Vortex dynamics induced by scanning SQUID susceptometry

Abstract

We measured the local magnetic response of a niobium thin film by applying a millitesla-scale AC magnetic field using a micron-scale field coil and detecting the response with a micron-scale pickup loop in a scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) susceptometry measurement. Near the film's critical temperature, we observed a step-like nonlinear and dissipative magnetic response due to the dynamics of a small number of vortex-antivortex pairs induced in the film by the local applied AC field. We modeled the dynamics of the measurement using a combined two-dimensional London-Maxwell and time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau approach, allowing us to construct a detailed real-space picture of the vortex motion causing the observed dissipative response. This work pushes scanning SQUID susceptometry of two-dimensional superconductors beyond the regime of linear response and lays the foundation for microscopic studies of vortex dynamics and pinning in superconducting devices and more exotic materials systems.

arXiv comment15 pages, 8 figures. The first two authors contributed equally. This is the accepted version

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Cited by in corpus (2)

• Microwave Microscope Studies of Trapped Vortex Dynamics in Superconductors
• A Time-Dependent Ginzburg-Landau Framework for Sample-Specific Simulation of Superconductors for SRF Applications