Unstable flux flow due to heated electrons in YBaCuO films

A flux instability occurs in superconductors at low temperatures, where ee scattering is more rapid than ep, whereby the dissipation significantly elevates the electronic temperature while maintaining a thermal-like distribution function. The reduction in condensate and rise in resistivity produce a non-monotonic current-voltage response. In contrast to the Larkin-Ovchinnikov instability where the vortex shrinks, in this scenario the vortex expands and the quasiparticle population rises. Measurements in YBaCuO agree quantitatively with the distinct predictions of this mechanism.