Challenges and transformative opportunities in superconductor vortex physics

In superconductors, the motion of vortices introduces unwanted dissipation that is disruptive to applications. Fortunately, material defects can immobilize vortices, acting as vortex pinning centers, which engenders dramatic improvements in superconductor properties and device operation. This has motivated decades research into developing methods tailoring disorder landscape superconductors increase strength pinning. Yet efficacious materials engineering still alludes us. The electromagnetic real (disordered) superconducting cannot yet be reliably predicted, such designing for applications remains a largely inefficient process trial error. ultimately due large gaps our knowledge dynamics: field challenged by extremely complex interplay between elasticity, vortex-vortex interactions, disorder. this Perspective, we review obstacles recent successes understanding controlling dynamics devices. We further identify major open questions discuss opportunities transformative field. includes improving creep, determining reaching ceiling critical current, advanced microscopy garner accurate structure-property relationships, frontiers predictive simulations benefits artificial intelligence, well exploiting quantum information