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Vortex avalanches and self organized criticality in superconducting niobium

E. Altshuler·T. H. Johansen·Y. Paltiel·Peng Jin·K. E. Bassler·O. Ramos·G. F. Reiter·E. Zeldov·C. W. Chu
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Abstract

In 1993 Tang proposed [1] that vortex avalanches should produce a self organized critical state in superconductors, but conclusive evidence for this has heretofore been lacking. In the present paper, we report extensive micro-Hall probe data from the vortex dynamics in superconducting niobium, where a broad distribution of avalanche sizes scaling as a power-law for more than two decades is found. The measurements are combined with magneto-optical imaging, and show that over a widely varying magnetic landscape the scaling behaviour does not change, hence establishing that the dynamics of superconducting vortices is a SOC phenomenon.

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E. Altshuler, T. H. Johansen, Y. Paltiel, Peng Jin, K. E. Bassler, O. Ramos, G. F. Reiter, E. Zeldov, C. W. Chu. 2002-08-16. Vortex avalanches and self organized criticality in superconducting niobium. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.70.140505

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