Phase-coherence effects in vortex transport entropy

Nernst and electrical resistivity measurements in superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-delta and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta with and without columnar defects show a distinctive thermodynamics of the respective liquid vortex matter. At a field-dependent high temperature region in the H-T phase diagram, the Nernst signal is independent of structural defects in both materials. At lower temperatures, in YBa2Cu3O7-delta, defects contribute only to the vortex mobility, and the transport entropy is that of a system of vortex lines. The transition to lower temperatures in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta has a different origin; the maximum in the Nernst signal when decreasing temperature is not associated with transport properties but with the entropy behavior of pancake vortices in the presence of structural defects.     

Evidence for static magnetism in the vortex cores of ortho-II YBa2Cu3O6.50

Evidence for static alternating magnetic fields in the vortex cores of underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x is reported. Muon spin rotation measurements of the internal magnetic field distribution of the vortex state of YBa2Cu3O6.50 in applied fields of H = 1 T and H = 4 T reveal a feature in the high-field tail of the field distribution which is not present in optimally doped YBa2Cu3O6.95 and which fits well to a model with static magnetic fields in the vortex cores. The magnitude of the fields is estimated to be 18(2) G and decreases above T = 10 K. We discuss possible origins of the additional vortex core magnetism within the context of existing theories.     

Oscillatory melting temperature of the vortex smectic phase in layered superconductors

We report on transport measurements of YBa 2Cu 3O (7-delta) single crystals with different oxygen contents in the geometry B, J ||ab (J perpendicularB). Our data show that the vortices become confined between the Cu-O planes below a well-defined temperature at which the effective size 2xi of the vortex core is approximately equal to the period of the Cu-O layers. This confinement strongly increases the vortex liquid freezing temperature. A new melting line is found separating a vortex liquid and a smectic phase, which shows an oscillatory field dependence reflecting differences between commensurate and incommensurate smectic states.     

Experimental evidence for the vortex glass phase in untwinned, proton irradiated YBa2Cu3O7-delta

We report on magnetoresistance measurements of the effects of 9 MeV proton irradiation on a clean, untwinned single crystal of YBa2Cu3O7-delta. For the first time, evidence for a vortex glass transition is detected in an untwinned single crystal of YBa2Cu3O7-delta with induced pointlike disorder, in which the first order vortex melting transition is completely suppressed after proton irradiation. Our results suggest that a sufficiently high pinning disorder is required in order for the vortex glass phase to be observed.     

Strong vortex liquid correlation from multiterminal measurements on untwinned YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) single crystals

Multiterminal transport measurements indicating a strongly correlated vortex liquid above the first order melting transition in untwinned YBa2Cu3O(7--delta) single crystals are presented. The correlation is found to be surprisingly stable for different weak variations of point disorder. We investigate the differences between intervortex and intravortex correlations in different contact geometries. The results are in agreement with the local conductivity model, with zero resistivity along straight vortex line segments.     

Oscillatory dynamics and organization of the vortex solid in YBa2Cu3o7 single crystals

We report on the degree of order of the vortex solid in YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals observed in ac susceptibility measurements. We show that when vortices are "shaken" by a temporarily symmetric ac field they are driven into an easy-to-move, ordered structure but, on the contrary, when the ac field is temporarily asymmetric, they are driven into a more pinned disordered state. This is characteristic of tearing of the vortex lattice and shows that ordering due to symmetric ac fields is essentially different from an equilibration process or a dynamical crystallization that is expected to occur at high driving currents.     

Smectic vortex phase in optimally doped YBa2Cu3O7 thin films

Angular dependent resistivity measurements of optimally doped YBa2Cu3O7 films in fields H pulsed to 50 T are presented. Up to the highest H, the vortex melting field Hm increases and vortex motion is reduced for H aligned with the correlated pinning centers along the main crystalline axes, otherwise 3D anisotropic scaling describes the vortex dynamics. For H parallel ab, the rapid increase in Hm at low temperatures and a critical exponent analysis near Hm confirm the presence of the liquid-crystalline smectic phase predicted for layered superconductors.     

Cu位La、 Gd掺杂YBa2Cu3O7-δ结构和磁通钉扎的比较

多晶样品YBa2Cu3-xLaxO7-δ(0≤x≤0.15)和YBa2Cu3-xGdxO7-δ(0≤x≤0.15)通过固相反应法制备得来.通过结构参数分析,我们发现La首先替代Cu(1)位,然后开始部分替代Ba,而Gd开始替代Cu(2)位然后替代Cu(1)位.YBa2Cu3-xLaxO7-δ和YBa2Cu3-xGdxO...     

Plasticity and memory effects in the vortex solid phase of twinned YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals

We report on marked memory effects in the vortex system of twinned YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals observed in ac susceptibility measurements. We show that the vortex system can be trapped in different metastable states with variable degree of order arising in response to different system histories. The pressure exerted by the oscillating ac field assists the vortex system in ordering, locally reducing the critical current density in the penetrated outer zone of the sample. The robustness of the ordered and disordered states together with the spatial profile of the critical current density lead to the observed memory effects.     

Asymmetric field profile in Bose glass phase of irradiated YBa2Cu3O(7-delta): loss of interlayer coherence around 1/3 of matching field

Magneto-optical imaging in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) with tilted columnar defects (CD's) shows an asymmetric critical-state field profile. The observed hysteretic shift of the profile ridge (trough) from the center of the sample is explained by in-plane magnetization originating from vortex alignment along CD's. The extracted ratio of the in-plane to out-of-plane magnetization component has a maximum at 1/5 of matching field ( B(Phi)) and disappears above B(Phi)/3, suggesting a reduction of interlayer coherence well below B(Phi) in the Bose glass phase. Implications are discussed in comparison with the vortex liquid recoupling observed in irradiated Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+y).     

高Tc氧化物超导体的电子结构

本文综述了高Tc氧化物超导体(La_2CuO_4及YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-8)的(计算)电子结构。本文基于Freeman教授研究组的工作。 (1) 体心四方结构的La_2CuO_4能带结构计算结果表明:La_2CuO_4的电子结构由在正方形Cu-O平面内的Cu3d-O2p相瓦作用所控制。存在一个沿[110]方向|q|=2k_F(强的)迭套的Fermi表面,它导致了电子驱动的结构失稳,以及在电子状态密度上的VanHove对数奇性。此种Fermi面的迭套被认为是引起了(Peierls 2k_F)失稳性,从而解释了La_(2-x)M_xCuO_4由四方结构到正交结构的相变。 (2) 如同在La_(2-x)M_xCuO_4中的情况一样,具正交结构的YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-8)的电子结构由Cu-O间的相互作用所支配;同时存在着二维及一维的Cu3d-O2p相互作用为YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-8)电子结构的特征。YBa2Cu_3O_(7-8)在E_F处的状态密度值低于La_(2-x)M_xCuO_4的相应值,在YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-8)中的Y或Ba原子作用如同一电子的施主。     

Direct evidence for block-by-block growth in high-temperature superconductor ultrathin films

Charge neutrality and stoichiometry impose severe restrictions on the mechanisms of epitaxial growth of complex oxides. The fundamental question arises of what is the minimum growth unit when sample thickness is reduced beyond the size of the unit cell. We have investigated the growth mechanism of YBa2Cu3O7 cuprate superconductor, using a consistent approach based on the growth of noninteger numbers of YBa2Cu3O7 layers in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7)/PrBa(2)Cu3O7 superlattices. Ex situ chemical and structural analysis evidence a 2D block-by-block mechanism in which the minimum growth units are complete unit cell blocks, growing coherently over large lateral distances.     

Evidence of doping-dependent pairing symmetry in cuprate superconductors

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy studies reveal long-range spatial homogeneity and predominantly d(x(2)-y(2))-pairing spectral characteristics in under- and optimally doped YBa2Cu 3O (7-delta) superconductors, whereas STS on YBa2(Cu 0.9934Zn 0.0026Mg (0.004))3O (6.9) exhibits microscopic spatial modulations and strong scattering near the Zn or Mg impurity sites, together with global suppression of the pairing potential. In contrast, in overdoped (Y 0.7Ca (0.3))Ba 2Cu 3O (7-delta), (d(x(2)-y(2))+s)-pairing symmetry is found, suggesting significant changes in the superconducting ground state at a critical doping value.     

Flux-flow resistivity anisotropy in the instability regime of the a-b plane of epitaxial superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-delta thin films

Measurements of the nonlinear flux-flow resistivity rho and the critical vortex velocity vphi* at high voltage bias close to the instability regime predicted by Larkin and Ovchinnikov (Z. Eksp. Teor. Fiz 68, 1915 (1975) [Sov. Phys. JETP 41, 960 (1976)]) are reported along the node and antinode directions of the d-wave order parameter in the a-b plane of epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7-delta films. In this pinning-free regime, rho and vphi* are found to be anisotropic with values in the node direction larger on average by 10% than in the antinode direction. The anisotropy of rho is almost independent of temperature and field. We attribute the observed results to the anisotropic quasiparticle distribution on the Fermi surface of YBa2Cu3O7-delta.     

Critical points in heavy ion irradiated untwinned YBa(2)Cu3O(7-delta) crystals

The critical points in untwinned YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) crystals with dilute columnar defects are investigated. We find a convergence of a first order vortex melting line with an irreversibility line associated with the onset of the Bose glass critical regime at the lower critical point. In addition, we find that columnar defects raise the upper critical point, implying that vortex line meandering is a basic feature controlling its position.     

Crystal-lattice coupling to the vortex-melting transition in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta)

Distinct discontinuities in the thermal expansion of the crystal lattice are observed at the melting transition of the vortex lattice in a naturally untwinned reversible YBa(2)Cu3O(7-delta) single crystal using high-resolution dilatometry. This coupling between the vortex transition and the crystal lattice demonstrates that the crystal lattice is more than a mere host for the vortices, and it is attributed to a strong pressure dependence of the superconducting transition temperature and thus to the condensation energy at the vortex-melting temperature.     

Do columnar defects produce bulk pinning?

From magneto-optical imaging performed on heavy-ion-irradiated YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) single crystals, it is found that at fields and temperatures where strong single vortex pinning by individual irradiation-induced amorphous columnar defects is to be expected, vortex motion is limited by the nucleation of vortex kinks at the specimen surface. In the material bulk, vortex motion occurs through (easy) kink sliding. Depinning in the bulk determines the screening current only at fields comparable to or larger than the matching field, at which the majority of vortices is not trapped by an ion track.     

Giant magnetoresistance in ferromagnet/superconductor superlattices

We show magnetoresistance in excess of 1000% in trilayers containing highly spin-polarized La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 and high-Tc superconducting YBa2Cu3O7. This large magnetoresistance is reminiscent of the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) in metallic superlattices but with much larger values, and originates at spin imbalance due to the injection of spin-polarized carriers. Furthermore, in contrast to ordinary GMR, the magnetoresistance is intimately related to the superconductivity in the YBa2Cu3O7 layer and vanishes in the normal state. This result, aside from its fundamental importance, may be of interest for the design of novel spintronic devices based on ferromagnet/superconductor structures.