arXiv subjects

V. V. Moshchalkov

Publications and source records attributed to V. V. Moshchalkov.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2003

Anisotropic Caging of Interstitial Vortices in Superconductors with a Square Array of Rectangular Antidots

We investigate anisotropy in the vortex pinning in thin superconducting films with a square array of rectangular submicron holes ("antidots"). The size of the antidots is chosen in such a way that it corresponds to a saturation number n_s=1, i.e. each antidot can trap at most one flux quantum. Therefore, interstitial vortices, appearing when the magnetic field exceeds the first matching field, are "caged" at the interstitial positions by the repulsion from the saturated antidots. We observe an overall higher critical current Ic(H) when it is measured parallel to the long side of the antidots than the Ic(H) along the short side of the antidots. Although the pinning force, exerted by the empty antidot on the vortex, turns out to be isotropic, our I_c(H) data indicate that the caging force, experienced by the interstitial vortices and provided by the array of saturated antidots, is strongly anisotropic.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Anisotropic vortex pinning in superconductors with a square array of rectangular submicron holes

We investigate vortex pinning in thin superconducting films with a square array of rectangular submicron holes ("antidots"). Two types of antidots are considered: antidots fully perforating the superconducting film, and "blind antidots", holes that perforate the film only up to a certain depth. In both systems, we observe a distinct anisotropy in the pinning properties, reflected in the critical current Ic, depending on the direction of the applied electrical current: parallel to the long side of the antidots or perpendicular to it. Although the mechanism responsible for the effect is very different in the two systems, they both show a higher critical current and a sharper IV-transition when the current is applied along the long side of the rectangular antidots.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Guided vortex motion in superconductors with a square antidot lattice

We have measured the in-plane anisotropy of the vortex mobility in a thin Pb film with a square array of antidots. The Lorentz force, acting on the vortices, was rotated by adding two perpendicular currents and keeping the amplitude of the net current constant. One set of voltage probes was used to detect the vortex motion. We show that the pinning landscape provided by the square antidot lattice influences the vortex motion in two different ways. First, the modulus of the vortex velocity becomes angular dependent with a lower mobility along the diagonals of the pinning array. Second, the vortex displacement is preferentially parallel to the principal axes of the underlying pinning lattice, giving rise to a misalignment between the vortex velocity and the applied Lorentz force. We show that this anisotropic vortex motion is temperature dependent and progressively fades out when approaching the normal state.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Raman scattering study of charge ordering in beta-Ca0.33V2O5

Polarized Raman spectra of the calcium vanadium oxide bronze beta-Ca0.33V2O5 are measured in the temperature range between 300 K and 20 K. The charge ordering phase transition at about 150 K is characterized by the appearance of the new Raman-active modes in the spectra, and by anomalies in the electronic background scattering. The high temperature Raman scattering spectra of beta-Ca0.33V2O5 are in apparent resemblance with those of alpha'-NaV2O5, which suggests that there is a similar charge-phonon dynamics in both compounds. The study of dynamical properties and the symmetry analysis of the Raman modes show that in the mixed valence state of beta-Ca0.33V2O5 the electrons are delocalized into V1-O5-V3 orbitals. We propose that in the charge ordered state below 150 K the d-electrons localize within V1-V3 ladders, either in "zig-zag" fashion like in alpha'-NaV2O5 or in the forms of the double chains like in gamma-LiV2O5.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2003

Orbital Dimerization and Dynamic Jahn-Teller Effect in NaTiSi$_2$O$_6$

We study with the Raman scattering technique two types of phase transitions in the pyroxene compounds NaMSi$_2$O$_6$ (with M=Ti, V, and Cr). In the quasi one-dimensional S=1/2 system NaTiSi$_2$O$_6$ we observe anomalous high-temperature phonon broadening and large changes of the phonon energies and line-widths across the phase transition at 210 K. The phonon anomalies originate from an orbital order-disorder phase transition and these results --combined with theoretical considerations-- indicate that the high temperature dynamical Jahn-Teller phase of NaTiSi$_2$O$_6$ exhibits a spontaneous breaking of translational symmetry into a dimerized, Jahn-Teller distorted, orbital ordered state under the formation of spin valence bonds. In S=1 NaVSi$_2$O$_6$ orbital degrees of freedom are strongly suppressed and the magnetic excitations are well described within a Heisenberg model, indicating that at T$_N$=19K this system orders antiferromagnetically.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2003

Field-dependent Vortex Pinning Strength in a Periodic Array of Antidots

We explore the dynamic response of vortex lines in a Pb thin film with a periodic array of antidots by means of ac-susceptibility measurements. For low drive field amplitudes, within the Campbell regime, vortex motion is of intra-valley type and the penetration depth is related to the curvature of the pinning potential well, $α$. For dc-fields below the first matching field $H_1$, $α$ reaches its highest value associated with a Mott Insulator-like phase where vortex lines are strongly localized at the pinning sites. For $H_1<H_{dc}<H_2$, the response is mainly due to the interstitial vortices and $α$ drops to smaller values as expected for this metallic-like regime. Strikingly, for $H_2<H_{dc}<H_3$, we observe that $α$ reduces further down. However, for $H_3<H_{dc}<H_4$, a reentrance in the pinning strength is observed, due to a specific configuration of the flux line lattice which strongly restricts the mobility of vortices. We present a possible explanation for the measured $α(H_{dc})$ dependence based on the different flux line lattice configurations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Vortex lattice in presence of a tunable periodic pinning potential

The vortex patterns stabilized by the square array of artificial pinning sites with a tunable pinning strength are studied by using a phenomenological approach in the London limit. The transitions between pinned and deformed triangular lattices are analyzed as a function of the amplitude of the vortex-pinning site interaction and the characteristic length-scale of this interaction. The critical current and different phases of vortex lattice are studied in presence of external transport current.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Magnetic-domain-controlled vortex pinning in a superconductor/ferromagnet bilayer

Vortex pinning in a type-II superconducting Pb film covering a Co/Pt multilayer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is investigated. Different stable magnetic domain patterns like band and bubble domains can be created in the Co/Pt multilayer, clearly influencing the vortex pinning in the superconducting Pb layer. Most effective pinning is observed for the bubble domain state. We demonstrate that the pinning properties of the superconductor/ferromagnet bilayer can be controlled by tuning the size, density and magnetization direction of the bubbles.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Optical properties of NaxV2O5

The optical properties of sodium-deficient NaxV2O5 (0.85 < x <1) single crystals are analyzed in the wide energy range, from 0.012 to 4.5 eV, using ellipsometry, infrared reflectivity, and Raman scattering techniques. The material remains insulating up to the maximal achieved hole concentration of about 15%. In sodium deficient samples the optical absorption peak associated to the fundamental electronic gap develops at about 0.44 eV. It corresponds to the transition between vanadium dxy and the impurity band, which forms in the middle of the pure NaV2O5 gap. Raman spectra measured with incident photon energy larger then 2 eV show strong resonant behavior, due to the presence of the hole-doping activated optical transitions, peaked at 2.8 eV.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2002

Stable vortex-antivortex molecules in mesoscopic superconducting triangles

A thermodynamically stable vortex-antivortex pattern has been revealed in mesoscopic type I superconducting triangles, contrary to type II superconductors where similar patterns are unstable. The stable vortex-antivortex "molecule" appears due to the interplay between two factors: a repulsive vortex-antivortex interaction in type I superconductors and the vortex confinement in the triangle.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Nanostructured superconductor/ferromagnet bilayers

The pinning properties of type-II superconductors can be efficiently controlled by using laterally nanostructured ferromagnet / superconductor bilayers. This will be illustrated by studying the flux pinning in thin superconducting Pb films which are deposited on top of two types of magnetic nanostructures with out-of-plane magnetisation: (i) an array of dots, and (ii) an array of antidots, both made from a Co/Pt multilayer. The magnetisation curves of the Pb film are extremely asymmetric with respect to the polarity of the magnetic field when the magnetic moments in the Co/Pt multilayer were aligned prior to measurement. This asymmetry proves that magnetic contributions dominate the pinning potential that the magnetic nanostructures induce in the superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Asymmetric flux pinning in laterally nanostructured ferromagnetic / superconducting bilayers

We investigated the pinning of flux lines in a superconducting film by a regular array of magnetic antidots. The sample consists of a Co/Pt multilayer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in which a regular pattern of submicron holes is introduced and which is covered by a type-II superconducting Pb film. The resulting ferromagnetic/superconducting heterostructure shows a pronounced asymmetric magnetization curve with respect to the field polarity. This asymmetry clearly demonstrates that the magnetic contribution dominates the pinning potential imposed by the magnetic antidots on the superconducting film.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Vortex states in a mesoscopic superconducting triangle

The set of the nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau equations is solved for an Al mesoscopic superconducting triangle of finite thickness. We calculate the distributions of the superconducting phase in the triangle and of the magnetic field in and near the triangle. The distribution of the superconducting phase in the triangle is studied as a function of the applied magnetic field. Possible scenarios of penetration of the magnetic field into the triangle are analyzed. We consider two different states: a single vortex state and a state in the form of a symmetric combination of three vortices and an antivortex with vorticity L_a = - 2 ("3 - 2" combination). The free energy calculations show that a single vortex penetrates the triangle through a midpoint of one side. The "3 - 2" combination turns out to be thermodynamically preferable when the vortices are close to the center of the triangle. Equilibrium is achieved when a single vortex (or each component of the "3 - 2" combination) is in the center of the triangle.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Critical temperature oscillations in magnetically coupled superconducting mesoscopic loops

We study the magnetic interaction between two superconducting concentric mesoscopic Al loops, close to the superconducting/normal phase transition. The phase boundary is measured resistively for the two-loop structure as well as for a reference single loop. In both systems Little-Parks oscillations, periodic in field are observed in the critical temperature Tc versus applied magnetic field H. In the Fourier spectrum of the Tc(H) oscillations, a weak 'low frequency' response shows up, which can be attributed to the inner loop supercurrent magnetic coupling to the flux of the outer loop. The amplitude of this effect can be tuned by varying the applied transport current.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Raman scattering study of phonon and spin modes in (TMTSF)2PF6

We have studied polarized Raman spectra of (TMTSF)2PF6 single crystals in the wide spectral and temperature range using different laser energies. We observed and assigned 23 Raman active modes. The carbon C=C in-phase and out-of-phase stretching modes at 1464 cm-1 and 1602 cm-1 show strong electron-molecular-vibration coupling. The mode at about 1565 cm-1 is temperature independent below 50 K due to the methyl group motion freezing. For (TMTSF)2PF6 in the spin density wave phase for a temperature induced dimensionality 1D (quarter filled dimerized linear chain with correlated electrons) the spin gapless magnon spectra have been calculated. No evidence of spin-lattice coupling or spin-related modes is found in the Raman spectra in the spin density wave phase.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2001

Optical studies of gap, hopping energies and the Anderson-Hubbard parameter in the zigzag-chain compound SrCuO2

We have investigated the electronic structure of the zigzag ladder (chain) compound SrCuO2 combining polarized optical absorption, reflection, photoreflectance and pseudo-dielectric function measurements with the model calculations. These measurements yield an energy gap of 1.42 eV (1.77 eV) at 300 K along (perpendicular) to the Cu-O chains. We have found that the lowest energy gap, the correlation gap, is temperature independent. The electronic structure of this oxide is calculated using both the local-spin-density-approximation with gradient correction method, and the tight-binding theory for the correlated electrons. The calculated density of electronic states for non-correlated and correlated electrons shows quasi-one-dimensional character. The correlation gap values of 1.42 eV (indirect transition) and 1.88 eV (direct transition) have been calculated with the electron hopping parameters t = 0.30 eV (along a chain), t_yz = 0.12 eV (between chains) and the Anderson-Hubbard repulsion on copper sites U= 2.0 eV. We concluded that SrCuO_2 belongs to the correlated-gap insulators.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2000

Vortex melting and decoupling transitions in YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{4}$O$_{8}$ single crystals

The vortex correlation along the c-axis in high quality single crystals of YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{4}$O$_{8}$ has been investigated as a function of temperature T in different magnetic fields, using the quasi-flux transformer configuration. A simultaneous sharp drop associated with the vortex lattice melting is observed in both the primary and secondary voltages(V$_{top}$ and V$_{bot}$). Just above the melting temperature, the vortices form three-dimensional line liquid with the correlation length along the c direction $L_{c}\leq $ t, the sample thickness. The temperature where a resistive peak in R$_{bot}$ develops corresponds to the decoupling temperature T$_{d}$ at which the vortices loose their correlation along the c-direction and they dissolve into the two dimensional pancake vortices. The H-T phase diagram for the YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{4}$O$_{8}$ single crystal is obtained.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2000

Optical Properties of the Spin-Ladder Compound Sr_{14}Cu_{24}O_{41}

We report the measurements of the pseudodielectric function, far-infrared reflectivity and Raman scattering spectra in Sr_{14}Cu_{24}O_{41} single crystal. We study the lattice and the spin dynamics of the Cu$_2$O$_3$ spin ladders and CuO$_2$ chains of this compound. The ellipsometric and the optical reflectivity measurements yield the gap values of 1.4 eV, 1.86 eV, 2.34 eV (2.5 eV) for the ladders (chains) along the {\bf c}-axis and 2.4 eV along the {\bf a}-axis. The electronic structure of the Cu$_2$O$_3$ ladders is analyzed using tight-binding approach for the correlated electron systems. The correlation gap value of 1.4 eV is calculated with the transfer energy (hopping) parameters $t=t_{0}$=0.26 eV, along and perpendicular to legs, $t_{xy}$=0.026 eV (interladder hopping) and U=2.1 eV, as a Coulomb repulsion. The optical parameters of the infrared active phonons and plasmons are obtained by oscillator fitting procedure of the reflectivity spectra. Raman scattering spectra are measured at different temperatures using different laser line energies. The two-magnon peak is observed at about 2880 cm$^{-1}$. At temperatures below 150 K the new infrared and Raman modes appear due to the charge ordering.

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