Edge effect pinning in mesoscopic superconducting strips with non-uniform distribution of defects

TL;DR

This paper investigates how non-uniform defect distributions in mesoscopic superconducting strips influence vortex dynamics and critical current, revealing optimized asymmetric defect layouts can significantly enhance superconducting performance.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of the intermediate regime where surface barriers and bulk pinning jointly determine the critical current, highlighting the benefits of non-uniform defect distributions.

Findings

Non-uniform, asymmetric defect distributions can increase critical current density by over 30%.

Defects near the vortex-exit edge have a stronger impact on critical current than those near the entrance.

Optimized defect placement balances vortex pinning and penetration, improving superconducting properties.

Abstract

Transport characteristics of nano-sized superconducting strips and bridges are determined by an intricate interplay of surface and bulk pinning. In the limiting case of a very narrow bridge, the critical current is mostly defined by its surface barrier, while in the opposite case of very wide strips it is dominated by its bulk pinning properties. Here we present a detailed study of the intermediate regime, where the critical current is determined, both, by randomly placed pinning centers and by the Bean-Livingston barrier at the edge of the superconducting strip in an external magnetic field. We use the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations to describe the vortex dynamics and current distribution in the critical regime. Our studies reveal that while the bulk defects arrest vortex motion away from the edges, defects in their close vicinity promote vortex penetration, thus suppressing the critical current. We determine the spatial distribution of the defects optimizing the critical current and find that it is in general non-uniform and asymmetric: the barrier at the vortex-exit edge influence the critical current much stronger than the vortex-entrance edge. Furthermore, this optimized defect distribution has a more than 30% higher critical current density than a homogeneously disorder superconducting film.