On the Origin of the Anomalous Sign Reversal in the Hall Effect in Nb Thin Films

We re-visit the anomalous sign reversal problem in the Hall effect of sputtered Nb thin films. We find that the anomalous sign reversal in the Hall effect is extremely sensitive to a small tilting of the magnetic field and to the magnitude of the applied current. Large anomalous variations are also observed in the symmetric part of the transverse resistance R xy . We suggest that the surface current loops on superconducting grains at the edges of the superconducting thin films may be responsible for the Hall sign reversal and the accompanying anomalous effects in the symmetric part of R xy .