TY - JOUR
T1 - Van der Waals interaction between flux lines in high-Tc superconductors
T2 - A variational approach
AU - Volmer, A.
AU - Schwartz, M.
PY - 1999/1/2
Y1 - 1999/1/2
N2 - In pure anisotropic or layered superconductors thermal fluctuations induce a van der Waals attraction between flux lines. This attraction together with the entropic repulsion has interesting consequences for the low field phase diagram; in particular, a first order transition from the Meissner phase to the mixed state is induced. We introduce a new variational approach that allows for the calculation of the effective free energy of the flux line lattice on the scale of the mean flux line distance a, which is based on an expansion of the free energy around the regular triangular Abrikosov lattice. Using this technique, the low field phase diagram of these materials may be explored. The results of this technique are compared with a recent functional RG treatment of the same system.
AB - In pure anisotropic or layered superconductors thermal fluctuations induce a van der Waals attraction between flux lines. This attraction together with the entropic repulsion has interesting consequences for the low field phase diagram; in particular, a first order transition from the Meissner phase to the mixed state is induced. We introduce a new variational approach that allows for the calculation of the effective free energy of the flux line lattice on the scale of the mean flux line distance a, which is based on an expansion of the free energy around the regular triangular Abrikosov lattice. Using this technique, the low field phase diagram of these materials may be explored. The results of this technique are compared with a recent functional RG treatment of the same system.
KW - 74.60.Ec Mixed state, critical fields, and surface sheath
KW - 74.72.Hs Bi-based cuprates
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0042595740&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s100510050606
DO - 10.1007/s100510050606
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AN - SCOPUS:0042595740
SN - 1434-6028
VL - 7
SP - 211
EP - 218
JO - European Physical Journal B
JF - European Physical Journal B
IS - 2
ER -