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Vortex avalanches and magnetic flux fragmentation in superconductors
I Aranson1, A Gurevich, V Vinokur
1Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|August 11, 2001
Summary
Numerical simulations reveal dynamic branching in type-II superconductors. A heat pulse triggers a hot spot that splits into dendritic patterns, forming a frozen flux structure.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Superconductivity
- Nonlinear dynamics
Background:
- Flux penetration in type-II superconductors is crucial for applications.
- Understanding the dynamics of flux flow and normal states is essential.
- Nonisothermal conditions can lead to complex emergent phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism of dendritic flux penetration in type-II superconductors.
- To explore the role of heat pulses and material inhomogeneities in flux dynamics.
- To characterize the formation and evolution of flux structures.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations of nonisothermal dendritic flux penetration.
- Modeling of hot spot propagation and dynamic branching.
- Analysis of flux flow and normal state transitions.
Main Results:
- A generic mechanism for dynamic branching of flux hot spots was identified.
- Branching is triggered by local heat pulses and reflections from boundaries or inhomogeneities.
- Successive splitting of hot spots leads to dendritic flux structures that eventually freeze.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic branching is a fundamental process governing flux penetration in type-II superconductors.
- The proposed mechanism explains the formation of complex, dendritic flux patterns.
- These findings contribute to the understanding of dissipative structures in superconductors.
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