Microscopic Oscillations in the Quantum Nucleation of Vortices Subject   to Periodic Pinning Potential in a Thin Superconductor
  We present a theory for the decay of a supercurrent through nucleation of vortex-antivortex pairs in a two-dimensional superconductor in the presence of dissipation and of a periodic pinning potential. Through a powerful quantum electrodynamics formulation of the problem we show that the nucleation rate develops oscillations in its current-density dependence which are connected to the pinning periodicity. A remnant of the dissipation-driven localization transition is present, and an estimate of the nucleation rate suggests that these effects might be observable in real thin superconductors. 
Roberto Iengo (SISSA Trieste), Giancarlo Jug (U. of Milan)