Affiliation: | a Department of Physics, Tamkang University, Taiwan 25137, ROC b Materials Science Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 30043, ROC |
Abstract: | By using an ordinary electric balance, we are able to measure the magnetic levitation forces acting on a superconducting YBa2Cu3Oy (YBCO) single crystal. It is found that when the external magnetic field is parallel to the c-axis of the single crystal, the hysteretic levitation curve is similar to that of a melt-processed YBCO superconducting sample. However, when the external magnetic field is perpendicular to the c-axis of the YBCO single crystal, the levitation forces are too small to be measured by our equipment. Also, we have introduced a simple model with the Bean's approximations to explain the levitation forces. The critical current density derived from this model by fitting with experimental data is quite close to the value obtained from magnetization measurements. |