Magnetic field imaging of curved vortex lines in thin films of anisotropic superconductors

Abstract

We have studied distinctive features of magnetic field distributions induced by vortices inthin films of anisotropic superconductors for an arbitrary orientation of external tiltedmagnetic fields. The magnetic field profiles are found to be strongly modified for rathersmall film thickness and large field tilting angle. The single-vortex field profile reveals twomaxima instead of one peak observed in relatively thick films or in the films placed inmagnetic fields perpendicular to the film plane. Our calculations are based on the study ofthe energetically favorable shape of an isolated vortex line in the presence of theinhomogeneous supercurrents which screen the field component parallel to the film plane. Starting from the London theory with anisotropic mass tensorwe justify the elastic string approximation for the vortex lineshape affected by thescreening currents. The exotic magnetic field profiles typical for curved vortices can beobserved by modern vortex imaging techniques.