Determination of electric field distributions in superconductors via magneto-optical imaging and the Faraday law

The determination of electric field distributions within superconductors is of fundamental importance for both basic research and applications. The analysis of electric fields allows insights into different modes of vortex dynamics in superconductors as well as the determination of local maxima of dissipation which could destabilize superconducting transport. We present an analysis of electric field distributions for thin films in magnetization experiments. We show that electric field distributions can be determined experimentally by time-resolved magneto-optical measurements of flux density distributions via the Faraday law. We give a detailed analysis of the inductive and the potential contributions to the electric fields E_i and E_p, respectively. Experimental results are demonstrated for a magnetized square-shaped YBa₂Cu₃O_6.95 thin film.