Flux creep characteristics in high-temperature superconductors

Abstract

We describe the voltage-current characteristics of YBa2Cu 3O7-δ epitaxial films within the flux creep model in a manner consistent with the resistive transition behavior. The magnitude of the activation energy, and its temperature and magnetic field dependences, are readily derived from the experimentally observed power law characteristics and show a (1-T/Tc)3/2 type of behavior near Tc. The activation energy is a nonlinear function of the current density and it enables the determination of the shape of the flux line potential well.