Lorentz microscopy observation of unconventional behaviors of vortices in High-Tc superconductors

Abstract

Vortices in high-T c superconductors have been predicted to behave in unconventional manners that reflect the layered structure of the materials. Our newly developed 1-MV field-emission electron microscope has opened the way to enable individual vortices to be observed inside high-T c superconducting thin films. This makes it possible to investigate the inner structures of vortices, such as those trapped along tilted columnar defects and those of chain vortices that are formed when a magnetic field is obliquely applied with respect to the normal of the layer plane of the materials.