Influence of a non-uniform current density profile on quasiparticle excitations and thermally activated flux creep in YBa₂Cu₃O_7−σ

Abstract

The transport current density, flowing radially from the center of a superconducting disk to its perimeter, in a so-called Corbino geometry, results in a double action on the vortex motion when the applied magnetic field is perpendicular to the disk’s plane. First, the depinned vortices are set into a nearly circular motion in the plane of the disk. Second, the non-uniform current density profile activates the intrinsic weak links, resulting in a non negligible proximity dominated quasiparticle contribution. In turn, these intrinsic junctions impede the circular motion of vortices giving rise to a proximity influenced thermally activated flux creep. This provides a simple technique to deconvolute the flux motion and the quasiparticle induced components of the total dissipative resistivity broadening below T _c . The case for a YBaCuO disk is hereby examined and measured in this context. It is shown that such a deconvolution can be made and theoretical laws for the field dependences are also obtained and confirm the data. Furthermore, the paraconductivity region just above T _c (B) appears to be dominated by the macroscopic fluctuations accompanying the vortex core motion.