Equilibrium vortex motion in two- and three-dimensional superconductors studied with a dc SQUID

Abstract

The equilibrium motion of vortices in two- and three-dimensional superconductors has been studied with a dc Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID). This technique has the advantage of probing the system in a non-invasive manner as well as providing dynamic information over many decades in frequency. Through measurements of the spectral density of magnetic flux noise, S{sub {Phi}}({omega}), as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field, the effects of proton and heavy ion irradiation on flux noise in crystals of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}} have been measured and compared with the effects on the critical current, J{sub c}. Both proton and heavy ion irradiation proved effective at reducing S{sub {Phi}}({omega}), with proton irradiation having a larger effect. Measurement of S{sub {Phi}}({omega}) due to the equilibrium Kosterlitz-Thouless-Berezinskii transition in two-dimensional Josephson Junction Arrays (JJAs) was studied as a function of temperature for three different arrays and using three different sensors. S{sub {Phi}} is shown to obey dynamic scaling over as many as five decades in frequency, and estimates are made for the dynamic critical exponent z. An analytic theory for the high- and low-frequency behavior of S{sub {Phi}}({omega}) is presented and compared to the measured data, with the result that the low-frequency behavior is well described by the theory but the high-frequency behavior is not. Other theories and numerical simulations are described and compared with the data, but none are completely satisfactory. Lastly, suggestions for necessary further theoretical work and possible future experimental work are suggested.