Effect of meter-range electromagnetic irradiation on the current-voltage characteristics of wide superconducting films

Abstract

The effect of the electromagnetic irradiation on the current-voltage characteristics (IVCs) of a wide superconducting film is experimentally investigated. In contrast to the microwave field (several GHz) which suppresses vortex resistivity, the action of the rf field (tens of MHz) leads to significant expansion of the linear part of the IVC due to rapid suppression of the critical current with a slower change in the upper stability limit of the vortex state where the phase-slip lines (PSLs) occur. With an increase in the rf power, the stepwise structure of the IVC associated with the PSLs becomes smoothed and eventually disappears. A model of the IVC in the adiabatic regime is proposed, which explains the effects of smoothing of the voltage steps and the suppression of the critical current.