Pinning-Induced Formation of Vortex Clusters and Giant Vortices in Mesoscopic Superconducting Disks

I. V. Grigorieva; W. Escoffier; V. R. Misko; B. J. Baelus; F. M. Peeters; L. Y. Vinnikov; S. V. Dubonos

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.147003

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Pinning-Induced Formation of Vortex Clusters and Giant Vortices in Mesoscopic Superconducting Disks

I. V. Grigorieva, W. Escoffier, V. R. Misko, B. J. Baelus, F. M. Peeters, L. Y. Vinnikov, S. V. Dubonos

DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.147003 · Physical Review Letters

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Abstract

Merged, or giant, multiquanta vortices (GVs) are known to appear in very small superconductors near the superconducting transition due to strong confinement of magnetic flux. Here we present evidence for a new, pinning-related, mechanism for vortex merger. Using Bitter decoration to visualize vortices in small Nb disks with varying degrees of disorder, we show that confinement in combination with strong disorder causes individual vortices to merge into clusters or even GVs well below Tc and Hc2, in contrast to well-defined shells of individual vortices found in the absence of pinning.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

Formula	Reported Tc (K)	Pressure (GPa)	Type
Nb Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	—	Pressure not reported	unknown
Nb Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	—	Pressure not reported	unknown
Al Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	—	Pressure not reported	unknown