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

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.

References in corpus (5)

• Scanning tunneling spectroscopy of high-temperature superconductors
• Scanning Tunneling Microscopy/Spectroscopy of Vortices in LiFeAs
• Enhancement of long range correlations in a 2D vortex lattice by incommensurate 1D disorder potential
• Experimental evidence for a two-band superconducting state of NbSe2 single crystals
• Simulation of the current dynamics in superconductors: Application to magnetometry measurements

Cited by in corpus (9)

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• Structure and dynamics of a pinned vortex liquid in superconducting a-Re_xZr (x ~ 6) thin film
• Vortex dynamics and second magnetization peak in the iron-pnictide superconductor Ca${}_{0.82}$La${}_{0.18}$Fe${}_{0.96}$Ni${}_{0.04}$As${}_2$
• Tunable vortex bound states in multiband CsV3Sb5-derived kagome superconductors
• Second magnetization peak, anomalous field penetration, and Josephson vortices in KCa${}_2$Fe${}_4$As${}_4$F${}_2$ bilayer pnictide superconductor
• Inverse melting and re-entrant transformations of the vortex lattice in amorphous Re6Zr thin film
• Order-disorder phase transition and elastic-to-plastic vortex creep crossover in a triclinic iron pnictide superconductor (Ca0.85La0.15)10(Pt3As8)(Fe2As2)5
• Anti-hyperuniform diluted vortex matter induced by correlated disorder