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Boundaries of the instability region on the HT diagram of Nb thin films

Abstract:

Catastrophic penetration of magnetic fields in the form of dendrites has been reported for some specimens of superconducting thin films in the perpendicular geometry. Such behavior is related essentially to the capability of the sample and substrate to assimilate heat generated by vortex motion. In order to map the region where instabilities occur, we have employed dc magnetometry, which has been shown to be an efficient technique for this purpose. This catastrophic regime ceases at temperatures above 4 K. For the sample studied, fluctuations have been detected on virgin curves of the magnetic moment as a function of the applied field. Our systematic study shows that there is a threshold line on the HT diagram, which encompasses the region where the magnetic response fluctuates. © IOP Publishing Ltd.