PINNING IN TYPE-II SUPERCONDUCTORS

Large and randomly arranged pinning centers cause a strong deformation of a flux line lattice, so that each pinning center acts on the lattice with a maximum force. The average force for such single-particle pinning can be inferred from a simple summing procedure and has a domelike dependence on magnetic field. Pinning centers of average force, such as clusters of dislocations, strongly deform the flux line lattice only in weak fields and in fields close to the critical field, where there is a peak in the dependence of the critical current on magnetic field. In the range of intermediate fields there is a weak collective pinning. A large concentration of weak centers leads to collective pinning in all fields. In this case, near the critical field a critical current peak should be observed. To explain this peak and to define the boundaries between the regions of collective and single-particle pinning the possible break-off of the flux line lattice from the lines of magnetic force should be taken into consideration, which leads to extra softening of the lattice. © 1979 Plenum Publishing Corporation.