Numerical prediction of a dip effect in the critical current density

We have conducted extensive series of molecular dynamic simulations on the properties of the critical current density in systems with periodic square arrays of pinning sites. The density of the pinning sites was kept fixed while the density of vortices, pinning strength, and temperature were varied several times. At zero temperature, we have observed a substantial dip in the critical current density that occurs only at a fixed value of the vortex density and for specific values of pinning strength. We have found that the occurrence of the dip depends mainly on the initial positions of the vortices with respect to the positions of the pinning sites. At the dip, we have found that the interstitial vortices form moving channels leading to the observed drop in the critical current density.