Long-range nonlocal flow of vortices in narrow superconducting channels

TL;DR

This paper reports a novel nonlocal vortex flow effect in narrow superconducting channels, where local currents induce vortex motion at large distances, revealing efficient strain transfer in vortex lattices despite disorder.

Contribution

It introduces a new nonlocal vortex flow phenomenon in superconductors and explains its origin through strain transfer in vortex lattices, including mesoscopic fluctuation observations.

Findings

Vortex flow occurs hundreds of inter-vortex distances away from the current

Nonlocal vortex flow is due to efficient strain transfer in the vortex lattice

Mesoscopic fluctuations arise from vortex 'traffic jams' in the channel

Abstract

We report a new nonlocal effect in vortex matter, where an electric current confined to a small region of a long and sufficiently narrow superconducting wire causes vortex flow at distances hundreds of inter-vortex separations away. The observed remote traffic of vortices is attributed to a very efficient transfer of a local strain through the one-dimensional vortex lattice, even in the presence of disorder. We also observe mesoscopic fluctuations in the nonlocal vortex flow, which arise due to "traffic jams" when vortex arrangements do not match a local geometry of a superconducting channel.