High-frequency crossover from vortex-mass enhancement to pinning.

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Superconductivity Theory

Background:

• The Abrikosov lattice describes the behavior of magnetic vortices in superconductors.
• Understanding vortex dynamics is crucial for superconductor applications.
• Phonon interactions can significantly influence vortex mass and motion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate phonon contributions to the effective vortex mass of a moving Abrikosov lattice.
• To derive a general expression for dynamical additional mass including acoustic and optical phonons.
• To analyze the frequency-dependent behavior of this mass under circularly polarized light.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing Ginzburg-Landau Theory starting from lattice dynamics.
• Applying linear response theory to analyze the system's behavior.
• Calculating the frequency-dependent effective vortex mass.

Main Results:

• A general expression for dynamical additional mass was obtained, incorporating acoustic and optical phonon contributions.
• The frequency-dependent mass increases with driving frequency, reaching a maximum.
• At high frequencies, the mass decreases, changes sign, and leads to an effective pinning regime.

Conclusions:

• Phonon contributions significantly affect the effective vortex mass and dynamics.
• The derived mass expression provides insights into vortex behavior across different frequencies.
• The findings are applicable to experimental observations in materials like YBCO.