title: Morphology of the superconducting vortex lattice in ultrapure niobium.
abstract: The morphology of the superconducting flux line lattice (FLL) of Nb comprises gradual variations with various lock-in transitions and symmetry breaking rotations. We report a comprehensive small-angle neutron scattering study of the FLL in an ultrapure single crystal of Nb as a function of the orientation of the applied magnetic field. We attribute the general morphology of the FLL and its orientation to three dominant mechanisms; first, nonlocal contributions, second, the transition between open and closed Fermi surface sheets and, third, the intermediate mixed state between the Meissner and the Shubnikov phase.
authors.affiliation: Technische Universität München, Physik Department E21, D-85748 Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mühlbauer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pfleiderer
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Böni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laver
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Forgan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fort
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Keiderling
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Behr