The c-axis resistivity in irradiated and in pristine BSCCO(2212) crystals is measured as a function of the in-plane magnetic field component at fixed out-of-plane component B_\perp in the vortex liquid phase at T=67 K. From this data we extract the dependence of the phase difference correlation length inside layers on B_\perp and estimate the average length of pieces of vortex lines confined inside columnar defects as a function of the filling factor f=B_\perp / B_\phi. The maximum length, about 15 interlayer distances, is reached near f=0.35.
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/9809165,
title = {Structure of vortex liquid phase in irradiated BSCCO(2212) crystals},
author = {N. Morozov and L. N. Bulaevskii and M. P. Maley and V. Thorsmolle and A. E. Koshelev and A. Petrean and W. K. Kwok},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/9809165},
year = {2009}
}