Vortex state in thermally-induced pinning patterns in superconducting film

We propose a way to manipulate the landscape of the superconducting condensate in thin films via stripe-like (1D) and checkerboard (2D) periodic patterns. Our approach is based on the spatially localized heating of the superconductor, which is reflected in sinusoidal variations of the local temperature, which can be produced via, e.g., a focused laser beam or nanoheaters. This simple approach provides a very good alternative for modulation of the vortex collective, emerging in the type-II superconductors as a natural response to the applied magnetic field and the transport current, which was, up to now, controlled mainly via nanofabricated static pinning centers, whose distribution cannot be changed once the landscape is defined.