Mapping degenerate vortex states in a kagome lattice of elongated antidots via scanning Hall probe microscopy

Abstract

We investigate the degeneracy of the superconducting vortex matter ground state by directly visualizing the vortex configurations in a kagome lattice of elongated antidots via scanning Hall probe microscopy. The observed vortex patterns, at specific applied magnetic fields, are in good agreement with the configurations obtained using time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations. Both results indicate that the long-range interaction in this nanostructured superconductor is unable to lift the degeneracy between different vortex states and the pattern formation is mainly ruled by the nearest-neighbor interaction. This simplification makes it possible to identify a set of simple rules characterizing the vortex configurations. We demonstrate that these rules can explain both the observed vortex distributions and the magnetic-field-dependent degree of degeneracy.