How the vortex lattice of a superconductor becomes disordered: a study by scanning tunneling spectroscopy

Scientific Reports
M Zehetmayer

Abstract

Order-disorder transitions take place in many physical systems, but observing them in detail in real materials is difficult. In two- or quasi-two-dimensional systems, the transition has been studied by computer simulations and experimentally in electron sheets, dusty plasmas, colloidal and other systems. Here I show the different stages of defect formation in the vortex lattice of a superconductor while it undergoes an order-disorder transition by presenting real-space images of the lattice from scanning tunneling spectroscopy. When the system evolves from the ordered to the disordered state, the predominant kind of defect changes from dislocation pairs to single dislocations, and finally to defect clusters forming grain boundaries. Correlation functions indicate a hexatic-like state preceding the disordered state. The transition in the microscopic vortex distribution is mirrored by the well-known spectacular second peak effect observed in the macroscopic current density of the superconductor.

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Citations

Nov 19, 2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jayaraman RajeswariFabrizio Carbone
Dec 16, 2016·PloS One·Liam D Bailey, Martijn van de Pol
Feb 14, 2017·Nature Materials·S EleyL Civale
Oct 31, 2019·Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal·Surajit DuttaPratap Raychaudhuri
Feb 16, 2019·Physical Review Letters·Indranil RoyPratap Raychaudhuri
Jul 16, 2016·Physical Review Letters·Kjetil M D HalsMark S Rudner
Mar 19, 2016·Physical Review Letters·Soumyadeep Bhattacharya, Purusattam Ray

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
scanning tunneling spectroscopy
transmission electron microscopy

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