High Pressure RTSC-Hydrides are Extreme Hard Type-II Superconductors

TL;DR

This paper argues that RTSC-hydrides are intrinsically hard type-II superconductors with strong vortex pinning due to columnar defects, leading to high critical currents and unique magnetic properties.

Contribution

It introduces a theory explaining the strong pinning effects and extreme hardness of RTSC-hydrides as type-II superconductors with potential for new physics.

Findings

Large critical currents predicted

Significant decrease in resistance broadening in magnetic fields

Enhanced magnetic hysteresis and slower relaxation

Abstract

It is argued that most of the RTSC hydrides are intrinsic hard type-II superconductors with strong pinning effects. The pinning centers are long columnar-like defects, with the radius of the order of the superconducting coherence length. The core and electromagnetic pinning are both equally operative, thus giving maximal pinning potential when vortices are oriented along the columnar axis. The theory predicts: (i) large critical currents, (ii) huge decrease of the temperature broadening of the resistance in magnetic field compared with standard superconductors, (iii) large magnetization hysteresis, (iv) the magnetic irreversible line is pushed toward the second critical field and magnetization relaxation is much slower. That the RTSC-hydrides are hard type-II SC can give rise to new physics in these materials.