Magnetization of two-dimensional superconductors with defects

A new method is developed for numerical simulation of the magnetization of layered superconductors with defects that is based on the Monte Carlo algorithm. The minimization of the free energy functional of a two-dimensional vortex system enables one to obtain equilibrium configurations of vortex density and calculate the magnetization of a superconductor with arbitrary distribution of defects in a wide temperature range. Magnetization curves are obtained for the first time for a defective superconductor under conditions of cyclic variation of the external magnetic field for different temperatures. The magnetic induction profiles and the magnetic flux distribution inside a superconductor are calculated, which support the validity of Bean’s model. It is demonstrated that the process of magnetization reversal is accompanied by the emergence of an annihilation wave, i.e., the motion of a zone with zero magnetic induction at the leading front of the incoming magnetic flux.