Collective Oscillations in Superconducting Thin Films in the Presence of Vortices

TL;DR

This paper investigates how vortices in superconducting thin films influence plasma wave propagation, revealing conditions where vortex effects dominate with minimal dissipation, using YBCO as a case study.

Contribution

It models the impact of vortices on plasma wave modes in anisotropic superconducting films, providing a detailed analysis of wave behavior in the presence of magnetic vortices.

Findings

Vortices alter the complex wave number of plasma modes.

A specific region where vortex effects are dominant and dissipation is minimal is identified.

Application to YBCO at 4 K demonstrates practical relevance.

Abstract

A plasma wave propagates inside an anisotropic superconducting film sandwiched between two semi-infinite non-conducting bounding dieletric media. Along the c-axis, perpendicular to the film surfaces, an external magnetic field is applied. We show how vortices, known to cause dissipation and change the penetration depth, affect the propagative mode. We obtain the complex wave number of this mode and, using YBCO at 4 K as an example, determine a region where vortex contribution is dominant and dissipation is small.