Material defects in hard type II superconductors pin the flux lines and thus establish the dissipation-free current transport in the presence of a finite magnetic field. Depending on the density and pinning force of the defects and the vortex density, pinning is either weak-collective or strong. We analyze the weak- to strong pinning crossover of vortex matter in disordered superconductors and discuss the peak effect appearing naturally in this context.
Categories: cond-mat.supr-con cond-mat.dis-nn