  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.
