Effect of surface defects on vortex penetration in small superconducting squares

Abstract

We report the dependence of the vortex penetration on the number and positions of surface defects in mesoscopic superconducting squares. The vortex penetration is detected by the change in the transport properties of small tunnel junctions attached to the sample (small-tunnel-junction method). We find that for vorticities L=0 and 1, a defect at the center of a side facilitate the vortex penetration, while a defect at a corner does not affect the vortex penetration field. For higher vorticities, the influence of defects becomes complicated, indicating that not only the existence of surface defects but also the vortex arrangement influences the vortex penetration. Simple explanation for this mesoscopic vortex penetration effect is given.