Evidence of the Bean-Livingston barrier in type-II superconductors

A magneto-optical imaging (MOI) system capable to resolve single vortices is combined with a focused laser beam to reorganize vortex matter in dense vortex clusters. The local heating of the superconductor with the laser produces a temperature profile which induces an attraction of the vortices towards the center of the laser spot. We analyze the collective vortex dynamics under high-power laser irradiation. The formation of vortex clusters is described with a model very similar to the one describing the first vortex entry into a type-II superconductor.