Speed limit to the Abrikosov lattice in mesoscopic superconductors

TL;DR

This paper investigates the maximum vortex velocity in mesoscopic superconductors, revealing a speed limit for the Abrikosov lattice due to high velocity vortex dynamics, supported by experiments and simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a phase diagram for dynamic Abrikosov lattice configurations in mesoscopic superconductors and identifies a speed limit for vortex motion.

Findings

Critical vortex velocity reaches a maximum as magnetic field varies.

High velocity vortex dynamics are confined on a mesoscopic scale.

A comprehensive phase diagram of vortex configurations is developed.

Abstract

We study the instability of the superconducting state in a mesoscopic geometry for the low pinning material Mo$_3$Ge characterized by a large Ginzburg-Landau parameter. We observe that in the current driven switching to the normal state from a nonlinear region of the Abrikosov flux flow, the mean critical vortex velocity reaches a limiting maximum velocity as a function of the applied magnetic field. Based on time dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations we argue that the observed behavior is due to the high velocity vortex dynamics confined on a mesoscopic scale. We build up a general phase diagram which includes all possible dynamic configurations of Abrikosov lattice in a mesoscopic superconductor.