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Alex Gurevich

Publications and source records attributed to Alex Gurevich.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2015

Maximum screening fields of superconducting multilayer structures

It is shown that a multilayer comprised of alternating thin superconducting and insulating layers on a thick substrate can fully screen the applied magnetic field exceeding the superheating fields $H_s$ of both the superconducting layers and the substrate, the maximum Meissner field is achieved at an optimum multilayer thickness. For instance, a dirty layer of thickness $\sim 0.1\; μ$m at the Nb surface could increase $H_s\simeq 240$ mT of a clean Nb up to $H_s\simeq 290$ mT. Optimized multilayers of Nb$_3$Sn, NbN, some of the iron pnictides, or alloyed Nb deposited onto the surface of the Nb resonator cavities could potentially double the rf breakdown field, pushing the peak accelerating electric fields above 100 MV/m while protecting the cavity from dendritic thermomagnetic avalanches caused by local penetration of vortices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2013

Challenges and opportunities for applications of unconventional superconductors

Since the discovery of high-$T_c$ cuprates the quest for new superconductors has shifted toward more anisotropic, strongly correlated materials with lower carrier densities and competing magnetic and charge density wave orders. While these materials features enhance superconducting correlations, they also result in serious problems for applications at liquid nitrogen (and higher) temperatures and strong magnetic fields, so that such conventional characteristics as the critical temperature $T_c$ and the upper critical field $H_{c2}$ are no longer the main parameters of merit. This happens because of strong fluctuations of the order parameter, thermally-activated hopping of pinned vortices and electromagnetic granularity, as has been established after extensive investigations of cuprates and Fe-based superconductors. In this paper I give an overview of these mechanisms crucial for power and magnet applications and discuss the materials restrictions which have to be satisfied in order to make superconductors useful at high temperatures and magnetic fields. These restrictions become more and more essential at higher temperatures and magnetic fields, particularly for the yet-to-be-discovered superconductors operating at room temperatures. In this case the performance of superconductors will be limited by destructive fluctuations of the order parameter so higher superfluid density and weaker electronic anisotropy which reduce these fluctuations can become far more important than higher $T_c$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2005

Electromagnetic, atomic-structure and chemistry changes induced by Ca-doping of low-angle $YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-δ}$ grain boundaries

Practical high temperature superconductors must be textured to minimize the reduction of the critical current density $J_{gb}$ at misoriented grain boundaries. Partial substitution of Ca for Y in $YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-δ}$ has shown significant improvement in $J_{gb}$ but the mechanisms are still not well understood. Here we report atomic-scale, structural and analytical electron microscopy combined with transport measurements on $7^{\circ}$ $[001]$-tilt $Y_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}Ba_2Cu_3O_{7-δ}$ and $YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-δ}$ grain boundaries, where the dislocation cores are well separated. We show that the enhanced carrier density, higher $J_{gb}$ and weaker superconductivity depression at the Ca-doped boundary result from a strong, non-monotonic Ca segregation and structural rearrangements on a scale of ~1 nm near the dislocation cores. We propose a model of the formation of $Ca^{2+}$ solute atmospheres in the strain and electric fields of the grain boundary and show that Ca doping expands the dislocation cores yet enhances $J_{gb}$ by improving the screening and local hole concentration.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2004

Dendritic flux avalanches and nonlocal electrodynamics in thin superconducting films

We present numerical and analytical studies of coupled nonlinear Maxwell and thermal diffusion equations which describe nonisothermal dendritic flux penetration in superconducting films. We show that spontaneous branching of propagating flux filaments occurs due to nonlocal magnetic flux diffusion and positive feedback between flux motion and Joule heat generation. The branching is triggered by a thermomagnetic edge instability which causes stratification of the critical state. The resulting distribution of magnetic microavalanches depends on a spatial distribution of defects. Our results are in good agreement with experiments performed on Nb films.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2001

Vortex avalanches and magnetic flux fragmentation in superconductors

We report results of numerical simulations of non isothermal dendritic flux penetration in type-II superconductors. We propose a generic mechanism of dynamic branching of a propagating hotspot of a flux flow/normal state triggered by a local heat pulse. The branching occurs when the flux hotspot reflects from inhomogeneities or the boundary on which magnetization currents either vanish, or change direction. Then the hotspot undergoes a cascade of successive splittings, giving rise to a dissipative dendritic-type flux structure. This dynamic state eventually cools down, turning into a frozen multi-filamentary pattern of magnetization currents.

cond-mat.supr-con↗