Direct measurements of the penetration depth in a superconducting film using magnetic force microscopy
Abstract
We report the local measurements of the magnetic penetration depth λ in a superconducting Nb film using magnetic force microscopy (MFM). We developed a method for quantitative extraction of the penetration depth from single-parameter simultaneous fits to the lateral and height profiles of the MFM signal, and demonstrate that the obtained value is in excellent agreement with that obtained from the bulk magnetization measurements.
- Publication:
-
Applied Physics Letters
- Pub Date:
- December 2009
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.3276563
- arXiv:
- arXiv:0909.1360
- Bibcode:
- 2009ApPhL..95z2502N
- Keywords:
-
- magnetic force microscopy;
- magnetisation;
- metallic thin films;
- niobium;
- penetration depth (superconductivity);
- superconducting materials;
- superconducting thin films;
- 74.78.-w;
- 74.70.Ad;
- 74.25.Ha;
- 75.60.Ej;
- Superconducting films and low-dimensional structures;
- Metals;
- alloys and binary compounds;
- Magnetic properties;
- Magnetization curves hysteresis Barkhausen and related effects;
- Condensed Matter - Materials Science;
- Condensed Matter - Superconductivity
- E-Print:
- 3 pages, 4 figures, submitted to APL on 08/18/09