Magnetization of high-T c superconductors

We have tried to understand the field dependence of magnetization of high temperature superconductors in the light of phenomenological theory. Especially, the field dependence of dM/d lnB of polycrystalline Bi(2212) is understood by incorporating the overlap of vortices in the London theory.     

Thermoelectric effect in high-T c superconductors: The role of density-of-states fluctuations

We study the effect of the density-of-states (DOS) fluctuations on the thermoelectric coefficient of a highly anisotropic superconductor above the critical temperature. It is shown that it is the DOS contribution which gives rise to the leading correction to the thermoelectric coefficient, in spite of previous results where only the Aslamazov-Larkin term was taken into account. This conclusion is valid for an arbitrary impurity concentration. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 2, 182–187 (25 January 1997) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

Microwave absorption in high-T c superconductors at high magnetic fields

In the mixed state of superconductors (H _c1?H?H _c2) the penetration of microwaves is governed by both, complex conductivity σ(T) and driven oscillation of vortices. In this paper, we show that an effective microwave conductivity can be derived and used to fit the field dependences of the surface resistanceR _s. The fit parameter is the upper critical field. Measurements on single crystals YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ were made in magnetic fields (H∥c) up to 2.25 T, and in the temperature range from 70–100 K. The critical temperature for mean field superconductivity appears to be 89.3 K, while the apparent onset in the curve ofR _s(T) appears at about 92 K. The magnetic dependences ofR _s clearly demonstrate that one can separate the regions of mean field superconductivity from the region of fluctuations.     

Magnetostriction of several high-T c superconductors

We report on magnetostriction measurements of superconducting and nonsuperconducting YBa₂Cu₃O_7– and of two Bi samples with the nominal compositions Bi₂CaSr₂Cu₂O _x and Bi_0.8Pb_0.2Sr_0.8CaCu_1.5O _x . Both types of high temperature superconductors show a nearly identical strongly hysteretic field dependence of the magnetostriction (MS) (l/l+(2–6)*10^–6 at 5 T and 1.5 K). In both cases the MS is a linear function of field in the region 1–5 T, which we explain by striction due to surface currents. Between 1.5 and 35 K the hysteresis of the MS decreases strongly with increasing temperature, which implies a decrease of the pinning force. The MS of quenched nonsuperconducting YBa₂Cu₃O_7– is at least two orders of magnitude smaller than that of the superconductor.     

Influence of a variable magnetic field on the stability of the magnetic suspension of high-T c superconductors

The resonant oscillation of superconductors by a variable magnetic field during hard levitation and the collapse of levitation are investigated. The critical amplitude and the frequency of the variable field are calculated. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 95–96 (December 1997)     

Search for magnetic fields due to anyons in high-T c superconductors

We have searched for anomalous internal magnetic fields in highT _c materials which are predicted to occur in anyon and flux phase models of superconductivity. The magnitude, anisotropy and temperature dependence of the observed fields inc-axis oriented samples of sintered YBa₂CuO₃O₇ and of thick-film Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ are consistent with a conventional nuclear dipolar origin. An upper limit of ≲0.08 mT is set for any anomalous magnetic fields along thec-axis atμ ⁺ sites in bulk CuO₂ superconductors.     

Flux diffusion in high-T c superconductors

In type-II superconductors in the flux flow (J J _c ), flux creep (J _c J _c ), and thermally activated flux flow (TAFF) (J J _c ) regimes the inductionB(r,t), averaged over several penetration depths , in general follows from a nonlinear equation of motion into which enter the nonlinear resistivities (B, J ,T) caused by flux motion and (B, J ,T) caused by other dissipative processes.J andJ are the current densities perpendicular and parallel toB,B=|B|, andT is the temperature. For flux flow and TAFF in isotropic superconductors with weak relative spatial variation ofB, this equation reduces to the diffusion equation plus a correction term which vanishes whenJ =0 (this means B××B=0) or when – = 0 (isotropic normal conductor). When this diffusion equation holds the material anisotropy may be accounted for by a tensorial . The response of a superconductor to an applied current or to a change of the applied magnetic field is considered for various geometries. Such perturbations affect only a surface layer of thickness where a shielding current flows which pulls at the flux lines; the resulting deformation of the vortex lattice diffuses into the interior until a new equilibrium or a new stationary state is reached. The a.c. response, in particular the frequency with maximum damping, depends thus on the geometry and size of the superconductor.     

Strong-coupling effects in high-T c superconductors

It is conceivable that the high-T _c superconducting perovskites are conventional electronphonon superconductors. In this case one expects significant strong-coupling effects because of the unusually high ratiok _B T _c / of the order 0.1 and greater. We use a set of reasonable models for the Eliashberg function ² F() (which takes into account available information on the phonon spectra and which fit the measuredT _c 's) and calculate strong-coupling effects in the specific heatc _s (T)/T _c , the ratio ₀/k _B T _c , the critical fieldsH _c (T) andH _c2 (T) including Pauli limiting, and other measurable quantities. Strongcoupling corrections turn out to be in the range of 0 to about 100%, depending on the quantity of interest. We discuss the perspectives of using strong-coupling effects as indicators for conventional electron-phonon superconductivity in the new materials.     

On the optical conductivity of high-T c superconductors

We have solved the self-consistent equation for self-energy of a hole in a quantum antiferromagnet. The optical conductivity is estimated. The results are in good agreement with experiments and numerical simulations.     

Influence of spin fluctuations in the ground state on the coherent motion of holes in high-T c superconductors

The coherent two-dimensional motion of a hole generated in a high-T _c superconductor at half-filling is discussed. The system is described by thet-J model which reduces to the Heisenberg antiferromagnet (HAF) at half-filling. Special attention is payed to the influence of spin fluctuations in the ground state on the hole motion. Spin fluctuations can be considered as deviations of the true ground state of the Heisenberg antiferromagnet from the Néel state. The calculations are based on the introduction of a new trial wave function. It generalizes a wave function which was originally proposed by Shraiman and Siggia for the hole motion in the Néel state. As a result, we find that the excitation energy for the hole has a bandwidth which is reduced by a factor 0.7 as compared to the case without spin fluctuations. Moreover, the dispersion relation contains cubic harmonics which are due to effective hopping processes to more distant than second-or third-nearest neighbors. For larger values of the ratiot/J the band is substantially deformed. We compare our theory with results obtained from the exact diagonalization of finite clusters and find good agreement.     

Critical temperature of low-dimensional high-T c superconductors

We generalized the Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA) method for the calculation of the critical temperature of superconductors of lower dimensionality. Two dimensional (2d) and one-dimensional (1d) models have been considered. The critical temperature is calculated as function of the electronic concentration and of the position of the Fermi level. The critical temperature can be expressed with either of these two parameters. We also calculate the dependence ofT _c on an additional parameter which is the measure of the interplane coupling.     

Nernst coefficient and magnetoresistance in high-T(c) superconductors: the role of superconducting fluctuations

In high-T(c) cuprates, the Nernst coefficient (nu) as well as the magnetoresistance (Deltarho/rho) increases drastically below the pseudogap temperature, T(*), which attracts much attention as a key phenomenon in the pseudogap region. We study these transport phenomena in terms of the fluctuation-exchange+T-matrix approximation. In this present theory, the d-wave superconducting (SC) fluctuations, which are mediated by antiferromagnetic (AF) correlations, become dominant below T(*). We especially investigate the vertex corrections both for the charge current and the heat one to keep the conservation laws. As a result, the mysterious behaviors of nu and Deltarho/rho are naturally explained as the reflection of the enhancement of the SC fluctuation, without assuming thermally excited vortices. The present result suggests that the pseudogap phenomena are well described in terms of the Fermi liquid with AF and SC fluctuations.     

Possible double-pairing effect in high-T c superconductors

Based on a reexamination of experimental facts a simple model called Double-Pairing Superconductivity is set up to describe the high temperature layered superconductors (HTLS). A mean-field scenario is carried out to investigate the model Hamiltonian. Within our model some of the exotic properties of HTLS may be understood, at least qualitatively.     

Tunneling and Andreev spectroscopies of high-T c superconductors

Tunneling spectroscopic studies of high-temperature superconductors (HTSC) are overviewed. It is demonstrated, in particular, that the superconducting gaps determined from Andreev reflections and tunneling current-voltage characteristics coincide at all doping levels. Facts are presented evidencing the strong electron-phonon interaction in the HTSC systems. The nature of the so-called pseudogap, which is observed in some tunneling experiments, is briefly discussed.     

Synthesis and properties of Hg-based high-T c superconductors

Il Nuovo Cimento D - The formation of Hg-based HTSC materials was investigated through the development of non-conventional techniques. The former was based on a singlestep synthesis at temperatures...     

Apparatus for transport characterisation of high-T c superconductors

Il Nuovo Cimento D - A full set of facilities for transport characterisation of HTS as well as a set of crucial measurements are presented which point out the possible sources of errors of the...     

On the nature of the fishtail effect in the magnetic hysteresis loop of high-T c superconductors

An explanation is proposed for the fishtail effect observed in the magnetic hysteresis loops of high-T _c superconductors. It is shown that anisotropy of the pinning and curvature of the flux lines in the sample are sufficient for this effect to appear. The design of experiments for checking the proposed explanation is discussed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 64, No. 8, 538–542 (25 October 1996)