Abstract
We discuss the effects of a surface on the vortex system in a layered superconductor with vanishingly small Josephson coupling. Within a London theory, we derive the modified pancake vortex interaction in samples with a finite number of layers. We discuss the implications of these modifications for the zero-field transition and for the melting transition in finite fields formulated within a substrate model [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 (2000) 2698]. Close to the surface, the lattice becomes unstable below the bulk thermodynamic melting temperature. We analyze the resulting surface-induced melting using density functional theory.
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