Flux pinning in superconductors

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The book explores flux pinning mechanisms and properties, along with the electromagnetic phenomena associated with flux pinning in metallic, high-Tc, and MgB2 superconductors. It introduces condensation energy interactions related to normal precipitates or grain boundaries, as well as kinetic energy interactions for artificial Nb pins in Nb-Ti, explaining their roles in pinning mechanisms. Detailed discussions on summation theories for deriving critical current density are provided, alongside analyses of irreversible magnetization and AC loss due to flux pinning. The origins of these losses, linked to ohmic dissipation of normal electrons in the normal core driven by electric fields from flux motion, are examined, revealing why such losses exhibit hysteresis. The book also addresses the impact of flux pinning on the vortex phase diagram in high-Tc superconductors, detailing how irreversibility fields depend on factors like superconductor anisotropy, specimen size, and electric field strength. Recent advancements in critical current properties for various high-Tc superconductors and MgB2 are highlighted. Additional topics include transport current singularities in parallel magnetic fields, deviations from the critical state model, and energy dissipation minimization in flux pinning. The updated edition features new sections on enhancing critical current density through artificial pinning centers, the effects of packing density