Near-Field Magnetic Microwave Microscope Studies of Vortex Dynamics in Superconductors

Abstract

Superconductors host vortices when exposed to a magnetic field exceeding their first critical field $B_\mathrm{c1}$. Understanding the dynamics of vortices is crucial for optimizing the performance of various applications of superconductors, including superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities and superconducting digital and quantum circuits. In this thesis, a near-field magnetic microwave microscope is employed to locally stimulate superconductors with an intense rf magnetic field and measure the local nonlinear microwave response. Under the microscope probe, two distinct vortex-related phenomena are observed: the nucleation of rf vortices and the motion of pre-existing trapped vortices. To interpret the measured response, toy models of superconductors with local defects are introduced and analyzed using Time-Dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) simulations of probe/sample interactions.

This dissertation is divided into two parts. The first part investigates the nucleation of single/few rf vortices associated with surface defects by studying the third-harmonic response $P_\mathrm{3f}$ produced by the superconductor under intense stimulus at frequency $f$. Seven Nb/Cu films, grown under different deposition conditions by collaborators at CERN, are measured. Their surface defect properties related to rf vortex nucleation are compared. The second part explores the dynamics of trapped vortices under oscillating magnetic fields by studying the second-harmonic response $P_\mathrm{2f}$. A superconducting Nb film with an antidot flux pinning array is measured. The results show that this measurement technique provides access to vortex dynamics at the micron scale, including depinning events of a small number of trapped vortices and spatially-resolved pinning properties. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of microwave superconductivity and vortex-induced nonlinearities, shedding light on the fundamental interactions between rf fields, magnetic vortices, and defects in superconductors. Furthermore, they offer new insights into the design and optimization of superconducting devices for microwave applications.