Experimental Evidence For Hotspot And Phase-Slip Mechanisms Of Voltage Switching In Ultrathin Yba2cu3o7-X Nanowires

We have fabricated ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7-x nanowires with a high critical current density and studied their voltage switching behavior in the 4.2-90 K temperature range. A comparison of our experimental data with theoretical models indicates that, depending on the temperature and nanowire cross section, voltage switching originates from two different mechanisms: hotspot-assisted suppression of the edge barrier by the transport current and the appearance of phase-slip lines in the nanowire. Our observation of hotspot-assisted voltage switching is in good quantitative agreement with predictions based on the Aslamazov-Larkin model for an edge barrier in a wide superconducting bridge.