Advances in Condensed Matter Physics (Jan 2018)
Effect of Background Magnetic Field on Type-II Superconductor under Oscillating Magnetic Field Simulated Using Ginzburg-Landau Model
Abstract
Cubic superconducting sample was simulated using time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model under oscillating magnetic field with and without additional background static magnetic field. Vortex dynamics including entrance and exit from the sample was simulated. Magnetization and carrier concentration densities of the sample were studied as a function of external magnetic field variations. Anomalies in carrier concentration density were observed at certain values of the magnetic field which were correlated with the entrance and exit processes of vortices. Area swept by superconductor magnetization with magnetic field was observed to have a hysteresis-like behavior where area representing energy dissipated per cycle. This energy accumulation was suggested to cause instability in superconductor over the number of cycles and may result in thermal quenching. Temporal distribution of energy components showed consistency with the pattern observed for carrier concentration and magnetization under oscillating magnetic field. Rapid phase changes with magnetic oscillations resulted in oscillations in energy components, and irregular peaks and ripples in superconducting energy represent the situation of exit and entry of vortices. While the rise in interaction energy with cycles is referred to vortex relaxation time in a cycle, this energy is expected to accumulate and take other forms (e.g., heat) and is predicted to cause thermal quenching. In the presence of background static magnetic field, this energy dissipation was calculated to increase significantly while superconductor is subjected to oscillating magnetic field.