Structure and degeneracy of vortex lattice domains in pure superconducting niobium: A small-angle neutron scattering study

M Laver, CJ Bowell, Edward Forgan, AB Abrahamsen, David Fort, CD Dewhurst, S Muehlbauer, DK Christen, J Kohlbrecher, R Cubitt, S Ramos

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

25 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

High-purity niobium exhibits a surprisingly rich assortment of vortex lattice (VL) structures for fields applied parallel to a fourfold symmetry axis, with all observed VL phases made up of degenerate domains that spontaneously break some crystal symmetry. Yet a single regular hexagonal VL domain is observed at all temperatures and fields parallel to a threefold symmetry axis. We report a detailed investigation of the transition between these lush and barren VL landscapes, discovering new VL structures and phase transitions at high fields. We show that the number and relative population of VL domains is intrinsically tied to the underlying crystal symmetry. We discuss how subtle anisotropies of the crystal may generate the remarkable VLs observed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)014518
Number of pages1
JournalPhysical Review B
Volume79
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2009

Keywords

  • flux-line lattice
  • niobium
  • superconducting materials
  • superconducting transitions

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