Superconducting hysteresis and the Preisach model

The critical state (Bean) model for superconducting hysteresis is discussed for arbitrary specimen shapes and complex flux distributions. It is demonstrated that this model exhibits the ‘‘wiping out’’ property and ‘‘congruency’’ property of minor hysteresis loops. This leads to the conclusion that the critical state model is a particular case of the Preisach model. For this reason, it is suggested to use the Preisach model for the description of superconducting hysteresis in very general situations.