Change of surface critical current in the surface superconductivity and mixed states of superconducting niobium

A systematic study of irreversible magnetization was performed in bulk niobium after different surface treatments. Starting with smooth surfaces and abrading them, a strong increase of the critical current is observed up to an apparent limiting value. An impressive change of the critical current is also observed in the surface superconductivity (SSC) state, reaching values of the same order of magnitude as in the mixed state. We explain also the observation of strong SSC for magnetic fields perpendicular to large facets in terms of nucleation of superconductivity along bumps of a corrugated surface