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Project

Local probing of the dynamics of the superconducting condensate.

A magnetic field penetrates into a type-II superconductor in the form of quantized units of magnetic flux, called vortices. Besides a localized magnetic field they are characterized by a depletion of the superconducting condensate. Bearing in mind the concept of “seeing is believing”, scanning probe microscopy techniques played a crucial role in probing the static vortex distribution with nanometer resolution. The motion of these fascinating nano-objects is characterized by time dependence in both the localized magnetic field profile and the condensate. Moreover, this motion is accompanied by dissipation and, as such, results in the destruction of superconductivity. Therefore, a local observation, on a relevant timescale, is of utmost importance to unravel the underlying principles of motion. At the KU Leuven a pioneering role is played in visualizing the dynamics of vortex matter by extending different scanning probe techniques. The core of this project is to maintain this leading position by creating new and improving recently developed, scanning probe microscopy techniques sensitive to these traces of motion. Once operational, the power of these techniques will be used to investigate the dynamics of the superconducting condensate with single vortex resolution. This type of measurements, first in its kind, will be invaluable to validate theoretical models and gain new insights on the dynamics of vortex matter in a variety of interesting superconducting systems.

Date:1 Jan 2015 →  31 Dec 2018
Keywords:Supergeleidende condensaat
Disciplines:Design theories and methods, Mechanics, Other mechanical and manufacturing engineering