Flux flow of Abrikosov-Josephson vortices along grain boundaries in high-temperature superconductors

Abstract

We show that low-angle grain boundaries (GB) in high-temperature superconductors exhibit intermediate Abrikosov vortices with Josephson cores, whose length $l$ along GB is smaller that the London penetration depth, but larger than the coherence length. We found an exact solution for a periodic vortex structure moving along GB in a magnetic field $H$ and calculated the flux flow resistivity $R_F(H)$, and the nonlinear voltage-current characteristics. The predicted $R_F(H)$ dependence describes well our experimental data on $7^{\circ }$ unirradiated and irradiated $YB{a}_{2}C{u}_3{O}_7$ bicrystals, from which the core size $l(T)$, and the intrinsic depairing density $J_b(T)$ on nanoscales of few GB dislocations were measured for the first time. The observed temperature dependence of $J_b(T)=J_{b0}(1-T/T_c{)}^2$ indicates a significant order parameter suppression in current channels between GB dislocation cores.

5 pages 5 figures. Phys. Rev. Lett. (accepted)