Self-fields and critical-current-density anisotropy of high-temperature superconductors

Hysteresis loops of high-temperature superconductors often exhibit a peak in the irreversible magnetization around zero field. A mechanism for such a peak is proposed, involving self-fields in platelet-shaped samples which bend vortices in plane, generating a contribution from a large in-plane component of critical current density. Numerical electromagnetic calculations demonstrate this effect and show that its size depends strongly on the presence of an additional isotropic component. © 1991 The American Physical Society.