Interaction of vortices with ultrasound and the acoustic Faraday effect in type-II superconductors

We study the interaction of sound waves with vortices in type-II superconductors, taking into account pinning and electrodynamic forces between vortices and crystal displacements. We propose ultrasound techniques as a method for obtaining information about vortex dynamics. This is particularly appropiate at low temperatures where transport measurements are ineffective. The changes in sound velocity and attenuation due to vortices, can provide information on the elastic constants of the vortex system and on vortex dissipation, respectively. At low temperatures the Magnus force acting on vortices leads to the acoustic Faraday effect: there is a rotation of the polarization plane of tranverse sound waves propagating along the magnetic field. This effect is linear in the Magnus force and magnetic field in crystals with equivalent a and b axes for a field parallel to the c axis. We discuss how this effect can be measured by means of either pulse-echo techniques or standing sound waves. Also, we show that an ac electromagnetic field acting on the vortex system can generate ultrasound. We calculate the amplitude of the generated sound waves in the linear regime and compare with recent experiments.