Magnetic-field dependence of the critical currents in a periodic coplanar array of narrow superconducting strip

TL;DR

This paper investigates how magnetic fields influence the maximum current in a periodic array of narrow superconducting strips, highlighting the roles of edge barriers and bulk pinning in different field regimes.

Contribution

It provides a detailed calculation of the magnetic-field dependence of critical currents considering both edge barriers and bulk pinning effects in superconducting strip arrays.

Findings

Edge barriers significantly enhance critical current at low magnetic fields.

Critical current decreases to bulk pinning levels in modest magnetic fields.

The study clarifies the interplay between geometrical barriers and bulk pinning in superconductors.

Abstract

We calculate the magnetic-field dependence of the critical current due to both geometrical edge barriers and bulk pinning in a periodic coplanar array of narrow superconducting strips. We find that in zero or low applied magnetic fields the critical current can be considerably enhanced by the edge barriers, but in modest applied magnetic fields the critical current reduces to that due to bulk pinning alone.