Dynamic visualization of nanoscale vortex orbits.
Due to the atomic-scale resolution, scanning tunneling microscopy is an ideal technique to observe the smallest objects. Nevertheless, it suffers from very long capturing times in order to investigate dynamic processes at the nanoscale. We address this issue, for vortex matter in NbSe2, by driving the vortices using an ac magnetic field and probing the induced periodic tunnel current modulations. Our results reveal different dynamical modes of the driven vortex lattices. In addition, by recording and synchronizing the time evolution of the tunneling current at each pixel, we visualize the overall dynamics of the vortex lattice with submillisecond time resolution and subnanometer spatial resolution.
INPAC-Institute for Nanoscale Physics and Chemistry, KU Leuven , Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
Matias
M
Timmermans
Tomas
T
Samuely
Bart
B
Raes
Joris
J
Van de Vondel
Victor V
VV
Moshchalkov