Onset of flux penetration into a type-II superconductor disk

The virgin magnetization of a type-II superconductor disk in a transverse field is discussed. The edge effects in a superconductor of rectangular cross section are considered, taking into account anisotropy and pinning. The penetration field of the geometrical barrier is calculated. It is shown that flux pinning at the edge corners influences the penetration field. The temperature dependence of the penetration field of platelike high-Tc single crystals is discussed.