Anomalous Magnetic Response of Annealed V _{0.60− <i>x</i>} Si _<i>x</i> Ti _0.40 Alloys within the Superconducting Phase

V–Ti alloy superconductors are known for their intriguing physical properties and practical importance. The addition of Si to V–Ti alloys leads to the formation of a eutectic microstructure, which significantly influences the magnetic and superconducting properties of these alloys. Here, it is shown that, unlike the as‐cast V 0.60 Ti 0.40 alloy, an anomalous magnetic response is observed in the mixed state of the annealed V 0.60− x Si x Ti 0.40 ( x = 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15) alloys, where the magnetization measured during cooling in the presence of a magnetic field (field‐cooled‐cooling (FCC)) is lower than during warming in the same field (field‐cooled‐warming (FCW)). In certain fields, magnetization within the superconducting state even exceeds that of the normal state. The hysteresis between FCC and FCW is largest for the x = 0.05 alloy and decreases with increasing x . This hysteresis is larger for a slower temperature sweep rate with an increasing positive magnetization over time. This analysis suggests that these features are associated with the high‐field paramagnetic Meissner effect, which arises from inhomogeneous flux‐line pinning along with significant flux creep. The inhomogeneity in flux‐line pinning arises due to the presence of different kinds of flux‐line pinning centers, e.g., grain boundaries and adjacent regions with variations in superconducting properties (Δ K pinning).