Domain structure in ErNi2B2C and HoNi2B2C single crystals observed by a high-resolution Bitter decoration technique -: art. no. 224513

Peculiarities of the superconducting vortex lattice structures in ErNi2B2C and HoNi2B2C single crystals were studied by the high resolution Bitter decoration technique. Instead of forming uniform vortex lattices, rows of vortices, associated with pinning by magnetic twin boundaries, were observed in the superconducting state, below the antiferromagnetic transition temperatures, in both compounds. Crystallographic aspects of the vortex pinning by the magnetic twin boundaries in the RNi2B2C(R=rare earth) are discussed.