Measurement of the vortex depinning force in a high temperature superconductor

Abstract

Introduction: Superconductivity is one of those subjects in physics that is as captivating theoretically as it is experimentally interesting. The dual driving force of commercial demand for high-temperature superconductors (HTSC's), coupled with the intense basic science interest in uncovering the elusive mechanism that explains high temperature superconductivity has led to some ten thousand publications since the discovery of LaBaCuO4 in 1986 [2]. Yet despite much progress in theory, material development and experimental techniques and measurement, many questions still remained unanswered.