Vortex instability in molybdenum-germanium superconducting films

Abstract

We studied the high driving force regime of the current-voltage transport response in the mixed state of amorphous molybdenum-germanium superconducting films to the point where the flux flow becomes unstable. The observed nonlinear response conforms with the classic Larkin-Ovchinikov (LO) picture with a quasiparticle-energy-relaxation rate dominated by the quasiparticle recombination process. The measured energy relaxation rate was found to have a magnitude and temperature dependence in agreement with theory. PACS: 74.40.Gh, 74.25.Uv, 72.15.Lh, 73.50.Gr, 73.50.Fq Keywords: fluxon, vortices, TDGL, FFF, negative differential conductivity, NDC, non-monotonic IV curve

5 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Rearrangement of the vortex lattice due to instabilities of vortex flow
• Dynamics of vortex penetration, jumpwise instabilities and nonlinear surface resistance of type-II superconductors in strong rf fields
• Evidence of a new low field cross-over in the vortex critical velocity of type-II superconducting thin films
• Energy Relaxation at a Hot-Electron Vortex Instability