Critical current of a layered high-temperature superconductor with tilted irradiation defects

Current-voltage characteristics of a superconductor with tilted irradiation defects in a dc magnetic field have been calculated using the Monte Carlo method in the framework of the three-dimensional model of a layered high-temperature superconductor (HTS). The dependences of the critical current on the magnitude of the external magnetic field have been calculated from the current-voltage characteristics using the 1 mu V/cm criterion. The defects were tilted both along the direction of vortex entry into the sample (the x-direction) and perpendicular to it (the y-direction). It has been shown that these dependences have weak maxima near the lower critical field for defects tilted along the x-axis. There were no such maxima for non-tilted defects. Defects tilted along the y-axis were more effective for enhancing the critical current of the HTS under study.