Switchable pinning landscapes for flux quanta using arrays of ``magnetic vortices''

ORAL

Abstract

We constructed a superconducting/ferromagnetic hybrid system in which the \textit{ordering} of the pinning potential landscape for flux quanta can be manipulated. Flux pinning is induced by an array of magnetic nanodots in the ``magnetic vortex'' state, and controlled by the magnetic history. This allows switching \textit{on} and \textit{off} the collective pinning of the flux-lattice. In addition, we observed field-induced superconductivity that originates from the annihilation of flux quanta induced by the stray fields from the ``magnetic vortices.''

*Work supported by US NSF and AFOSR.

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Authors

  • Javier E. Villegas

    • Unite Mixte de Physique CNRS/Thales, Palaiseau, France

  • Kevin D. Smith

    • Physics Department, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla CA

  • Lei Huang

    • Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY

  • Yimei Zhu

    • Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY

  • Rafael Morales

    • Departamento de F\'isica, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain

  • Ivan K. Schuller

    • University of California San Diego
    • Physics Department, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0319
    • Physics Department, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla CA
    • Unviersity of California, San Diego
    • Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, Ca 92093
    • University of California, San Diego
    • followed by Ivan Schuller, University of California, San Diego
    • Dept of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093
    • Physics Department, UC San Diego