Transport properties of vortices in easy flow channels: a Frenkel-Kontorova study

Abstract

Incommensurate easy flow channels in an otherwise perfect vortex lattice are investigated. The associated (point) defects in the lattice inside the channel cause an almost vanishing critical current, as shown by molecular dynamics simulations and a comparison with the Frenkel-Kontorova model. In addition to the normal flux flow behavior we find a low mobility regime at small drives associated with defect motion. We treat this situation analytically for the case of a single defective vortex row. We also briefly discuss the relation to existing experiments on artificial vortex channels.