Vortex Lock-In Deep in the Bose Glass

Abstract
We use a Bi gaussmeter of micron dimensions to explore the magnetic field dependence of the magnetization relaxation rate and the critical current down to millikelvin temperatures in untwinned single crystals of YBa2Cu3O7δ with columnar defects. The response separates into three regimes as a function of the ratio of vortex density to columnar defect density BBφ: enhancements in both critical current and quantum creep in the dilute limit, vanishing magnetization relaxation at the matching density (the proposed "Mott insulator" phase line), and the emergence of temperature-dependent vortex motion for BBφ.