk flux noise power is en…
The flux lines dynamics have been investigated on MgB2 bulk superconductors obtained by reactive liquid infiltration by measuring the ac magnetic susceptibility. The fundamental and third harmonics have been studied as a function of temperature, dc magnetic field, ac field amplitude and frequency. In order to determine the dynamical regimes governing the vortex motion, the experimental results have been compared with susceptibility curves obtained by numerical calculations of the non-linear diffusion equation for the magnetic field. The frequency behaviour of the third harmonic response, that …
Superconducting whisker like and bulk single crystals of PrFeAs(O,F) were grown at 3 GPa and 1500 C from NaAs flux using the cubic anvil high pressure and high temperature technique. The ribbon shaped whisker like crystals were 400-1300 micrometers in length, 40-70 micrometers in width, and 5-10 micrometers in thickness with the long sharp edge in the ab plane and the c axis perpendicular to the face. The grown bulk crystals were found to have irregular plate like shapes with linear sizes up to 1 mm and 120 micrometers in thickness. The both type of single crystalline objects are crystallized …
In this work we will introduce the A-V-A formulation based iterative algorithm method (IAM) for simulating the magnetization current of high temperature superconductors. This new method embedded in ANSYS can simulate the critical state model by forcing the trapped current density to the critical current density Jc for all meshed superconducting elements after each iterative load step, as well as simulate the flux creep model by updating the E-J power law based resistivity values. The simulation results of a disk-shaped ReBCO bulk during zero field cooling (ZFC) or field cooling (FC) magnetizat…
Holes drilled in a type-II superconductor trap the magnetic flux. Following Clem's flux pinning model, we consider surface pinning as a mechanism for compressing the magnetic flux in the holes. Estimations of the trapped magnetic flux demonstrate that the holes with the diameter up to 2 mm are advantageous for bulk single-crystal REBCO samples. The REBCO films and tapes can be improved by the holes with diameter smaller than 10 $μ$m.
The discovery of high temperature superconductors (HTS) has led to understanding that, in order to explain and utilize the phenomenon, completely new physical approaches should be introduced at all scales: microscopic, mesoscopic, macroscopic. Leaving first two scales beyond the scope of the present paper we focus in the upper limit of the last one, the study of the magnetic flux dynamics in HTS bulks - the dynamics of the 'compact vortex structures'. A new direction in the experimental superconducting physics, the investigation of HTS bulks with levitation techniques, which has been elaborate…
Bulk MgB2 samples were prepared under different synthesis conditions and analyzed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The critical current densities were determined from the magnetization versus magnetic field curves of bulk and powder-dispersed-in-epoxy samples. Results show that through a slow cooling process, the oxygen dissolved in bulk MgB2 at high synthesis temperatures can segregate and form nanometer-sized coherent precipitates of Mg(B,O)2 in the MgB2 matrix. Magnetization measurements indicate that these precipitates act as effective flux pinning centers and therefore si…
In superconductors with three or more components, time-reversal symmetry may be broken when the inter-component couplings are repulsive, leading to a superconducting state with two-fold degeneracy. When prepared carefully there is a stable domain wall on a constriction which connects two bulks in states with opposite chiralities. Applying on external magnetic field, vortices in different components dissociate with each other, resulting in a ribbon shape distribution of magnetic field at the position of domain wall.
The magnetic flux periodicity of $\frac{hc}{2e}$ is a well known manifestation of Cooper pairing in typical s-wave superconductors. In this paper we theoretically show that the flux periodicity of a two-dimensional second-order topological superconductor, which features zero-energy Majorana modes localized at the corners of the sample, is $\frac{hc}{e}$ instead. We further show that the periodicity changes back to $\frac{hc}{2e}$ at the transition to a topologically trivial superconductor, where the Majorana modes hybridize with the bulk states, demonstrating that the doubling of periodicity i…
The macroscopic quantum interference effects in ballistic Josephson microstructures are investigated. The studied system consists of four bulk superconductors (terminals) which are weakly coupled through the mesoscopic rectangular normal metal (two dimensional electron gas). We show that nonlocal electrodynamics of ballistic systems leads to specific current-phase relations for the mesoscopic multiterminal Josephson junction. The nonlocal coupling of supercurrents produces the "dragging" effect for phases of the superconducting order parameter in different terminals. The composite Josephson ju…
Single crystals of the Ni-doped FeAs-based superconductor SrFe2-xNixAs2 were grown using a self-flux solution method and characterized via x-ray measurements and low temperature transport, magnetization, and specific heat studies. A doping phase diagram has been established where the antiferromagnetic order associated with the magnetostructural transition of the parent compound SrFe2As2 is gradually suppressed with increasing Ni concentration, giving way to bulk-phase superconductivity with a maximum transition temperature of 9.8 K. The superconducting phase exists through a finite range of Ni…
The Sb2Te3 crystals are grown using the conventional self flux method via solid state reaction route, by melting constituent elements (Sb and Te) at high temperature (850 C), followed by slow cooling (2 C per hour).The weak anti localization (WAL) related low field (2 Tesla) magneto-conductance at low temperatures (2.5 K and 20 K) has been analysed and discussed using the Hikami- Larkin - Nagaoka (HLN) model. Summarily, the short letter reports an easy and versatile method for crystal growth of bulk Sb2Te3 topological insulator (TI) and its brief physical property characterization.
