Reluctance of the YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>x</Subscript> oxygen-deficient ceramics

Influence of an external magnetic field on the reluctance of the YBa ₂ Cu ₃ O _x ceramics is investigated. A significant reluctance of the oxygen-deficient ceramics (with critical temperature T_c < 77 K) is established for a sample in the normal state at T < 160 K. It is demonstrated that after ceramics annealing that restores the oxygen content to a nearly optimum value, the magnetic field has essentially no effect on the sample reluctance at temperatures exceeding T_c. To explain the revealed mechanisms, a model involving ferromagnetic clusters effectively decreasing the free carrier density is used. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 68–71, April, 2007.     

The Nernst-Ettingshausen coefficient in the normal phase of doped HTSCs of the YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>y</Subscript> system

The temperature dependence of the Nernst-Ettingshausen coefficient Q(T) in the normal phase of doped HTSCs of the yttrium system was studied. The main features characterizing the behavior of this coefficient were revealed, and the character and mechanism of the effect that various nonisovalent substituents exert on the Q(T) dependence were analyzed. It is shown that the narrow-band model permits one not only to describe all the specific features observed in the Q(T) curves but also to perform a simultaneous quantitative analysis of the temperature dependences of four kinetic coefficients (the electrical resistivity and the Seebeck, Hall, and Nernst-Ettingshausen coefficients) with the use of a common set of model parameters characterizing the band structure and carrier system in the normal phase of an HTSC. This approach was employed to determine the carrier mobilities and the asymmetry of the dispersion curve in the systems studied (YBa₂Cu₃O_y, y = 6.37–6.91; YBa₂Cu_3?xCo_xO_y, x = 0–0.3; Y_1?xCa_xBa₂Cu₃O_y, x = 0–0.25; Y_1?xCa_xBa_2?xLa_xCu₃O_y, x = 0–0.5) and to analyze the effect of the substitutions involved on the variation of these parameters.     

Mechanism of thermal decomposition of the nonstoichiometric compound YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6.8</Subscript>

Thermal decomposition of the nonstoichiometric high-temperature superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_6.8 at a temperature of 200°C in air has been investigated using the full-profile analysis of X-ray diffraction lines. Two mechanisms of decomposition are revealed. The first mechanism, i.e., separation into two phases with a different oxygen content, occurs continuously. The second mechanism, i.e., disordering of the heavy atoms Y, Ba, Ba, Y along the crystallographic axis c, begins to occur after a 20- to 35-h annealing and progresses with a further annealing.     

In-plane torque and gap symmetry of untwinned YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> crystals

The reversible magnetic torque of untwinned YBa₂Cu₃O₇ single crystals shows the four-fold symmetry in thea-b plane. The irreversible torque indicates evidence for a novel intrinsic pinning along thea andb axes. These facts mean that the free energy of the four-fold symmetry has a minimum when the field is applied along thea orb axis. The results are consistent with those expected from thed _x ²?y ² symmetry and rule out the possibility of thed _xy symmetry. The Fermi surface anisotropy is not responsible for the observed anisotropy. This is firstbulk evidence for thek-dependent gap anisotropy on the Fermi surface. The two-fold anisotropy parameter is found as\(\gamma _{ab} = \sqrt {{{m_a } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{m_a } {m_b }}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {m_b }}} = 1.18 \pm 0.14\).     

AC current driven dynamic vortex state in YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7-x</Subscript>

Time-resolved magneto-optical imaging measurements show that an ac current enables the vortex matter in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x thin films to reorganize into two coexisting steady states of driven vortex motion with different characteristics: a quasi-static disordered glassy state in the sample interior and a dynamic state of plastic motion near the edges. Finite-element calculations consistent with the critical state model show good agreement with the measured field profiles in the quasi-static state but predict a larger hysteretic behavior in the dynamic state. PACS 74.25.Qt; 74.25.Ha; 74.25.Sv; 74.78.Bz     

Suppression of hole doping in fine-grained HTSC YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript> due to structural disordering

It was proven experimentally that the structural disordering inherent to fine-grained high-temper- ature YBa₂Cu₃O _y superconductors (with an average grain size of 〈D〉 < 2 μm) leads to a reduction of the level of hole doping and the creation of features inherent to the pseudogap state (antiferromagnetic correlations and the lowered density of states at the Fermi level) even in samples with optimum oxygen content y ≈ 6.92.     

The influence of interplane oxygen redistribution on the magnetization of fine-grained HTSC YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript>

The magnetization of the fine-grained high-temperature superconductor (HTSC) YBa₂Cu₃O _y is experimentally investigated at T < T _c . A distinctive feature of this material is the increased oxygen content in CuO_δ planes. The magnetization decrease with an increase in δ is revealed. This correlation indicates that during interplane oxygen redistribution, which is characteristic of fine-grained samples, the oxygen content in the chain planes increases due to its reduction in the superconducting CuO₂ planes.     

Origin of different contributions to the magnetic susceptibility of the normal-state YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript> HTSC

The magnetic susceptibility of the normal-state YBa₂Cu₃O _y high-temperature superconductor has been experimentally investigated as a function of the degree of structural disorder by the example of a series of fine-grained samples. Different coexisting contributions have been revealed and their origin was investigated. A correlation between the changes in the structural parameters and the magnitudes of these contributions to the magnetic susceptibility is established.     

Enhancement of pseudogap anomalies induced by nanoscale structural inhomogeneity in YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6.93</Subscript> high-<Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis><Subscript>c</Subscript> superconductor

The magnetization M(H) in the superconducting state, dc magnetic susceptibility χ(T) in the normal state, and specific heat C(T) near the superconducting transition temperature T _c have been measured for a series of fine-crystalline YBa₂Cu₃O _y samples having nearly optimum values of y = 6.93 ± 0.3 and T _c = (91.5 ± 0.5) K. The samples differ only in the degree of nanoscale structural inhomogeneity. The characteristic parameters of superconductors (the London penetration depth and the Ginzburg–Landau parameter) and the thermodynamic critical field H _c are determined by the analysis of the magnetization curves M(H). It is found that the increase in the degree of nanoscale structural inhomogeneity leads to an increase in the characteristic parameters of superconductors and a decrease in H _c(T) and the jump of the specific heat ΔC/T _c. It is shown that the changes in the physical characteristics are caused by the suppression of the density of states near the Fermi level. The pseudogap is estimated by analyzing χ(T). It is found that the nanoscale structural inhomogeneity significantly enhances and probably even creates the pseudogap regime in the optimally doped high-T _c superconductors.     

Features of the superconducting state and structural disorder in ultrafine particles of the HTSC YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript>

We study the reasons for which the compound YBa₂Cu₃O _y begins to lose its superconducting ability with a decrease in particle sizes to values of ∼0.1 μm. Our analysis of the results of structural and magnetic studies has allowed us to reveal changes in the parameters of the crystal structure and of the superconducting state in small particles of an HTSC and to show that the main cause of these changes is a special kind of a structural disorder peculiar only to small particles of YBa₂Cu₃O _y and is realized as a consequence of the need for nonequilibrium conditions during their synthesis.     

The oxygen content and its ordering in the chain planes in fine-grained HTSC YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript>

A comparative analysis of the results of the X-ray and Mösbauer studies of the high-temperature superconductor (HTSC) YBa₂Cu₃O _y and YBa₂Cu_{3 ? x} ⁵⁷Fe _x O _y (x = 0.015, T _c ≈ 91.5 K) samples with different average grain sizes <D> in the micron and submicron ranges has been performed. The regularities in the change in the lattice parameter c and in the degree of occupation of different oxygen sites in the CuO_δ chain planes taking place at the decrease in <D> have been studied. The quantitative interrelation between the parameter c and the oxygen content δ in the CuO_δ planes exceeding the amount of the mobile oxygen due to the interplane oxygen redistribution is established.     

Study of structural phase transitions in YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6+δ</Subscript> by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

We have used x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate the charge state of oxygen found in the basal structural plane of YBa₂Cu₃O₆+γ.. We have observed a change in this state after thermal treatment, with a transition to the adjacent structural phase region. We have shown that changes in the charge state of oxygen can be used as an indicator of structural changes occurring in YBa₂Cu₃O₆+δ.. We have found that the rate of structural relaxation yttrium barium cuprate depends on the amount of structural water it contains. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 74, No. 2, pp. 195–198, March–April, 2007.     

Structure and orientation of Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> fibers used in YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript> <Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis> </Subscript> sputtering

The internal structure and orientation of thin (150–300 μm) flexible Al₂O₃ fibers used as substrates for third-generation high-temperature superconducting wires are studied by different methods. It is shown that using scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, one can reliably determine the position of the \((1\bar 102)\) plane, on which good YBa₂Cu₃O_y films can be grown.     

Effect of Y-site and Ba-site substitution on thermal properties of YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7−δ</Subscript>

The effect of partial replacement of Y site with Ca or Ba site with Sr on the thermal and electrical properties of YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ superconductors was investigated. For Y(Ba_1?XSr_X)₂Cu₃O_7?δ system, the characteristic enhancement of the thermal conductivity κ(T) below the transition temperature T_c was decreased more slowly by substitution than that for (Y_1?XCa_X)Ba₂Cu₃O_7?δ system. Electron-phonon interaction in these systems were discussed based on the phonon heat conduction model under the weak coupling d-wave energy gap.     

Study of the in-plane and c-axis fluctuation conductivity of melt-textured YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> under hydrostatic pressure

Strongly confined nano-systems, such as one-dimensional nanowires, feature deviations in their structural, electronic and optical properties from the corresponding bulk. In this work, we investigate the behavior of long-wavelength, optical phonons in vertical arrays of InAs nanowires by Raman spectroscopy. We attribute the main changes in the spectral features to thermal anharmonicity, due to temperature effects, and rule out the contribution of quantum confinement and Fano resonances. We also observe the appearance of surface optical modes, whose details allow for a quantitative, independent estimation of the nanowire diameter. The results shed light onto the mechanisms of lineshape change in low-dimensional InAs nanostructures, and are useful to help tailoring their electronic and vibrational properties for novel functionalities.     

Effect of heterovalent substitution of rare-earth elements on the magnetic and transport properties of YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>

The Y_{(1 ? x} Ce _x Ba₂Cu₃O₇ system with low cerium concentrations has been synthesized. The cerium solubility limit measured using x-ray powder diffraction analysis is about 2.4 at. %. The temperature dependences of the magnetization M(T) are measured for samples cooled in a magnetic field (FC) and in a zero field (ZFC). The difference between the magnetizations M _ZFC-M _FC at 77.4 K, which is proportional to the pinning potential, passes through a maximum at x = 0.0156. This concentration corresponds to the average distance (equal to eight lattice constants) between the impurity ions in the plane of the rare-earth elements, which is comparable to the diameter of Abrikosov vortices in YBa₂Cu₃O₇.     

Magnetic susceptibility of fine crystalline high-temperature YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6.93</Subscript> superconductors. The role of nanoscale structural disordering

Static magnetic susceptibility χ(T) in the normal state (T_c ≤ T ≤ 400 K) and specific heat C(T) near temperature T_c of the transition to the superconducting state are experimentally studied for a series of fine crystalline samples of high-temperature YBa₂Cu₃O_y superconductor, having y and T_c close to optimal but differing in the degree of nanoscale structural disordering. It is shown that under the influence of structural disordering, there is enhancement of anomalous pseudogap behavior of the studied characteristics and a significant increase in the width of the pseudogap.     

Effect of oxygen content on the specific heat and magnetic susceptibility of YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7−δ</Subscript>

The specific heat and magnetic susceptibility of a sample of YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ (YBCO) was measured for 0≤δ≤0.85, 0.8≤T≤120K, and H=0, 3, 5, 7, 9T. The data show the existence of both S=1/2 and S=2 paramagnetic centers, consistent with EPR results. The δ dependences of their concentrations and of other parameters are reported.     

Superconductivity and electronic liquid-crystal states in twin-free YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6+x</Subscript> studied by neutron scattering

In this paper, we first give a concise overview of recent experimental and theoretical work dealing with “electronic liquid-crystal states” which spontaneously break different symmetries of the CuO₂ layers of high-T _c cuprates, with an emphasis on evidence in the spin excitation spectrum. Then we describe the importance of using twin-free samples to look for evidence for fourfold symmetry breaking in the spectrum and explain the preparation procedure to obtain such samples. We present inelastic neutron scattering results for moderately underdoped YBa₂Cu₃O_6.6(T _c = 61  K) and nearly optimally doped YBa₂Cu₃O_6.85(T _c = 89  K). In YBa₂Cu₃O_6.6, the dispersion topology changes when heating above T _c from an hourglass shape with constricted, commensurate resonance peak to a “Y”-shape without resonance anomaly. This change, and the fact that the low-energy signal above T _c can be described by an incommensurate, quasi-one-dimensional distribution, indicates a competition of superconductivity with an electronic liquid-crystal state. We then show a striking analogy between the difference signal I(5  K) − I(70  K) and the downward dispersing resonance mode in YBa₂Cu₃O_6.85. We therefore argue that a resonance mode only emerges below T _c, irrespective of the doping level. We finally discuss the implications of our results for the different scenarios invoked to explain the electronic liquid-crystal state in cuprates.     

Giant positive magnetoresistance in heterostructure (La<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>) coated with YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> composites

(La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃) _x /(YBa₂Cu₃O₇) _y composites were prepared by mixing La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ powders and the sol–gel-derived YBa₂Cu₃O₇ matrix, followed by high-temperature calcinations. Their structural, magnetic properties and magnetoresistance effect have been investigated systematically. A giant positive magnetoresistance (PMR) at low magnetic field is observed at low temperatures. In the case of (La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃)₁/(YBa₂Cu₃O₇)₉ composite, the PMR achieves 260% under a magnetic field of 5800 Oe. However, the PMR value sharply decreases with increasing temperature and no magnetoresistance effects are found above metal-insulator transition temperature. The enhancement of spin-dependent scattering at the grain boundaries should be responsible for the observed PMR. In addition, the temperature dependence of resistance under magnetic field could be explained by the competition between diamagnetism and paramagnetism in YBCO phase. At low temperature, the diamagnetism is predominant over paramagnetism and the interface scattering between LSMO grains is enhanced correspondingly. As a result, the low-temperature resistance increases and large PMR appears.