Abstract
We report on experiments in which ultrathin layers of vortex matter are sheared along nanofabricated flow channels in a ${\mathrm{N}\mathrm{b}\mathrm{N}/\mathrm{N}\mathrm{b}}_{3}\mathrm{Ge}$ double layer. The structure of the vortex matter inside the channels can be tuned continuously, via the applied magnetic field, from ordered, close-packed crystalline to highly disordered, amorphous configurations. We explore the evolution of the static and dynamic response as vortex matter inside the channels is built up row by row and analyze our results in terms of an effective static and dynamic friction. From the current and field dependence of this vortex friction, together with characteristic signatures in the measured velocity fluctuations, we find that ultrathin layers containing up to six commensurate vortex rows behave similar to brittle solids, while wider layers exhibit characteristics more akin to plastic flow.
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