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Nucleation of superconductivity in mesoscopic star-shaped superconductors

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Abstract.

We study the phase transition of a star-shaped superconductor, which covers smoothly the range from zero to two dimensions with respect to the superconducting coherence length \(\xi (T)\). Detailed measurements and numerical calculations show that the nucleation of superconductivity in this device is very inhomogeneous: the superconducting order parameter is strongly enhanced and mostly robust in regions close to multiple boundaries. The strong inhomogeneity of the order parameter results in a rich structure of the superconducting transition as a function of temperature and magnetic field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, IL 60208, Evanston, USA

    D. A. Dikin & V. Chandrasekhar

  2. Theoretische Fysica van de Vaste Stoffen, Universiteit Antwerpen (UIA), 2610, Antwerpen, Belgium

    V. R. Misko, V. M. Fomin & J. T. Devreese

Authors
  1. D. A. Dikin
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  2. V. Chandrasekhar
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  3. V. R. Misko
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  4. V. M. Fomin
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  5. J. T. Devreese
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. T. Devreese.

Additional information

Received: 26 February 2003, Published online: 4 August 2003

PACS:

74.78.-w Superconducting films and low-dimensional structures - 74.78.Na Mesoscopic and nanoscale systems - 74.20.De Phenomenological theories

D.A. Dikin: On leave from: Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering, 61164 Kharkov, Ukraine

V.R. Misko: On leave from: Institute of Applied Physics, 2028 Kishinev, Republic of Moldova

V.M. Fomin: On leave from: State University of Moldova, 2009 Kishinev, Republic of Moldova; Also at: Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands

J.T. Devreese: Also at: Universiteit Antwerpen (RUCA), B-2020 Antwerpen, Belgium and Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands

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Dikin, D.A., Chandrasekhar, V., Misko, V.R. et al. Nucleation of superconductivity in mesoscopic star-shaped superconductors. Eur. Phys. J. B 34, 231–235 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2003-00216-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2003-00216-2

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