Grain boundaries in vortex matter
arXiv:cond-mat/0412437 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.72.014505
Abstract
We explore the statistical properties of grain boundaries in the vortex polycrystalline phase of type II superconductors. Treating grain boundaries as arrays of dislocations interacting through linear elasticity, we show that self-interaction of a deformed grain boundary is equivalent to a non-local long-range surface tension. This affects the pinning properties of grain boundaries, that are found to be less rough than isolated dislocations. The presence of grain boundaries has an important effect on the transport properties of type II superconductors as we show by numerical simulations: our results indicate that the critical current is higher for a vortex polycrystal than for a regular vortex lattice. Finally, we discuss the possible role of grain boundaries in vortex lattice melting. Through a phenomenological theory we show that melting can be preceded by an intermediate polycrystalline phase.
12 pages, 6 figures. Revised version, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B
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Cited by in corpus (8)
- How the vortex lattice of a superconductor becomes disordered: a study by scanning tunneling spectroscopy
- Driven Disordered Polymorphic Solids: Phases and Phase Transitions, Dynamical Coexistence and Peak Effect Anomalies
- Irreversible flow of vortex matter: polycrystal and amorphous phases
- Coarsening of Topological Defects in Oscillating Systems with Quenched Disorder
- Viscoelastic Interfaces Driven in Disordered Media and Applications to Friction
- Suppression of the Melting Line in a Weakly Disordered Flux-line System
- Depinning and critical current characteristics of topologically defected vortex lattices
- Dislocation interactions mediated by grain boundaries