  Crossed magnetic field effects on bulk high-temperature superconductors have
been studied both experimentally and numerically. The sample geometry
investigated involves finite-size effects along both (crossed) magnetic field
directions. The experiments were carried out on bulk melt-processed Y-Ba-Cu-O
(YBCO) single domains that had been pre-magnetized with the applied field
parallel to their shortest direction (i.e. the c-axis) and then subjected to
several cycles of the application of a transverse magnetic field parallel to
the sample ab plane. The magnetic properties were measured using orthogonal
pick-up coils, a Hall probe placed against the sample surface and
Magneto-Optical Imaging (MOI). We show that all principal features of the
experimental data can be reproduced qualitatively using a two-dimensional
finite-element numerical model based on an E-J power law and in which the
current density flows perpendicularly to the plane within which the two
components of magnetic field are varied. The results of this study suggest that
the suppression of the magnetic moment under the action of a transverse field
can be predicted successfully by ignoring the existence of flux-free
configurations or flux-cutting effects. These investigations show that the
observed decay in magnetization results from the intricate modification of
current distribution within the sample cross-section. It is also shown that the
model does not predict any saturation of the magnetic induction, even after a
large number (~ 100) of transverse field cycles. These features are shown to be
consistent with the experimental data.
