Nonlocal electrodynamics and low-temperature magnetization of clean high- kappa superconductors

Comparison of the scaling analysis of mixed-state magnetization data with direct measurements of the upper critical field for YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-x)

By comparison of recent direct measurements of the temperature dependence of the upper critical field H(c2) of an YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-x) high-T(c) superconductor with the scaling analysis of magnetization data, collected in fields [Formula: see text], we demonstrate that the temperature dependence of the Ginzburg-Landau parameter κ is negligible. Another conclusion is that the normalized temperature dependence of H(c2) is independent of the orientation of the magnetic field with respect to the crystallographic axes of the sample. We also discuss the fact that isotropy of the temperature dependence of H(c2) straightforwardly follows from the Ginzburg-Landau theory if κ does not depend on the temperature.

Spontaneous symmetry-breaking vortex lattice transitions in pure niobium

We report an extensive investigation of magnetic vortex lattice (VL) structures in single crystals of pure niobium with the magnetic field applied parallel to a fourfold symmetry axis, so as to induce frustration between the cubic crystal symmetry and hexagonal VL coordination expected in an isotropic situation. We observe new VL structures and phase transitions; all the VL phases observed (including those with an exactly square unit cell) spontaneously break some crystal symmetry. One phase even has the lowest possible symmetry of a two-dimensional Bravais lattice. This is quite unlike the situation in high-Tc or borocarbide superconductors, where VL structures orient along particular directions of high crystal symmetry. The causes of this behavior are discussed.

Vortex lattice structural transitions: a Ginzburg-Landau model approach

We analyze the rhombic to square vortex lattice phase transition in anisotropic superconductors using a variant of Ginzburg-Landau theory. The mean-field phase diagram is determined to second order in the anisotropy parameter, and shows a reorientation transition of the square vortex lattice with respect to the crystal lattice. We then derive the long-wavelength elastic moduli of the lattices, and use them to show that thermal fluctuations produce a reentrant rhombic to square lattice transition line, similar to recent studies which used a nonlocal London model.

Hexagonal and square flux line lattices in CeCoIn5

Using small-angle neutron scattering, we have imaged the magnetic flux line lattice (FLL) in the d-wave heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn5. At low fields we find a hexagonal FLL. Around 0.6 T this undergoes what is most likely a first-order transition to square symmetry, with the nearest neighbors oriented along the gap node directions. This orientation of the square FLL is consistent with theoretical predictions based on the d-wave order parameter symmetry.

Free energy and torque for superconductors with different anisotropies of H(c2) and lambda

The free energy is evaluated for a uniaxial superconductor with the anisotropy of the upper critical field, gamma(H)=H(c2,a)/H(c2,c), different from the anisotropy of the penetration depth gamma(lambda)=lambda(c)/lambda(a). With increasing difference between gamma(H) and gamma(lambda), the equilibrium orientation of the crystal relative to the applied field may shift from theta=pi/2 (theta is the angle between the field and the c axis) to lower angles and reach theta=0 for large enough gamma(H). These effects are expected to take place in MgB2.

Effect of fluctuations on vortex lattice structural transitions in superconductors

The rhombic-to-square transition field H(square)(T) for cubic and tetragonal materials in fields along [001] is evaluated using the nonlocal London theory with the account of thermal vortex fluctuations. Unlike extended Ginzburg-Landau models, our approach shows that the line H(square)(T) and the upper critical field H(c2)(T) do not cross due to strong fluctuations near H(c2)(T) which suppress the square anisotropy induced by the nonlocality. In increasing fields, fluctuations cause a reentrance of the rhombic vortex lattice, in agreement with recent neutron scattering data on borocarbides.

Elastic moduli of vortex lattices within nonlocal London model

Vortex lattice (VL) elastic response is analyzed within the nonlocal London model which holds for high-kappa clean superconductors. The squash modulus vanishes at the field H( square) where VL undergoes a square-to-rhombus transition. For H>H( square), where the square VL is stable, the rotation modulus turns zero at H = H(r), indicating VL instability to rotations. The shear modulus depends on the shear direction; the dependence is strong in the vicinity of H( square) where the square VL is soft with respect to the shear along [110]. The H dependences of the moduli are evaluated for LuNi(2)B(2)C.

Flux line lattice reorientation in the borocarbide superconductors with H parallel a

Small angle neutron scattering studies of the flux line lattice in LuNi2B2C and ErNi2B2C induced by a field parallel to the a axis reveal a first order flux line lattice reorientation transition. Below the transition the flux line lattice nearest neighbor direction is parallel to the b axis, and above the transition it is parallel to the c axis. This transition cannot be explained using nonlocal corrections to the London model. In addition, the anisotropy of the penetration depth lambda and the coherence length xi change at the transition.

Realignment of the flux-line lattice by a change in the symmetry of superconductivity in UPt3

In 1957, Abrikosov described how quanta of magnetic flux enter the interior of a bulk type II superconductor. It was subsequently predicted that, in an isotropic superconductor, the repulsive forces between the flux lines would cause them to order in two dimensions, forming a hexagonal lattice. Flux-line lattices with different geometry can also be found in conventional (type II) superconductors; however, the ideal hexagonal lattice structure should always occur when the magnetic field is applied along a hexagonal crystal direction. Here we report measurements of the orientation of the flux-line lattice in the heavy-fermion superconductor UPt3, for this special case. As the temperature is increased, the hexagonal lattice, which is initially aligned along the crystal symmetry directions, realigns itself with the anisotropic superconducting gap. The superconductivity in UPt3 is unusual (even compared to unconventional oxide superconductors) because the superconducting gap has a lower rotational symmetry than the crystal structure. This special feature enables our data to demonstrate clearly the link between the microscopic symmetry of the superconductivity and the mesoscopic physics of the flux-line lattice. Moreover, our observations provide a stringent test of the theoretical description of the unconventional superconductivity in UPt3.

High-field quasiparticle tunneling in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+delta): negative magnetoresistance in the superconducting state

We report on the c-axis resistivity rho(c)(H) in Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta) that peaks in quasistatic magnetic fields up to 60 T. By suppressing the Josephson part of the two-channel (Cooper pair/quasiparticle) conductivity sigma(c)(H), we find that the negative slope of rho(c)(H) above the peak is due to quasiparticle tunneling conductivity sigma(q)(H) across the CuO2 layers below H(c2). At high fields (a) sigma(q)(H) grows linearly with H, and (b) rho(c)(T) tends to saturate ( sigma(c) not equal0) as T-->0, consistent with the scattering at the nodes of the d-wave gap. A superlinear sigma(q)(H) marks the normal state above T(c).