Models of flux pinning in the quasistatic limit

The deformations of a two-dimensional vortex lattice pinned by a random pinning potential are studied with use of a molecular-dynamics–annealing method. We find that the response of the lattice varies as a function of the strength of the random potential. For the weakest potentials, the response of the lattice is entirely elastic. For somewhat stronger random potentials, elastic instabilities are induced in the lattice. Further increases in the …