As is shown, thermally assisted vortex motion can come into being in high-T c superconductors due to the applied temperature gradient. Its behavior strongly depends on the local and global microstructure of the samples, moreover on the temperature and magnetic field. Investigation of the density, size and intensity of the pinning centers of specimens leads to the conclusion that the higher homogeneity immediately weakens and the lower one strenghtens the pinning, thus the former promotes and the latter impedes the vortex motion. The non-equilibrium experimental technique together with a.c. susceptibility measurements render possible the direct determination of the velocity of vortices. Depending on the actual microstructural state of samples it has the values between 6 × 10-2 mm/s and 18 × 10-2 mm/s in the case of Y-Ba-Cu-O specimens investigated.
Determination of niobium cavity magnetic field screening via a dispersively hybridized magnonic sensor