A study of the plasticity in the vortex matter across the second magnetization peak in a YBCO crystal via measurements of minor hysteresis loops

Abstract

Results of an investigation of the path dependence of the critical current density Jc due to the plastic deformation of the flux line lattice in a weakly pinned YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) crystal for H‖c are reported. The procedure of minor hysteresis loops has been used to explore the path dependence of Jc and the metastability effects. Contrary to the behavior observed in low Tc systems. in YBCO it is found that at low temperatures, the multivaluedness in Jc(H) could persist beyond the notional peak field Hp, at which the anomalous variation in Jc(H) reaches its maximum value.