Tearing transition and plastic flow in superconducting thin films

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Artificial atoms, including synthetic nanocrystals and superconducting vortices, naturally form ordered arrays.
• These self-assembled structures are crucial for designing novel solids and devices whose properties depend on their response to external forces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the transport properties of a vortex array within a Corbino disk geometry.
• To understand the critical current thresholds and transitions in vortex motion under applied current.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations were employed to model the behavior of vortex arrays.
• The study focused on analyzing the global resistance changes in response to injected current.

Main Results:

• Two distinct threshold current values were identified, each associated with sharp jumps in global resistance.
• The first threshold marks a transition from rigid rotation to plastic flow, driven by the nucleation and glide of dislocation pairs.
• A second, smoother plastic phase emerges after the second jump, characterized by the coherent glide of dislocations forming radial grain boundaries.

Conclusions:

• The study elucidates the complex transport dynamics of vortex arrays in a Corbino disk.
• The identified transitions highlight the distinct phases of vortex motion, from rigid rotation to various forms of plastic flow.
• These findings contribute to the understanding of artificial atom assemblies and their response to external stimuli, relevant for novel device design.