Recent results in the interpretation of interference and Lorentz images ofvortices in superconductors

The main ideas and approximations underlying the model developed to interpr et the principal features of holographic and Fresnel images of superconduct ing vortices, or fluxons, are briefly reviewed and applied to the exploitat ion of new experimental setups, like the standard and coherent Foucault tec hniques. It is also shown how the model can be implemented to interpret eff ects due to misalignment and/or distortion of the fluxon cores. Finally, th e effect of the finite specimen thickness is also taken into account by res orting to the solution of the Ginzburg-Landau equations found by Clem, and by showing that through it a better agreement can be obtained between theor etical and experimental results. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1999. All right s reserved.