A muon spin rotation study of hydrogen in YBa2Cu3O y

Superconducting YBa₂Cu₃O _y samples were doped with hydrogen and investigated by the muon spin rotation technique. For hydrogen concentrations above a thresholdx, which depends on the oxygen stoichiometry, we find a well defined precession signal in zero external field. This is a clear indication of magnetic ordering in these samples. In samples with a smaller hydrogen content no magnetic ordering was found. For these samples however, the depolarization rate σ(T→0) as measured in a transverse external field depends strongly on the hydrogen content. Our data are consistent with the assumption that hydrogen acts as an electron donor, filling the hole states in YBa₂Cu₃O _y .