Novel vortex phases and vortex manipulation in highly anisotropic superconductors by Scanning Hall Probe Microscopy (SHPM)

Scanning Hall probe microscopy (SHPM) has been used to demonstrate the interaction of pancake vortices with the Josephson vortex lattice in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (2212) single crystals at large in-plane fields in the ‘‘crossing lattices” regime of highly anisotropic cuprate superconductors. SHPM has been used to study vortex structures in the interacting crossing lattices regime under applied in and out-of- plane magnetic fields. The interactions between the pancake and Josephson vortices (JV) depend on the values of crossing fields and temperature and the space between chains varies inversely with the in-plane field. These chains are clearly visible at very high in-plane fields HII~315 G over a range of out of-plane fields 1.7- 6.8 G at 85 K. The study of such chains allows a better understand the regime of crossing vortex lattices in highly anisotropic cuprate superconductors.