We report a dynamic magnetostrictive effect in type-II superconductors (e.g., Nb, ${\mathrm{YBa}}_2{\mathrm{Cu}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_{7\text{−}x}$, ${\mathrm{Bi}}_2{\mathrm{Sr}}_2{\mathrm{CaCu}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_{8+\delta }$ and ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{0.6}{\mathrm{K}}_{0.4}{\mathrm{Fe}}_2{\mathrm{As}}_2$) and any type-II superconductor is expected to present a similar response to this new technique. Measured via a composite magnetoelectric technique, an ac field excites an in-phase, nondissipative strain response scaling linearly with vortex density in the vortex lattice phase. In the vortex liquid phase, the signal acquires an out-of-phase component before vanishing in the normal state. We propose the ac strain susceptibility a thermodynamic criterion for the vortex lattice, capturing vortex collective modes inaccessible from static measurements.

Close

PrevNext

View figure in article

• Magnetoelectric effect
• Vortex dynamics
• Cuprates
• Type-II superconductors