Observation of magnetic flux generated spontaneously during a rapid quench of superconducting films.
We report observations of spontaneous formation of magnetic flux lines during a rapid quench of YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) films through T(c). This effect is predicted according to the Kibble-Zurek mechanism of creation of topological defects of the order parameter during a symmetry-breaking phase transition. Our previous experiment, at a quench rate of 20 K/s, gave null results. In the present experiment, the quench rate was increased to >10(8) K/s. The amount of spontaneous flux increases weakly with the cooling rate.
Maniv
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A
Physics Department, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
Polturak
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E
Koren
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G