Penetration dynamics of a magnetic field pulse into high-T_c superconductors

The penetration of a magnetic field pulse into a high-T_c superconducting plate is investigated experimentally and theoretically. It follows from our experiments that the threshold of penetration increases with increasing amplitude and/or decreasing duration of the applied pulse. The penetrating field continues to grow as the applied magnetic field decreases. The peculiarities observed are explained in the framework of the extended critical state model. It appears that the deviations from Bean's classical critical state model are characterized by a parameter equal to the square of the ratio of plate thickness to skin depth. The applicability of the classical critical state model is restricted by the condition that this parameter is much less than 1. This condition is also the criterion for the applicability of pulse methods of critical current measurements.