Analysis and optimization of superconducting materials using the modified collective pinning theory

The experimental pinning forces of LTS materials were analyzed using the Modified Collective Pinning Theory (MCPT). This modified theory accounts for the elastic and plastic energies and deformations of the flux line lattice in the superconductors. Usually, collective pinning theories only account for the elastic deformation of the lattice. The analysis by MCPT enabled one to determine the amounts of elastic and plastic deformations of the flux line lattice in Nb/sub 3/Sn and Nb/sub 3/Al superconductors. The theoretical values for the coherence lengths were compared to the measured dimensions of the microstructures of defects in the materials. This analysis brought the possibilities to a better understanding of the transport behavior of these materials.