The effect of sample size on field dependence of Jc for MgB2 superconductor

TL;DR

This study investigates how sample size influences magnetic critical current density (Jc) and irreversibility field (Hirr) in bulk MgB2 superconductors, revealing size-dependent effects and limitations of the critical state model.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of sample size on magnetic Jc and Hirr in MgB2, highlighting the inapplicability of the critical state model for small samples and explaining the effects through voids and screening.

Findings

Jc0 decreases with increasing sample size

Hirr increases with sample size due to screening effects

Critical state model is unsuitable for small MgB2 samples

Abstract

A strong effect of sample size on magnetic Jc(H) was observed for bulk MgB2 when Jc is obtained directly from the critical state model. Thus obtained zero-field Jc (Jc0) decreases strongly with the sample size, attaining a constant value for the samples larger than a few millimetres. On the other hand, the irreversibility field (Hirr) defined at Jc = 100 A/cm2 increases with the sample size. The decrease of Jc0 is described in terms of voids in the bulk MgB2 samples and superconducting screening around the cells of superconducting material between these voids (35 micro-m), because of concentration of the current in the narrow bridges connecting the cells. For samples larger than a few millimetres, the value of magnetic Jc is in agreement with the transport Jc and it is restricted by the voids. The critical state model is not suitable for obtaining Jc for small bulk MgB2. The increase of Hirr with the sample size is an artefact of defining Hirr by the value of Jc at which an additional superconducting screening on 1mm scale dominates Dm.