Experimental realization of smectic phase in vortex matter induced by symmetric potentials arranged in two-fold symmetry arrays
Smectic order has been generated in superconducting Nb films with two-fold symmetry arrays of symmetric pinning centers. Magnetic fields applied perpendicularly to the films develop a vortex matter smectic phase that is easily detected when the vortices commensurate with the pinning center array. The smectic phase can be turned on and off with external parameters.
cond-mat.supr-con↗