Electrodynamics of type-II superconductor with periodic pinning array (Q546879)

The note studies the configurations of a vortex lattice above the first matching field for artificially pinning arrays. The order parameter characterizing the superconducting state is calculated numerically by a periodic array of pins (i.e. `nanosolids '). The configurations of the vortex lattice under different pinning arrays (triangle or square) and different pinning center sizes are studied, as well as the trajectories of interstitial vortices. First, the relaxation dynamics of Abrikosov vortices in a superconductor with an electric field is described by the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) equation. Then, the continuum TDGL equation is discretized using link variables and assuming that the electric field is applied in the \(y\)-direction and considers a symmetric gauge. Periodic boundary conditions with magnetic translations are used. The order parameters in the strong pinning centers are forced to be zero (always in normal state), while weak pinning is represented by step functions. In numerical simulations, three various pinning arrays are considered, namely: (i) the pinning locations are on a square lattice and the pinning center sizes are one (point); (ii) the pinning locations are on a triangle lattice and the pinning center sizes are one (point); (iii) the pinning locations are on a triangle lattice and the pinning center sizes are nine (points). As it is shown by numerical results, for small pinning sizes (one point) the vortex lattice has hexagonal symmetry for both types of pinning arrays. For bigger pinning sizes (nine points) the symmetry for vortex lattice is no long hexagonal and becomes triangular. For the vortices caught by the pinning array the resistivity is zero when the supercurrent is smaller than the critical current, in the contrary case the resistivity does not remain zero. Unfortunately, there is an error in the presented results, namely: the value of the critical current (1.58) in the text does not coincide with the corresponding value (0.158) of the critical current in Figure 7.