Metastability and dynamically stable vortex states near the order-disorder transition

Vortex state metastability near the order-disorder transition in the mixed state of weakly pinned superconductors is described using the standard phenomenology of first order transitions. It is shown that vortex motion establishes a dynamical equilibrium between the ordered and disordered vortex phases and results in the broadening of the order-disorder transition. The discussion in this paper is consistent with the recent phenomenological model proposed [Phys. Rev. B 63 (2001) 22452] to describe various experiments manifesting the metastability in vortex state near order-disorder transition