Unconventional Vortex Dynamics in Mesoscopic Superconducting Corbino Disks

TL;DR

This paper investigates complex vortex behaviors in mesoscopic superconducting Corbino disks, revealing unconventional dynamics and angular melting driven by shell structure and incommensurability effects.

Contribution

It uncovers novel vortex dynamics phenomena, including velocity inversion and angular melting, in intermediate-sized mesoscopic superconducting disks.

Findings

Unconventional vortex velocity inversion observed.

Angular melting propagates from boundary inward.

Shell structure influences flux dynamics significantly.

Abstract

The discrete shell structure of vortex matter strongly influences the flux dynamics in mesoscopic superconducting Corbino disks. While the dynamical behavior is well understood in large and in very small disks, in the intermediate-size regime it occurs to be much more complex and unusual, due to (in)commensurability between the vortex shells. We demonstrate unconventional vortex dynamics (inversion of shell velocities with respect to the gradient driving force) and angular melting (propagating from the boundary where the shear stress is minimum, towards the center) in mesoscopic Corbino disks.