Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Scientific Correspondence
  • Published:

Motion of vortices in superconductors

Nature volume 397, pages 308–309 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

A dissipation-free current can be achieved in a superconductor only when tiny magnetic vortices, which penetrate the superconductor when a magnetic field is applied, are pinned down against current-induced force. To investigate the mechanism by which such vortex pinning occurs, we have made real-time observations1 of the onset of vortex motion in high-temperature Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ(Bi-2212) superconductors.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Lorentz micrographs showing the motion of vortices in a Bi-2212 film when the force is exerted on vortices by changing magnetic field.
Figure 2: Lorentz micrographs showing plastic flow of vortices at the depinning threshold, T>Tt.

References

  1. Harada, K.et al. Nature 360, 51–53 (1992).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Kotaka,Y.et. al. Physica C 235-240, 1529–1530 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Crabtree, G. W. & Nelson, D. R. Phys. Today 50(4), 38-45 (1997).

  4. Grønbech-Jensen, N., Bishop, A. R. & Dominguez, D. Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 2985–2988 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Olson, C. J., Reichhardt, C. & Nori, F. Phys. Rev. B 56, 6175–6194 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Higgins, M. J. & Bhattacharya, S. Physica C 257, 232–254 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Matsuda, T. et. al. Science 271, 1393–1395 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Research Laboratory, Hitachi Ltd, Hatoyama, 350-0395, Saitama, Japan

    A. Tonomura, H. Kasai, O. Kamimura, T. Matsuda & K. Harada

  2. Department of Applied Chemistry, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan

    J. Shimoyama, K. Kishio & K. Kitazawa

  3. CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST), Kawaguchi, 332-0012, Saitama, Japan

    A. Tonomura, K. Harada, J. Shimoyama, K. Kishio & K. Kitazawa

Authors
  1. A. Tonomura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. Kasai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. O. Kamimura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. T. Matsuda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. K. Harada
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. J. Shimoyama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. K. Kishio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. K. Kitazawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tonomura, A., Kasai, H., Kamimura, O. et al. Motion of vortices in superconductors. Nature 397, 308–309 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/16826

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/16826

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing