arXiv subjects

M. Konczykowski

Publications and source records attributed to M. Konczykowski.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

Angular dependence of the melting of the porous vortex matter in $\mathrm{Bi_{2}Sr_{2}CaCu_{2}O_{8}}$

The behavior of vortex matter in $\mathrm{Bi_{2}Sr_{2}CaCu_{2}O_{8}}$ in the presence of a low concentration of tilted columnar defects (CDs) was studied using magneto-optical measurements and molecular dynamics simulations. We find that while the dynamic properties are significantly affected by tilting the field away from CDs, the thermodynamic lines are angle independent. Our simulations reveal that vortex pancakes remain localized along CDs even at large tilting angles thus preserving the thermodynamic features, while suppression of irreversible properties is caused by vortex kink sliding.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Slowing down Josephson vortex lattice in Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+d} with pancake vortices

We study theoretically and experimentally influence of pancake vortices on motion of the Josephson vortex lattice in layered high-temperature superconductors. Mobility of the Josephson vortices in layered superconductors is strongly suppressed by small amount of pancake-vortex stacks. Moving Josephson vortex lattice forces oscillating zigzag deformation of the pancake-vortex stacks contributing to damping. The salient feature of this contribution is its nonmonotonic dependence on the lattice velocity and the corresponding voltage. Maximum pancake effect is realized when the Josephson frequency matches the relaxation frequency of the stacks. The pancake-vortex damping is strongly suppressed by thermal fluctuations of the pancake vortices. This theoretical picture was qualitatively confirmed by experiments on two mesas prepared out of Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+d} whiskers. We found that the Josephson-vortex flux-flow voltage is very sensitive to small c-axis magnetic field. The pancake-vortex contribution to the current indeed nonmonotonically depends on voltage and decreases with increasing temperature and in-plane magnetic field. We also found that irradiation with heavy ions has no noticeable direct influence on motion of the Josephson vortices but dramatically reduces the pancake-vortex contribution to the damping of the Josephson vortex lattice at low temperatures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Conductance in multiwall carbon nanotubes and semiconductor nanowires : evidence of a universal tunneling barrier

Electronic transport in multiwall carbon nanotubes and semiconductor nanowires was compared. In both cases, the non ohmic behavior of the conductance, the so-called zero bias anomaly, shows a temperature dependence that scales with the voltage dependence. This robust scaling law describes the conductance $G(V,T)$ by a single coefficient $α$. A universal behavior as a function of $α$ is found for all samples. Magnetoconductance measurements furthermore show that the conduction regime is weak localization. The observed behavior can be understood in terms of the coulomb blockade theory, providing that a unique tunnel resistance on the order of 2000 $Ω$ and a Thouless energy of about 40 meV exists for all samples.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Vortex nanoliquid in high-temperature superconductors

Using a differential magneto-optical technique to visualize flow of transport currents, we reveal a new delocalization line within the reversible vortex liquid region in the presence of a low density of columnar defects. This line separates a homogeneous vortex liquid, in which all the vortices are delocalized, from a heterogeneous "nanoliquid" phase, in which interconnected nanodroplets of vortex liquid are caged in the pores of a solid skeleton formed by vortices pinned on columnar defects. The nanoliquid phase displays high correlation along the columnar defects but no transverse critical current.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Josephson Plasma Resonance in $Bi_2 Sr_2 Ca Cu_2 O_{8+y}$ with Spatially Dependent Interlayer-Phase Coherence

We study the Josephson plasma resonance (JPR) in Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+y}$ (BSCCO) with spatially dependent interlayer-phase coherence (IPC). The half-irradiated BSCCO (HI-BSCCO), in which columnar defects are introduced only in a half of the sample, shows several resonance peaks, which are not simple superposition of the peaks in irradiated- and pristine-parts. JPR in HI-BSCCO changes its character from irradiated- to pristine-type at a crossover frequency ($ω_{cr}$). We demonstrate that the one-dimensional \LSGE, which takes into account the spatial dependence of IPC, can reproduce most of the experimental findings including the presence of $ω_{cr}$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

First Order Transition of the Vortex Lattice in Disordered Bi-2212 Crystals

Using differential magneto-optical imaging, we address the question of mesoscopic inhomogeneity in underdoped Bi-2212 single crystals. Among other features, it is shown that an anomalous temperature dependence of the penetration field and of the first order transition (FOT) field of the vortex lattice in such crystals can be understood as arising from inhomogeneity. The effect of chemical inhomogeneity and pinning on flux penetration and the FOT is discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Vortex Solid-Liquid Transition in Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$ with a High Density of Strong Pins

The introduction of a large density of columnar defects in %underdoped Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$ crystals does not, at sufficiently low vortex densities, increase the irreversibility line beyond the first order transition (FOT) field of pristine crystals. At such low fields, the flux line wandering length $r_{w}$ behaves as in pristine %Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$ crystals. Next, vortex positional correlations along the $c$--axis in the vortex Bose glass at fields above the FOT are smaller than in the low--field vortex solid. Third, the Bose-glass-to-vortex liquid transition is signaled by a rapid decrease in c-axis phase correlations. These observations are understood in terms of the ``discrete superconductor'' model.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Transfer of magnetization by spin injection between both interfaces of a Ni nanowire

Magnetization switching provoked by spin-injection is studied in Ni nanowires of various size and morphology. The response of the magnetization to the spin-injection is studied as a function of the amplitude of the current, the temperature, and the symmetry of the interfaces. The amplitude of the response of the magnetization to spin-injection is a decreasing function of the temperature, does not depend on the current sign, and occurs only in the case of asymmetric interfaces. It is shown that the spin-injection does not act on small magnetic inhomogeneities inside the layer. Some consequences in terms of longitudinal spin-transfer are discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2003

Melting of 'porous' vortex matter

Bitter decoration and magneto-optical studies reveal that in heavy-ion irradiated superconductors, a 'porous' vortex matter is formed when vortices outnumber columnar defects (CDs). In this state ordered vortex crystallites are embedded in the 'pores' of a rigid matrix of vortices pinned on CDs. The crystallites melt through a first-order transition while the matrix remains solid. The melting temperature increases with density of CDs and eventually turns into a continuous transition. At high temperatures a sharp kink in the melting line is found, signaling an abrupt change from crystallite melting to melting of the rigid matrix.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

First order phase transition from the vortex liquid to an amorphous solid

We present a systematic study of the topology of the vortex solid phase in superconducting Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8}$ samples with low doses of columnar defects. A new state of vortex matter imposed by the presence of geometrical contours associated with the random distribution of columns is found. The results show that the first order liquid-solid transition in this vortex matter does not require a structural symmetry change.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Vortex fluctuations in underdoped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d crystals

Vortex thermal fluctuations in heavily underdoped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d (Tc=69.4 K) are studied using Josephson plasma resonance (JPR). From the data in zero magnetic field, we obtain the penetration depth along the c-axis, lambda_{L,c}(0) = 229 micrometers and the anisotropy ratio gamma(0) = 600. The low plasma frequency allows us to study phase correlations over the whole vortex solid (Bragg-glass) state. The JPR results yield a wandering length r_{w} of vortex pancakes. The temperature dependence of r_{w} as well as its increase with applied dc magnetic field can only be explained by the renormalization of the tilt modulus by thermal fluctuations, and suggest the latter is responsible for the dissociation of the vortices at the first order transition.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

"Vortex-melting front" in thin superconductors with pinning

Magneto-optical observations of a second flux front, which occurs at the second peak in the magnetization of Bi_2 Sr_2 CaCu_2 O_x single crystals related to the known first order ``vortex-lattice melting'', are reconsidered. We show that, in thin samples, electrodynamics necessarily leads to an extended region in which the magnetic induction adopts a nearly constant value close to that at which the phase transition occurs at thermal equilibrium. In this region a dynamical phase mixture of vortex ``solid'' and ``liquid'' should exist. Interestingly, the observed second flux front does not mark the ``melting'' front, as it was naively interpreted earlier, but indicates the disappearance of the last ``solid droplets''.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Strong Pinning in High Temperature Superconductors

Detailed measurements of the critical current density jc of YBa2Cu3O7 films grown by pulsed laser deposition reveal the increase of jc as function of the filmthickness. Both this thickness dependence and the field dependence of the critical current are consistently described using a generalization of the theory of strong pinning of Ovchinnikov and Ivlev [Phys. Rev. B 43, 8024 (1991)]. From the model, we deduce values of the defect density (10^21 m^-3) and the elementary pinning force, which are in good agreement with the generally accepted values for Y2O3-inclusions. In the absence of clear evidence that the critical current is determined by linear defects or modulations of the film thickness, our model provides an alternative explanation for the rather universal field dependence of the critical current density found in YBa2Cu3O7 films deposited by different methods.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Low Energy Quasiparticle Excitation in the Vortex State of Borocarbide Superconductor YNi_2B_2C

We have measured the low temperature heat capacity Cp and microwave surface impedance Zs in the vortex state of YNi_2B_2C. In contrast to conventional s-wave superconductors, Cp shows a nearly \sqrt H-dependence. This \sqrt H-dependence persists even after the introduction of the columnar defects which change the electronic structure of the vortex core regime dramatically and strongly disturb the regular vortex lattice. On the other hand, flux flow resistivity obtained from Zs is nearly proportional to H. Taken together, these results indicate that the vortex state of YNi_2B_2C is fundamentally different from the conventional s-wave counterparts, in that the delocalized quasiparticle states around the vortex core play a much more important role, similar to d-wave superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2000

Deviations from Matthiessen's Rule for ${\rm SrRuO_3}$ and ${\rm CaRuO_3}$

We have measured the change in the resistivity of thin films of ${\rm SrRuO_3}$ and ${\rm CaRuO_3}$ upon introducing point defects by electron irradiation at low temperatures, and we find significant deviations from Matthiessen's rule. For a fixed irradiation dose, the induced change in resistivity {\it decreases} with increasing temperature. Moreover, for a fixed temperature, the increase in resistivity with irradiation is found to be {\it sublinear}. We suggest that the observed behavior is due to the marked anisotropic scattering of the electrons together with their relatively short mean free path (both characteristic of many metallic oxides including cuprates) which amplify effects related to the Pippard ineffectiveness condition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2000

Defect-unbinding and the Bose-glass transition in layered superconductors

The low-field Bose-glass transition temperature in heavy-ion irradiated Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8+d increases progressively with increasing density of irradiation-induced columnar defects, but saturates for densities in excess of 1.5 x10^9 cm^-2. The maximum Bose-glass temperature corresponds to that above which diffusion of two-dimensional pancake vortices between different vortex lines becomes possible, and above which the ``line-like'' character of vortices is lost. We develop a description of the Bose-glass line that is in excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental line obtained for widely different values of track density and material parameters.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2000

Shear-induced vortex decoupling in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 crystals

Simultaneous transport and magnetization studies in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 crystals at elevated currents reveal large discrepancies, including finite resistivity at temperatures of 40K below the magnetic irreversibility line. This resistivity, measured at the top surface, is non-monotonic in temperature and extremely non-linear. The vortex velocity derived from magnetization is six orders of magnitude lower than the velocity derived from simultaneous transport measurements. The new findings are ascribed to a shear-induced decoupling, in which the pancake vortices flow only in the top few CuO2 planes, and are decoupled from the pinned vortices in the rest of the crystal.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv1999

Magnetic relaxation in the "Bragg-glass" phase in BSCCO

Magnetic relaxation in the Bragg-glass phase of overdoped Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8 crystals was investigated using time-resolved magneto-optical visualisation of the flux distribution. This has permitted us to extract the current-voltage characteristic, which can be well described by a power-law, although fits to a stretched exponential E \sim \exp(- j_{c} / j)^μ with 0.3 < μ< 0.8 are possible at long times in excess of 100 s.

cond-mat.supr-con↗