Large Magnetoresistance Oscillations in Mesoscopic Superconductors Due to Current-Excited Moving Vortices

Abstract

We show in the case of a superconducting Nb ladder that a mesoscopic superconductor typically exhibits magnetoresistance oscillations whose amplitude and temperature dependence are different from those stemming from the Little-Parks effect. We demonstrate that these large resistance oscillations (as well as the monotonic background on which they are superimposed) are due to {\it current-excited moving vortices}, where the applied current in competition with the oscillating Meissner currents imposes/removes the barriers for vortex motion in increasing magnetic field. Due to the ever present current in transport measurements, this effect should be considered in parallel with the Little-Parks effect in low-$T_c$ samples, as well as with recently proposed thermal activation of dissipative vortex-antivortex pairs in high-$T_c$ samples.