Directional driving of vortex lines with oscillating magnetic field

Abstract

The possibility of driving vortex lines with an oscillating magnetic field could be useful in many applications. For example, it can be used for the removal of undesired trapped flux from contactless elements of superconducting devices. We investigate the dynamics of vortex lines in a superconducting film with a ratchet thickness profile driven by an oscillating magnetic field applied parallel to the film. We numerically simulate the dynamics of a single flux line modeled as an elastic string with a variable length. We explore the behavior for different frequencies and amplitudes of the oscillating magnetic field and find several dynamic regimes. For moderate frequencies, the average velocity is finite only within specific amplitude ranges. A notable feature is the presence of extended velocity plateaus, which correspond to regimes when the line moves by integer multiples of the spatial period $w$ during integer multiples of the time period $T$. The transitions to these plateau states are rather steep, especially at low frequencies. The plateau at velocity $w/T$ dominates at intermediate frequencies but vanishes at high frequencies. The onset field amplitude of finite velocity nonmonotonically depends on the frequency and passes through a minimum at a certain frequency value. At low frequencies, the velocity exceeds $w/T$ and progressively increases with the amplitude. These findings provide valuable insights into the dynamic behavior of vortex lines driven by oscillating magnetic field in patterned superconducting films, offering potential pathways for controlling the magnetic flux in superconducting devices.

arXiv comment12 pages, 7 figures, 2 animations, to appear in the Phys. Rev. Applied

References in corpus (25)

• The Flux-Line Lattice in Superconductors
• Reducing vortex density in superconductors using the ratchet effect
• Superconducting Fluxon Pumps and Lenses
• Superconducting diode effect via conformal-mapped nanoholes
• Vortex rectification effects in films with periodic asymmetric pinning
• Collective Interaction-Driven Ratchet for Transporting Flux Quanta
• Penetration depth and tunneling studies in very thin epitaxial NbN films
• Reversible Vortex Ratchet Effects and Ordering in Superconductors with Simple Asymmetric Potential Arrays
• The Phase Diagram of Disordered Vortices from London Langevin Simulations
• Superconducting properties of very high quality NbN thin films grown by high temperature chemical vapor deposition
• Experimental ratchet effect in superconducting films with periodic arrays of asymmetric potentials
• Inductance of Circuit Structures for MIT LL Superconductor Electronics Fabrication Process with 8 Niobium Layers
• On the origin of the reversed vortex ratchet motion
• Theory and simulations on strong pinning of vortex lines by nanoparticles
• Melting of the vortex lattice through intermediate hexatic fluid in a-MoGe thin film
• Collective vortex rectification effects in films with a periodic pinning array
• Reversible Ratchet Effects for Vortices in Conformal Pinning Arrays
• Dual cut-off dc-tunable microwave low-pass filter on superconducting Nb microstrips with asymmetric nanogrooves
• AC-driven microwave loss modulation in a fluxonic metamaterial
• Frequency-dependent ratchet effect in superconducting films with a tilted washboard pinning potential
• Evaluating free flux flow in low-pinning molybdenum-germanium superconducting films
• Relaxation and Glassy Dynamics in Disordered Type-II Superconductors
• Progress toward superconductor electronics fabrication process with planarized NbN and NbN/Nb layers
• Quasiparticle spectroscopy, transport, and magnetic properties of Nb films used in superconducting transmon qubits
• Pinning time statistics for vortex lines in disordered environments