Effect of electron irradiation on vortex dynamics in YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-x} single crystals

Abstract

We report on drastic change of vortex dynamics with increase of quenched disorder: for rather weak disorder we found a single vortex creep regime, which we attribute to a Bragg-glass phase, while for enhanced disorder we found an increase of both the depinning current and activation energy with magnetic field, which we attribute to entangled vortex phase. We also found that introduction of additional defects always increases the depinning current, but it increases activation energy only for elastic vortex creep, while it decreases activation energy for plastic vortex creep.