The onset of dissipation in high-temperature superconductors: Self-field experiments

The transport critical current, Ic, is usually defined in terms of a threshold electric field criterion, Ec, with the convention Ec = 1 μV/cm chosen somewhat arbitrarily to provide “reasonably small” electric power dissipation in practical devices. Thus Ic is not fundamentally determined. However, recently it has been shown that the self-field critical current of thin-film superconductors is indeed a fundamental property governed only by the London penetration depth of the material. Here we reconsider the definition of the critical current and resolve this apparent contradiction. We measure the field distribution across the width of both first-generation and second-generation high-temperature superconducting tapes as the transport current is increased from zero to Ic. We identify a threshold current, Ic,surfB, at which the local surface magnetic flux density, Bsurf, abruptly crosses over from a non-linear to a linear dependence on the transport current, as measured at any point on the superconductor surface. This results from the current distribution across the tape width transitioning from non-uniform to uniform. This coincides with the onset of dissipation and immediately precedes the appearance of a measureable electric field. In the present examples Ic,surfB is 12–15% lower than an Ic determined by the Ec criterion. We propose the transition of Bsurf(I) from non-linear to linear as a more fundamental criterion for determining transport critical currents.