Two-step melting of the vortex solid in layered superconductors with random columnar pins

Dasgupta, Chandan and Valls, Oriol T (2003) Two-step melting of the vortex solid in layered superconductors with random columnar pins. In: Physical Review Letters, 91 (12). 127002-1-127002-4.

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Abstract

We consider the melting of the vortex solid in highly anisotropic layered superconductors with a small concentration of random columnar pinning centers. Using large-scale numerical minimization of a free-energy functional, we find that melting of the low-temperature, nearly crystalline vortex solid (Bragg glass) into a vortex liquid occurs in two steps as the temperature increases: the Bragg glass and liquid phases are separated by an intermediate Bose glass phase. A suitably defined local melting temperature exhibits spatial variation similar to that observed in experiments.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Physical Review Letters
Publisher:	The American Physical Society
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to The American Physical Society.
Department/Centre:	Division of Physical & Mathematical Sciences > Physics
Date Deposited:	24 Nov 2009 06:23
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 04:57
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/17446

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