Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 4, 2026
11:24
Optimized Fabrication Procedure for High-Quality Graphene-based Moiré Superlattice Devices
Published on: July 11, 2025
14.8K
Spontaneous pattern formation in superconducting films
W Y Córdoba-Camacho1, R M da Silva2, A A Shanenko2
1National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 101000, Russia.
Summary
Superconducting films exhibit unique magnetic patterns due to stray fields, challenging conventional type I and type II classifications. These spontaneous flux-condensate patterns are not an artifact of calculation boundary conditions.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Superconducting films are often classified as type II due to stray magnetic fields, even if made of type I materials.
- A thickness interval exists where films don't fit conventional type I or II superconductivity classifications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the magnetic properties of superconducting films in a specific thickness range.
- To determine if spontaneous magnetic flux-condensate patterns are an artifact of periodic boundary conditions.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical calculations of superconducting film magnetic properties.
- Comparison of results using periodic versus open in-plane boundary conditions.
Main Results:
- Spontaneous formation of magnetic flux-condensate patterns and superstructures observed.
- These patterns arise from the interplay of stray fields and proximity to the Bogomolnyi self-duality point.
- Similar patterns are obtained with open boundary conditions, indicating robustness.
Conclusions:
- The observed spontaneous patterns in superconducting films are a genuine phenomenon, not an artifact of periodic boundary conditions.
- This expands understanding beyond conventional type I and type II superconductivity classifications.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Types Of Superconductors
1.5K
A superconductor is a substance that offers zero resistance to the electric current when it drops below a critical temperature. Zero resistance is not the only interesting phenomenon as materials reach their transition temperatures. A second effect is the exclusion of magnetic fields. This is known as the Meissner effect. A light, permanent magnet placed over a superconducting sample will levitate in a stable position above the superconductor. High-speed trains that levitate on strong...
1.5K
01:24Superconductor
1.7K
A substance that reaches superconductivity, a state in which magnetic fields cannot penetrate, and there is no electrical resistance, is referred to as a superconductor. In 1911, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University, a Dutch physicist, observed a relation between the temperature and the resistance of the element mercury. The mercury sample was then cooled in liquid helium to study the linear dependence of resistance on temperature. It was observed that, as the temperature decreased, the...
1.7K
01:23Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
1.2K
In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis, the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis.
1.2K
01:23Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges
11.3K
A stationary charge creates and interacts with the electric field, while a moving charge creates a magnetic field.
Consider a point charge moving with a constant velocity. Like the electric field, the magnetic field at any point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source point and the field point. However, unlike the electric field, the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the plane containing the line...
Consider a point charge moving with a constant velocity. Like the electric field, the magnetic field at any point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source point and the field point. However, unlike the electric field, the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the plane containing the line...
11.3K
01:28Magnetic Field Due To A Thin Straight Wire
6.0K
Consider an infinitely long straight wire carrying a current I. The magnetic field at point P at a distance a from the origin can be calculated using the Biot-Savart law.
6.0K
01:20Electric Field Inside a Conductor
7.1K
When a conductor is placed in an external electric field, the free charges in the conductor redistribute and very quickly reach electrostatic equilibrium. The resulting charge distribution and its electric field have many interesting properties, which can be investigated with the help of Gauss's law.
Suppose a piece of metal is placed near a positive charge. The free electrons in the metal are attracted to the external positive charge and migrate freely toward that region. This region then...
Suppose a piece of metal is placed near a positive charge. The free electrons in the metal are attracted to the external positive charge and migrate freely toward that region. This region then...
7.1K