The emergence of the Abrikosov lattice in the normal phase of type-II superconducting films when the magnetic field approaches the critical field $H_{ c2}$ from above was predicted in Ref.~\cite{ GVV2011}. In the quantum fluctuation regime \cite{ GL2001} it is characterized by the formation of relatively large (with sizes of order $\xi_{ \mathrm{ QF}} \sim \xi_{ \mathrm{ BCS}}\sqrt{ H_{ c2}/(H-H_{ c2})}$) ``long lived'' (lifetime of order $\tau_{ \mathrm{ QF}} \sim \hbar \Delta^{ -1} H_{ c2}/(H-H_{ c2})$) clusters of rotating fluctuation Cooper pairs - signatures of developing Abrikosov vortices. We demonstrate that these fluctuation-induced vortex clusters, previously considered unobservable due to their ultrafast dynamics and weak (only logarithmically singular) contribution to the dc-conductivity, can in fact be detected through their distinct electromagnetic signature. By analyzing the high-frequency electromagnetic response of these rotating fluctuation Cooper pairs above the second critical field in superconducting film, we predict a pronounced and measurable enhancement in the imaginary part of the ac-conductivity arising directly from quantum fluctuations. This enhancement is expected to occur at characteristic frequencies $\omega_{ QF} \sim \hbar^{ -1}\Delta(H-H_{ c2})/H_{ c2}$, which are well below the superconducting threshold at $2\hbar^{ -1}\Delta $, where a similar increase in imaginary conductivity occurs in the superconducting phase. For niobium, a prototypical type II superconductor, $\omega_{ QF}$ lies in the experimentally accessible microwave range, making the effect directly testable with modern microwave spectroscopy.
Categories: cond-mat.supr-con cond-mat.mes-hall cond-mat.str-el