Quantitative Analysis Of Current Density Distributions From Magneto-Optical Images Of Superconducting Yba2cu3o7-Delta Thin Films

The magneto-optical imaging technique is applied to YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO) thin film coated conductors, providing a visual investigation of sub-millimetre aberrations and fracture defects. The further application of post-processing techniques provides a quantitative analysis of varying patterns resulting from field penetration in the YBCO coated conductor investigations. Application of theory provides critical current information for geometries where the conduction path is perpendicular to the applied field in micro-bridge samples. A Maxwell curl calculation is performed on the intensity distribution of various images. These calculations reveal boundaries for current paths via relative screening current determination and striations.