ESPCI web site
Jeudi 15 Mai 2014, 14h
Amphi Holweck, Esc C, 1ème etage
Manipulation and Dynamics of Vortices via Artificial Pinning in High-Tc Superconductors
Juan TRASTOY QUINTELA
Thales
Magnetic flux quanta in type II superconductors, aka vortices, can be seen as interacting particles that dissipate energy when in motion and manipulable through an electrical current. These two characteristics open up two fronts : the need in applications to control vortex motion to avoid the loss of the zero resistance state, and the possibility of using vortices as a model system of interacting particles in a potential energy landscape. For both, a set of strong vortex pinning centers is required –a challenge in High-Tc superconductors where a higher thermal energy makes vortex pinning very difficult. We have developed a technique that has proved successful in this matter, and has allowed us to use vortices to investigate problems common to colloids, optical traps, ferromagnetic domain walls, skyrmion lattices, etc. :
- Interplay of line tension, pinning and thermal activation
- Geometrical frustration in ice states
- High-frequency dynamics of interacting particles