Static electric potential structures on the surface of a type II superconductor in the flux flow state

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The static electric potential on the surface of a reversible type II superconducting cylinder carrying a current in an axial field has been investigated as a continuous function of position using a fine sliding contact. Three distinct regions of behaviour are identified, at low, medium and high applied axial fields. The remarkable potential structures displaying negative field regions, which were inferred by Irie, Ezaki and Yamafuji (1974) from point contact measurements, have been traced directly with a resolution of 50 μm. The voltage structure is shown to be very stable and reproducible with a complex fine structure. It is more irregular than supposed by Irie et al. (1974); the negative field regions are narrower and the traces do not appear to be strictly periodic, although there is some evidence that certain features of the traces repeat at regular intervals.