High temperature superconductor current leads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeimetz, B.; Liu, H.K.; Dou, S.X.

1996-01-01

Full text: The use of superconductors in high electrical current applications (magnets, transformers, generators etc.) usually requires cooling with liquid Helium, which is very expensive. The superconductor itself produces no heat, and the design of Helium dewars is very advanced. Therefore most of the heat loss, i.e. Helium consumption, comes from the current lead which connects the superconductor with its power source at room temperature. The current lead usually consists of a pair of thick copper wires. The discovery of the High Temperature Superconductors makes it possible to replace a part of the copper with superconducting material. This drastically reduces the heat losses because a) the superconductor generates no resistive heat and b) it is a very poor thermal conductor compared with the copper. In this work silver-sheathed superconducting tapes are used as current lead components. The work comprises both the production of the tapes and the overall design of the leads, in order to a) maximize the current capacity ('critical current') of the superconductor, b) minimize the thermal conductivity of the silver clad, and c) optimize the cooling conditions

The critical current of superconductors: an historical review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dew-Hughes, D.

2001-01-01

The most important practical characteristic of a superconductor is its critical current density. This article traces the history, both of the experimental discoveries and of the development of the theoretical ideas that have lead to the understanding of those factors that control critical current densities. These include Silsbee's hypothesis, the Meissner effect, London, Ginsburg-Landau and Abrikosov theories, flux pinning and the critical state, and the control of texture in high temperature superconductors

Development of high temperature superconductors having high critical current density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Gye Wong; Kim, C. J.; Lee, H.G.; Kwon, S. C.; Lee, H. J.; Kim, K. B.; Park, J. Y.; Jung, C. H.

2000-08-01

Fabrication of high T c superconductors and its applications for electric power device were carried out for developing superconductor application technologies. High quality YBCO superconductors was fabricated by melt texture growth, top-seeded melt growth process and multi-seeded melt growth process and the properties was compared. The critical current density of the melt processed YBCO superconductors was about few 10,000 A/cm 2 and the levitation force was 50 N. The processing time needed for the growth of the 123 single grain was greatly reduced by applying multi-seeding without no significant degradation of the levitation force. The multi-seeded melt growth process was confirmed as a time-saving and cost-effective method for the fabrication of bulk superconductors with controlled crystallographic orientation

Development of high temperature superconductors having high critical current density

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Gye Wong; Kim, C. J.; Lee, H.G.; Kwon, S. C.; Lee, H. J.; Kim, K. B.; Park, J. Y.; Jung, C. H

2000-08-01

Fabrication of high T{sub c} superconductors and its applications for electric power device were carried out for developing superconductor application technologies. High quality YBCO superconductors was fabricated by melt texture growth, top-seeded melt growth process and multi-seeded melt growth process and the properties was compared. The critical current density of the melt processed YBCO superconductors was about few 10,000 A/cm{sup 2} and the levitation force was 50 N. The processing time needed for the growth of the 123 single grain was greatly reduced by applying multi-seeding without no significant degradation of the levitation force. The multi-seeded melt growth process was confirmed as a time-saving and cost-effective method for the fabrication of bulk superconductors with controlled crystallographic orientation.

Interlaboratory comparison on high-temperature superconductor critical-current measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiejaczka, J.A.; Goodrich, L.F.

1997-01-01

An extensive interlaboratory comparison was conducted on high temperature superconductor (HTS) critical-current measurements. This study was part of an international cooperative effort through the Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS). The study involved six US laboratories that are recognized leaders in the field of HTS. This paper includes the complete results from this comparison of critical-current measurements on Ag-sheathed Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10-x (2223) tapes. The effects of sample characteristics, specimen mounting, measurement technique, and specimen damage were studied. The future development of a standard HTS measurement method is also discussed. Most of the evolution of this emerging technology has occurred in improvement of the performance of the conductors. The successful completion of this interlaboratory comparison is an important milestone in the evolution of HTS technology and marks a level of maturity that the technology has reached

High critical magnetic field superconductor La3S4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westerholt, K.; Bach, H.; Wendemuth, R.; Methfessel, S.

1979-01-01

A report is presented on electrical conductivity, specific heat and magnetization measurements on La 3 S 4 single crystals. The results show that La 3 S 4 is a strong coupling superconductor with a BCS coherence length of 132 A. This extremely low value makes La 3 S 4 an intrinsic high critical magnetic field superconductor with a Landau-Ginsburg parameter of 20. For the temperature gradient of the upper critical magnetic field at the transition temperature values are found up to 35 kG/K. (author)

Upper critical fields and critical current densities of Fe-based superconductors as compared to those of other technical superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pallecchi, I., E-mail: ilaria.pallecchi@spin.cnr.it [CNR-SPIN, Corso Perrone 24, 16152 Genova (Italy); Tropeano, M. [Columbus Superconductors S.p.A, Via delle Terre Rosse 30, 16133 Genova (Italy); Lamura, G. [CNR-SPIN, Corso Perrone 24, 16152 Genova (Italy); Pani, M. [Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Universita di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genova (Italy); Palombo, M. [Columbus Superconductors S.p.A, Via delle Terre Rosse 30, 16133 Genova (Italy); Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Universita di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genova (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova (Italy); Palenzona, A. [Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Universita di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genova (Italy); Putti, M. [CNR-SPIN, Corso Perrone 24, 16152 Genova (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova (Italy)

2012-11-20

Three years since the discovery by the Hosono's group of Fe-based superconductors, an enormous number of compounds, belonging to several different families have been discovered and fundamental properties have been deeply investigated in order to clarify the interplay between magnetisms and superconductivity in these compounds. Indeed, the actual potential of these compounds for practical applications remains still unclear. Fe-based superconductors are midway between high temperature superconductors (HTSCs) and MgB{sub 2}. In Fe-based superconductors the critical current is rather independent of the field, similarly to HTSCs, as a consequence of the exceptionally high upper critical field and strong pinning associated with nm-scale local modulations of the order parameter. They exhibit low anisotropy of the critical current with respect to the crystalline directions, as in the case of MgB{sub 2}, which allows current flow along the c-axis. However, Fe-based superconductor polycrystalline materials currently available still exhibit electromagnetic granularity, like the HTSCs, which suppresses superconducting current flow over long length. Whether the nature of such granularity is extrinsic, as due to spurious phases or cracks between grains or intrinsic, as related to misalignment of adjacent grains, is under debate. These aspects will be reviewed in the light of the recent literature.

Electrochemical investigations of high-Tc superconductors - low-temperature electrochemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorenz, W.J.

1992-01-01

This research report presents a summary of results obtained by electrochemical investigations of high-Tc superconductors at room temperature and below the critical temperature (Tc). The studies were to reveal the behaviour of the ceramic superconducting materials at the interface between superconductor and ionic conductor. (MM) With 4 tabs., 8 figs [de

Superconductors with low critical temperature for electro-magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devred, A.

2002-07-01

Among the superconductors with low critical temperature that are used to build magnets, NbTi has reached a development state that allows a massive production for big equipment of physics and an industrial production in the domain of medicine imaging. The material that might challenge the supremacy of NbTi is Nb 3 Sn but some technical difficulties have yet to be overcome. This report begins with a review of the different industrial processes used to produce superconducting wires based on the NbTi and Nb 3 Sn materials. The transition from the superconducting state to the resistive normal state is described for both materials, the magnetizing of multi-wire superconducting cables is also presented. The author details the different patterns of wires in cables and proposes a formulary that allows the determination, in some simple cases,of energy losses that are generated in a superconducting cable by a variable magnetic field. (A.C.)

Impact of high temperature superconductors on the possibility of radio-frequency confinement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dean, S.O.

1989-01-01

Recent discoveries of superconducting materials that operate at high temperatures may have both technical and economic consequences for magnetic confinement fusion. In addition, they could also open up the possibility of plasma confinement by radio-frequency fields. The new, high temperature superconductors may impact the feasibility of rf confinement in two important ways: (1) higher temperature superconductors should have higher critical B fields and consequently may allow higher critical electric fields to be sustained in the cavity, thus allowing the necessary confining pressure to be achieved; and (2) the higher temperature superconductors lower the refrigeration power necessary to maintain the superconducting cavity, thus allowing a favorable energy balance

Low critical temperature superconductors for electromagnets; Supraconducteurs a basse temperature critique pour electroaimants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Devred, A

2002-07-01

After a brief history of the main discoveries in applied superconductivity (section 1), we discuss the structure and properties of NbTi and Nb3 Sn (section 2). Then, we explain why low critical-temperature superconductors are produced under the form of multifilamentary composites (section 3), and we review the manufacturing processes of NbTi and Nb3Sn wires (section 4). We follow by a description of the transition from the superconducting to the normal resistive state of multifilamentary composite wires (section 5) and we detail their magnetization properties section 6). Last, we present the most commonly used cable configurations (section 7) and we provide simple formulae illustrating on a few examples the computation of losses generated under time-varying magnetic fields (section 8). (author)

High critical temperature superconductors: Progress achieved after two years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maillard, J.M.; Rammal, R.; Vittorge, M.C.

1989-01-01

Progress concerning the theory of high temperature superconductors and activity of laboratories of the CNRS (France) are reviewed and news on strategy, budgets, theoretical research, materials characterization, fabrication process technology transfers, commercialisation, uses and data bases are given [fr

High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductors Experiment, Theory, and Applications

CERN Document Server

Plakida, Nikolay Maksimilianovich

2010-01-01

High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductors provides an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the properties of these fascinating materials. The essential properties of high-temperature cuprate superconductors are reviewed on the background of their theoretical interpretation. The experimental results for structural, magnetic, thermal, electric, optical and lattice properties of various cuprate superconductors are presented with respect to relevant theoretical models. A critical comparison of various theoretical models involving strong electron correlations, antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, phonons and excitons provides a background for understanding of the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. Recent achievements in their applications are also reviewed. A large number of illustrations and tables gives valuable information for specialists. A text-book level presentation with formulation of a general theory of strong-coupling superconductivity will help students and researches to consolidate their...

Effects of low-temperature fusion neutron irradiation on critical properties of a monofilament niobium-tin superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guinan, M.W.; Van Konynenburg, R.A.; Mitchell, J.B.

1984-01-01

The objective of this work was to irradiate a Nb 3 Sn superconductor with 14.8 MeV neutrons at 4 K and measure critical current in transverse fields of up to 12 T, irradiating up to a fluence sufficient to decrease the critical current to below its initial value. Critical temperatures were also to be measured. The samples were to be kept near 4 K between the irradiation and the measurement of critical properties. This work is directed toward establishing an engineering design fluence limit for Nb 3 Sn when used in fusion reactor superconducting magnets

Effects of low-temperature fusion neutron irradiation on critical properties of a monofilament niobium-tin superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guinan, M.W.; Van Konynenburg, R.A.; Mitchell, J.B.

1984-03-22

The objective of this work was to irradiate a Nb/sub 3/Sn superconductor with 14.8 MeV neutrons at 4 K and measure critical current in transverse fields of up to 12 T, irradiating up to a fluence sufficient to decrease the critical current to below its initial value. Critical temperatures were also to be measured. The samples were to be kept near 4 K between the irradiation and the measurement of critical properties. This work is directed toward establishing an engineering design fluence limit for Nb/sub 3/Sn when used in fusion reactor superconducting magnets.

Technique of Critical Current Density Measurement of Bulk Superconductor with Linear Extrapolation Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adi, Wisnu Ari; Sukirman, Engkir; Winatapura, Didin S.

2000-01-01

Technique of critical current density measurement (Jc) of HTc bulk ceramic superconductor has been performed by using linear extrapolation with four-point probes method. The measurement of critical current density HTc bulk ceramic superconductor usually causes damage in contact resistance. In order to decrease this damage factor, we introduce extrapolation method. The extrapolating data show that the critical current density Jc for YBCO (123) and BSCCO (2212) at 77 K are 10,85(6) Amp.cm - 2 and 14,46(6) Amp.cm - 2, respectively. This technique is easier, simpler, and the use of the current flow is low, so it will not damage the contact resistance of the sample. We expect that the method can give a better solution for bulk superconductor application. Key words. : superconductor, critical temperature, and critical current density

Room temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sleight, A.W.

1995-01-01

If the Holy Grail of room temperature superconductivity could be achieved, the impact on could be enormous. However, a useful room temperature superconductor for most applications must possess a T c somewhat above room temperature and must be capable of sustaining superconductivity in the presence of magnetic fields while carrying a significant current load. The authors will return to the subject of just what characteristics one might seek for a compound to be a room temperature superconductor. 30 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Investigation on the bisoliton mechanism of high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Lingyun; Li Bozang; Pu Fucho; Lin Jiatih

1996-01-01

Microscopic parameters in the Davydov model are calculated on the basis of the bisoliton idea. The energy gap is obtained from combining the condition for the solution of Davydov's equation with the condensation energy of the superconductive state in zero field, and some characteristic parameters of high-temperature superconductors such as coherence length, penetration depth, and density of critical current for a thin film in weak magnetic field are given. It is also proved that lattice displacement in Davydov's equation satisfies the φ 4 field form. The critical temperature and the coefficient of linear specific heat of high-temperature superconductors are studied from the statistics of lattice kinks. The agreement between theoretical and experimental values for YBaCuO oxide ceramics suggests that the bisoliton model gives a reasonable explanation of high-temperature superconductivity. (orig.)

High-temperature cuprate superconductors. Experiment, theory, and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plakida, Nikolay

2010-01-01

High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductors provides an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the properties of these fascinating materials. The essential properties of high-temperature cuprate superconductors are reviewed on the background of their theoretical interpretation. The experimental results for structural, magnetic, thermal, electric, optical and lattice properties of various cuprate superconductors are presented with respect to relevant theoretical models. A critical comparison of various theoretical models involving strong electron correlations, antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, phonons and excitons provides a background for understanding of the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. Recent achievements in their applications are also reviewed. A large number of illustrations and tables gives valuable information for specialists. A text-book level presentation with formulation of a general theory of strong-coupling superconductivity will help students and researches to consolidate their knowledge of this remarkable class of materials. (orig.)

Potentialities in electronics of new high critical temperature superconductors. Potentialites en electronique des nouveaux supraconducteurs a haute temperature critique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartemann, P [Thomson-CSF, 75 - Paris (FR)

1989-09-01

The main electronic applications of superconductors involve the signal processing, the electromagnetic wave detection and the magnetometry. Characteristics of devices based on conventional superconductors cooled by liquid helium are given and the changes induced by incorporating high-temperature superconductors are estimated. After a survey of new superconductor properties, the superconducting devices for analog or digital signal processing are reviewed. The gains predicted for high-temperature superconducting analog devices are considered in greater detail. Different sections deal with the infrared or (sub)millimeter wave detection. The most sensitive apparatuses for magnetic measurements are based on SQUIDs. Features of SQUIDs made of granular high-temperature superconducting material samples (grain boundaries behave as barriers of intrinsic junctions) are discussed.

On the prospects of increasing critical parameters of superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazarev, B.G.; Pan, V.M.

1979-01-01

Noted is the importance of the production of materials with high critical parameters for modern science and technology. Considered are present notions about the nature of high critical densities of critical current. The opinion is expressed that the search of most high-temperature and high-field superconductors should be carried out, in the first place, among compounds based on transition metals displaying structural instability. Noted are prospects of the work over the synthesis of metastabile compounds with A15 structure (e.g. Nb 3 Si), three-component and more complex compounds, and superconductive amorphous systems(metglasses). It is emphasized that the exceeding of the paramagnetic limit of the critical magnetic field is often observed experimentally, and the prospects of critical field increase are sufficiently favourable. Considered is the role of narrow current channels in the formation of critical current density of superconductors

Stress analysis in high-temperature superconductors under pulsed field magnetization

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Haowei; Yong, Huadong; Zhou, Youhe

2018-04-01

Bulk high-temperature superconductors (HTSs) have a high critical current density and can trap a large magnetic field. When bulk superconductors are magnetized by the pulsed field magnetization (PFM) technique, they are also subjected to a large electromagnetic stress, and the resulting thermal stress may cause cracking of the superconductor due to the brittle nature of the sample. In this paper, based on the H-formulation and the law of heat transfer, we can obtain the distributions of electromagnetic field and temperature, which are in qualitative agreement with experiment. After that, based on the dynamic equilibrium equations, the mechanical response of the bulk superconductor is determined. During the PFM process, the change in temperature has a dramatic effect on the radial and hoop stresses, and the maximum radial and hoop stress are 24.2 {{MPa}} and 22.6 {{MPa}}, respectively. The mechanical responses of a superconductor for different cases are also studied, such as the peak value of the applied field and the size of bulk superconductors. Finally, the stresses are also presented for different magnetization methods.

Kiloampere, Variable-Temperature, Critical-Current Measurements of High-Field Superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodrich, L F; Cheggour, N; Stauffer, T C; Filla, B J; Lu, X F

2013-01-01

We review variable-temperature, transport critical-current (I c) measurements made on commercial superconductors over a range of critical currents from less than 0.1 A to about 1 kA. We have developed and used a number of systems to make these measurements over the last 15 years. Two exemplary variable-temperature systems with coil sample geometries will be described: a probe that is only variable-temperature and a probe that is variable-temperature and variable-strain. The most significant challenge for these measurements is temperature stability, since large amounts of heat can be generated by the flow of high current through the resistive sample fixture. Therefore, a significant portion of this review is focused on the reduction of temperature errors to less than ±0.05 K in such measurements. A key feature of our system is a pre-regulator that converts a flow of liquid helium to gas and heats the gas to a temperature close to the target sample temperature. The pre-regulator is not in close proximity to the sample and it is controlled independently of the sample temperature. This allows us to independently control the total cooling power, and thereby fine tune the sample cooling power at any sample temperature. The same general temperature-control philosophy is used in all of our variable-temperature systems, but the addition of another variable, such as strain, forces compromises in design and results in some differences in operation and protocol. These aspects are analyzed to assess the extent to which the protocols for our systems might be generalized to other systems at other laboratories. Our approach to variable-temperature measurements is also placed in the general context of measurement-system design, and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of design choices are presented. To verify the accuracy of the variable-temperature measurements, we compared critical-current values obtained on a specimen immersed in liquid helium ("liquid" or I c liq) at 5

Application of High Temperature Superconductors to Accelerators

CERN Document Server

Ballarino, A

2000-01-01

Since the discovery of high temperature superconductivity, a large effort has been made by the scientific community to investigate this field towards a possible application of the new oxide superconductors to different devices like SMES, magnetic bearings, flywheels energy storage, magnetic shielding, transmission cables, fault current limiters, etc. However, all present day large scale applications using superconductivity in accelerator technology are based on conventional materials operating at liquid helium temperatures. Poor mechanical properties, low critical current density and sensitivity to the magnetic field at high temperature are the key parameters whose improvement is essential for a large scale application of high temperature superconductors to such devices. Current leads, used for transferring currents from the power converters, working at room temperature, into the liquid helium environment, where the magnets are operating, represent an immediate application of the emerging technology of high t...

Signature of electron-phonon interaction in high temperature superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinod Ashokan

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The theory of thermal conductivity of high temperature superconductors (HTS based on electron and phonon line width (life times formulation is developed with Quantum dynamical approach of Green's function. The frequency line width is observed as an extremely sensitive quantity in the transport phenomena of HTS as a collection of large number of scattering processes. The role of resonance scattering and electron-phonon interaction processes is found to be most prominent near critical temperature. The theory successfully explains the spectacular behaviour of high Tc superconductors in the vicinity of transition temperature. A successful agreement between theory and experiment has been obtained by analyzing the thermal conductivity data for the sample La1.8Sr0.2CuO4 in the temperature range 0 − 200K. The theory is equally and successfully applicable to all other high Tc superconductors.

Numerical solutions to the critical state in a magnet-high temperature superconductor interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruiz-Alonso, D; Coombs, T A; Campbell, A M [Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

2005-02-01

This paper presents an algorithm to simulate the electromagnetic behaviour of devices containing high temperature superconductors in axially symmetric problems. The numerical method is built within the finite element method. The electromagnetic properties of HTSCs are described through the critical-state model. Measurements of the axial force between a permanent magnet and a melt-textured YBCO puck are obtained in order to validate the method. This simple system is modelled so that the proposed method obtains the current distribution and electromagnetic fields in the HTSC. The forces in the interaction between the magnet and the HTSC puck can then be calculated. A comparison between experimental and simulation results shows good matching. The simplification of using the critical-state model and ignoring flux creep in this type of configuration is also explored.

High Temperature Superconductor Accelerator Magnets

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2079328; de Rijk, Gijs; Dhalle, Marc

2016-11-10

For future particle accelerators bending dipoles are considered with magnetic fields exceeding $20T$. This can only be achieved using high temperature superconductors (HTS). These exhibit different properties from classical low temperature superconductors and still require significant research and development before they can be applied in a practical accelerator magnet. In order to study HTS in detail, a five tesla demonstrator magnet named Feather-M2 is designed and constructed. The magnet is based on ReBCO coated conductor, which is assembled into a $10kA$ class Roebel cable. A new and optimized Aligned Block layout is used, which takes advantage of the anisotropy of the conductor. This is achieved by providing local alignment of the Roebel cable in the coil windings with the magnetic field lines. A new Network Model capable of analyzing transient electro-magnetic and thermal phenomena in coated conductor cables and coils is developed. This model is necessary to solve critical issues in coated conductor ac...

TECHNICAL TRAINING SEMINAR: High Temperature Superconductors: Progress and Issues

CERN Multimedia

Davide Vitè

2002-01-01

Monday 24 June from 14:30 to 15:30 - Training Centre Auditorium - bldg. 593-11 High Temperature Superconductors: Progress and Issues Prof. Jan Evetts / UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, UK Grappling with grain boundaries: Current transport processes in granular High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) The development of High Temperature Superconductors, seen from a materials scientist's point of view, is relevant to the superconductivity community at CERN: their possible high current applications can include high performance magnets for future accelerators. There is an urgent need to develop a quantitative description of HTS conductors in terms of their complex anisotropy, inhomogeneity and dimensionality. This is essential both for the practical specification of a conductor and for charting routes to conductor optimisation. The critical current, the n-value, dissipation and quenching characteristics are amongst most important parameters that make up an engineering specifi...

Superconducting critical temperature under pressure

Science.gov (United States)

González-Pedreros, G. I.; Baquero, R.

2018-05-01

The present record on the critical temperature of a superconductor is held by sulfur hydride (approx. 200 K) under very high pressure (approx. 56 GPa.). As a consequence, the dependence of the superconducting critical temperature on pressure became a subject of great interest and a high number of papers on of different aspects of this subject have been published in the scientific literature since. In this paper, we calculate the superconducting critical temperature as a function of pressure, Tc(P), by a simple method. Our method is based on the functional derivative of the critical temperature with the Eliashberg function, δTc(P)/δα2F(ω). We obtain the needed coulomb electron-electron repulsion parameter, μ*(P) at each pressure in a consistent way by fitting it to the corresponding Tc using the linearized Migdal-Eliashberg equation. This method requires as input the knowledge of Tc at the starting pressure only. It applies to superconductors for which the Migdal-Eliashberg equations hold. We study Al and β - Sn two weak-coupling low-Tc superconductors and Nb, the strong coupling element with the highest critical temperature. For Al, our results for Tc(P) show an excellent agreement with the calculations of Profeta et al. which are known to agree well with experiment. For β - Sn and Nb, we found a good agreement with the experimental measurements reported in several works. This method has also been applied successfully to PdH elsewhere. Our method is simple, computationally light and gives very accurate results.

Superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor nanojunctions from perovskite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Štrbík, V.; Beňačka, Š.; Gaži, Š.; Španková, M.; Šmatko, V.; Knoška, J.; Gál, N.; Chromik, Š.; Sojková, M.; Pisarčík, M.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor nanojunction. • Nanojunctions prepared by Ga"3"+ focused ion beam patterning. • Indication of triplet Cooper pair component in junction superconducting current. • Qualitative agreement with theoretical model. - Abstract: The lateral superconductor-ferromagnet–superconductor (SFS) nanojunctions based on high critical temperature superconductor YBa_2Cu_3O_x (YBCO) and half-metallic ferromagnet La_0_._6_7Sr_0_._3_3MnO_3 (LSMO) thin films were prepared to investigate a possible presence of long range triplet component (LRTC) of Cooper pairs in the LSMO. We applied Ga"3"+ focused ion beam patterning to create YBCO/LSMO/YBCO lateral type nanojunctions with LSMO length as small as 40 nm. The resistivity vs. temperature, critical current density vs. temperature and resistance vs. magnetic field dependence were studied to recognize the LRTC of Cooper pairs in the LSMO. A non-monotonic temperature dependence of junction critical current density and a decrease of the SFS nanojunction resistance in increased magnetic field were observed. Only weak manifestations of LRTC and some qualitative agreement with theory were found out in SFS nanojunctions realized from the perovskite materials. The presence of equal-spin triplet component of Cooper pairs in half-metallic LSMO ferromagnet is not such apparent as in SFS junctions prepared from low temperature superconductors NbTiN and half-metallic ferromagnet CrO_2.

Critical current enhancement by Lorentz force reduction in superconductor-ferromagnet nanocomposites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blamire, M G; Dinner, R B; Wimbush, S C; MacManus-Driscoll, J L

2009-01-01

Ferromagnetic pinning centres in superconductors form much deeper potential wells than equivalent insulating or metallic non-superconducting inclusions. However, the resultant pinning forces arising from magnetic inclusions are low because the magnetic interaction takes place over the length scale of the magnetic penetration depth which is large in technological superconductors. Nonetheless, we show that a magnetic inclusion can also reduce the Lorentz force on a vortex, yielding a substantially enhanced critical current density for a given pinning force. We calculate this enhancement for a single vortex pinned by a paramagnetic cylinder as well as a vortex lattice interacting with magnetic inclusions, and find that the inclusion of ferromagnetic particles or rods offers a practical means of enhancing the critical currents in oxide high temperature superconductors.

Low-Temperature Synthesis Routes to Intermetallic Superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaak, Raymond E

2008-01-08

Over the past few years, our group has gained expertise at developing low-temperature solution-based synthetic pathways to complex nanoscale solids, with particular emphasis on nanocrystalline intermetallic compounds. Our synthetic capabilities are providing tools to reproducibly generate intermetallic nanostructures with simultaneous control over crystal structure, composition, and morphology. This DOE-funded project aims to expand these capabilities to intermetallic superconductors. This could represent an important addition to the tools that are available for the synthesis and processing of intermetallic superconductors, which traditionally utilize high-temperature, high-pressure, thin film, or gas-phase vacuum deposition methods. Our current knowledge of intermetallic superconductors suggests that significant enhancements could result from the inherent benefits of low-temperature solution synthesis, e.g. metastable phase formation, control over nanoscale morphology to facilitate size-dependent property studies, robust and inexpensive processability, low-temperature annealing and consolidation, and impurity incorporation (for doping, stoichiometry control, flux pinning, and improving the critical fields). Our focus is on understanding the superconducting properties as a function of synthetic route, crystal structure, crystallite size, and morphology, and developing the synthetic tools necessary to accomplish this. This research program can currently be divided into two classes of superconducting materials: intermetallics (transition metal/post transition metal) and metal carbides/borides. Both involve the development and exploitation of low-temperature synthesis routes followed by detailed characterization of structures and properties, with the goal of understanding how the synthetic pathways influence key superconducting properties of selected target materials. Because of the low-temperature methods used to synthesize them and the nanocrystalline morphologies

High temperature superconductor accelerator magnets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Nugteren, J.

2016-01-01

For future particle accelerators bending dipoles are considered with magnetic fields exceeding 20T. This can only be achieved using high temperature superconductors (HTS). These exhibit different properties from classical low temperature superconductors and still require significant research and

High temperature superconductors for fusion magnets -influence of neutron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chudy, M.; Eisterer, M.; Weber, H. W.

2010-01-01

In this work authors present the results of study of influence of neutron irradiation of high temperature superconductors for fusion magnets. High temperature superconductors (type of YBCO (Yttrium-Barium-Copper-Oxygen)) are strong candidates to be applied in the next step of fusion devices. Defects induced by fast neutrons are effective pinning centres, which can significantly improve critical current densities and reduce J c anisotropy. Due to induced lattice disorder, T c is reduced. Requirements for ITER (DEMO) are partially achieved at 64 K.

NSSEFF Designing New Higher Temperature Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-13

AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2017-0083 NSSEFF - DESIGINING NEW HIGHER TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTORS Meigan Aronson THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF STATE UNIVERSITY OF...2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE NSSEFF - DESIGINING NEW HIGHER TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTORS 5a.  CONTRACT NUMBER 5b.  GRANT NUMBER FA9550-10-1-0191 5c...materials, identifying the most promising candidates. 15. SUBJECT TERMS TEMPERATURE, SUPERCONDUCTOR 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF

Superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor nanojunctions from perovskite materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Štrbík, V., E-mail: vladimir.strbik@savba.sk [Institute of Electrical Engineering, SAS, Dúbravská Cesta 9, Bratislava (Slovakia); Beňačka, Š.; Gaži, Š.; Španková, M.; Šmatko, V. [Institute of Electrical Engineering, SAS, Dúbravská Cesta 9, Bratislava (Slovakia); Knoška, J. [Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607, Hamburg (Germany); Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22607, Hamburg (Germany); Gál, N.; Chromik, Š.; Sojková, M.; Pisarčík, M. [Institute of Electrical Engineering, SAS, Dúbravská Cesta 9, Bratislava (Slovakia)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor nanojunction. • Nanojunctions prepared by Ga{sup 3+} focused ion beam patterning. • Indication of triplet Cooper pair component in junction superconducting current. • Qualitative agreement with theoretical model. - Abstract: The lateral superconductor-ferromagnet–superconductor (SFS) nanojunctions based on high critical temperature superconductor YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub x} (YBCO) and half-metallic ferromagnet La{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} (LSMO) thin films were prepared to investigate a possible presence of long range triplet component (LRTC) of Cooper pairs in the LSMO. We applied Ga{sup 3+} focused ion beam patterning to create YBCO/LSMO/YBCO lateral type nanojunctions with LSMO length as small as 40 nm. The resistivity vs. temperature, critical current density vs. temperature and resistance vs. magnetic field dependence were studied to recognize the LRTC of Cooper pairs in the LSMO. A non-monotonic temperature dependence of junction critical current density and a decrease of the SFS nanojunction resistance in increased magnetic field were observed. Only weak manifestations of LRTC and some qualitative agreement with theory were found out in SFS nanojunctions realized from the perovskite materials. The presence of equal-spin triplet component of Cooper pairs in half-metallic LSMO ferromagnet is not such apparent as in SFS junctions prepared from low temperature superconductors NbTiN and half-metallic ferromagnet CrO{sub 2}.

High-temperature superconductors make major progress

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2014-01-01

This month's Nature Materials featured an important breakthrough for high-temperature superconductors. A new method has been found for processing Bi-2212 high-temperature superconducting round wire in order to drastically increase its critical current density. The result confirms that this conductor is a serious candidate for future very-high-field magnets.   This image shows the cross-section of two Bi-2212 wires. The bottom wire has less leakage and void porosity due to a heat treatment done at an overpressure of 100 bar - about 100 times the pressure used to produce the top wire (image from [Nature Materials, Vol. 13 (2014), 10.1038/nmat3887]). The workhorse for building superconducting accelerator magnets has been, so far, the Niobium-Titanium (Nb-Ti) alloy superconductor. But with Nb-Ti having reached its full potential, other conductors must be used to operate in higher magnetic fields beyond those reached with the LHC magnets. Today, the intermetallic Niobium-Tin (Nb3Sn) is th...

Time dependence of magnetization of high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larkin, A.I.; Geshkenbein, V.B.

1988-10-01

Magnetization of high T c superconductors logarithmically decreases with time. There is a maximum in the temperature dependence of the coefficient at this logarithm. If one assumes that there do exist two kinds of pinning centers, then this dependence can be described in the Anderson theory of thermal creeps of Abrikosov's vortices. The temperature dependence of the critical current is also discussed. (author). 23 refs

Critical-temperature inhomogeneities and resistivity rounding in copper oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maza, J.; Vidal, F.

1991-01-01

By using effective-medium approaches, we obtain the onset of the electrical-resistivity rounding, above the normal-superconducting transition, associated with inhomogeneities of the mean-field critical temperature T c0 at scales larger than the superconducting correlation length. These results are compared with available data in single-crystal and single-phase (to within 4%) polycrystalline YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ samples. This comparison shows that the measured resistivity rounding cannot be explained by these types of local T c0 inhomogeneities. Complementarily, our calculations allow us to check some proposals on T c0 inhomogeneities associated with local sample strains or oxygen-content variations. The interplay between T c0 inhomogeneities and superconducting order-parameter fluctuations (SCOPF) leads to the conclusion that in the mean-field-like region (MFR) above the superconducting transition, the T c0 inhomogeneity contribution to the measured resistivity rounding in high-quality (single-phase) cuprate oxide superconductors is negligible. In contrast, our analysis confirms that in the MFR these effects may be explained quantitatively on the grounds of the Lawrence-Doniach theory for SCOPF

Influence of anisotropy and pinning centers on critical current properties in Bi-2212 superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haraguchi, T.; Takayama, S.; Kiuchi, M.; Otabe, E.S.; Matsushita, T.; Yasuda, T.; Okayasu, S.; Uchida, S.; Shimoyama, J.; Kishio, K.

2006-01-01

The critical current density in Bi-2212 superconductors with various anisotropies irradiated by heavy ions was investigated in the medium temperature region to understand the effects of defect size and the anisotropy of the superconductor. It was found that the critical current density and the irreversibility field were larger for the specimen with larger defect and/or with smaller anisotropy. Introduction of stronger pinning centers and the optimization of the doping condition to improve the dimensionality are desired for further improvement of the critical current properties

The critical current of granular superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignat'ev, V.K.

1998-01-01

A mechanism of hyper vortex pinning in granular superconductors is proposed to describe the field dependence of the critical current density and pinning potential. The results are in a good agreement with the experiment. The model represents the peak effect and the percolation mechanism of conductivity in ceramic superconductors

The design of high-Tc superconductors - Room-temperature superconductivity?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tallon, J.L.; Storey, J.G.; Mallett, B.

2012-01-01

This year is the centennial of the discovery of superconductivity and the 25th anniversary of the discovery of high-T c superconductors (HTS). Though we still do not fully understand how HTS work, the basic rules of design can be determined from studying their systematics. We know what to do to increase T c and, more importantly, what to do to increase critical current density J c . This in turn lays down a challenge for the chemist. Can the ideal design be synthesized? More importantly, what are the limits? Can one make a room-temperature superconductor? In fact fluctuations place strict constraints on this objective and provide important guidelines for the design of the ideal superconductor.

Quantum critical scaling at the edge of Fermi liquid stability in a cuprate superconductor.

Science.gov (United States)

Butch, Nicholas P; Jin, Kui; Kirshenbaum, Kevin; Greene, Richard L; Paglione, Johnpierre

2012-05-29

In the high-temperature cuprate superconductors, the pervasiveness of anomalous electronic transport properties suggests that violation of conventional Fermi liquid behavior is closely tied to superconductivity. In other classes of unconventional superconductors, atypical transport is well correlated with proximity to a quantum critical point, but the relative importance of quantum criticality in the cuprates remains uncertain. Here, we identify quantum critical scaling in the electron-doped cuprate material La(2-x)Ce(x)CuO(4) with a line of quantum critical points that surrounds the superconducting phase as a function of magnetic field and charge doping. This zero-temperature phase boundary, which delineates a metallic Fermi liquid regime from an extended non-Fermi liquid ground state, closely follows the upper critical field of the overdoped superconducting phase and gives rise to an expanse of distinct non-Fermi liquid behavior at finite temperatures. Together with signatures of two distinct flavors of quantum fluctuations, these facts suggest that quantum criticality plays a significant role in shaping the anomalous properties of the cuprate phase diagram.

Magnetic relaxation, flux pinning and critical currents in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lichtenberger, K.S.

1991-01-01

A systematic study of the magnetic flux pinning properties in superconductors has been undertaken in an attempt to understand the differences between the flux creep behavior of classical superconductors and high-temperature superconductors (HTSC's). In HTSC's, the ratio of the effective flux pinning energy to the thermal energy, U 0 /kT, is much smaller than that of conventional superconductors, often approaching unity. This results in much larger creep rates in HTSC's than in conventional superconductors. It is necessary to find suitable models that describe flux creep in both classical superconductors and HTSC's. Results show that while these two classes of materials are quantitatively very different, a single pinning barrier mode adequately describes both, within the proper region of the H-T plane. The model is applied to a variety of superconductors and the results are contrasted. Although the H-T plane appears to be very different HTSC's than for conventional superconductors, qualitatively the same physics describes both. In HTSC's, near the upper critical field there exists a relatively wide region of superconducting fluctuations, followed successively by regions of thermodynamic reversibility, thermally assisted flux, flux creep, and finally rigid flux lattice where little, if any, motion of the flux lattice occurs. All of these regions are also present in conventional superconductors, but often much more difficult, especially the irreversibility transition and the fluctuation region. The central finding of the flux creep analysis is that the region of flux creep is defined as a band in the H-T plane in which 2 ≤ U 0 /kT ≤ 100, and that the flux creep model applies best within this band

Deformation of high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goretta, K.C.; Routbort, J.L.; Miller, D.J.; Chen, N.; Dominguez-Rodriguez, A.; Jimenez-Melendo, M.; De Arellano-Lopez, A.R.

1994-08-01

Of the many families of high-temperature superconductors, only the properties of those discovered prior to 1989 - Y-Ba-Cu-O, Tl-Ba(Sr)-Ca-Cu-O, and Bi(Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O - have been studied extensively. Deformation tests have been performed on YBa 2 Cu 3 O x (Y-123), YBa 2 Cu 4 O x (Y-124), TlBa 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O x (Bi-2223). The tests have revealed that plasticity is generally limited in these compounds and that the rate-controlling diffusional kinetics for creep are very slow. Nevertheless, hot forming has proved to be quite successful for fabrication of bulk high-temperature superconductors, so long as deformation rates are low or large hydrostatic stresses are applied. Steady-state creep data have proved to be useful in designing optimal heat treatments for superconductors and in support of more-fundamental diffusion experiments. The high-temperature superconductors are highly complex oxides, and it is a challenge to understand their deformation responses. In this paper, results of interest and operant creep mechanisms will be reviewed

Superconductors with low critical temperature for electro-magnets; Supraconducteurs a basse temperature critique pour electroaimants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Devred, A

2002-07-01

Among the superconductors with low critical temperature that are used to build magnets, NbTi has reached a development state that allows a massive production for big equipment of physics and an industrial production in the domain of medicine imaging. The material that might challenge the supremacy of NbTi is Nb{sub 3}Sn but some technical difficulties have yet to be overcome. This report begins with a review of the different industrial processes used to produce superconducting wires based on the NbTi and Nb{sub 3}Sn materials. The transition from the superconducting state to the resistive normal state is described for both materials, the magnetizing of multi-wire superconducting cables is also presented. The author details the different patterns of wires in cables and proposes a formulary that allows the determination, in some simple cases,of energy losses that are generated in a superconducting cable by a variable magnetic field. (A.C.)

Transport measurements in superconductors: critical current of granular high TC ceramic superconductor samples; Medidas de transporte em supercondutores: corrente critica de supercondutores granulares de alta temperatura critica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Passos, W.A.C., E-mail: wagner.passos@univasf.edu.br [Universidade Federal do Vale do Sao Francisco (IPCM/UNIVASF), Juazeiro do Norte, BA (Brazil). Instituto de Pesquisas em Ciencia dos Materiais; Silva, E.B. [Companhia Energetica do Sao Francisco (CHESF), Recife, PE (Brazil)

2016-07-01

This work presents a method to obtain critical current of granular superconductors. We have carried out transport measurements (ρxT curves and VxI curves) in a YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-δ} sample to determine critical current density of it. Some specimens reveal a 'semiconductor-like' behavior (electrical resistivity decreases with increasing temperatures above critical temperature T{sub c} of material) competing with superconductor behavior. Due to high granular fraction of the sample, these competition is clearly noted in ρxT curves. Measurements carried out from 0 to 8500 Oe of applied field show the same behavior, and the critical current density of the samples is shown. (author)

Critical currents and thermally activated flux motion in high-temperature superconductors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Palstra, T.T.M.; Batlogg, B.; Dover, R.B. van; Schneemeyer, L.F.; Waszczak, J.V.

1989-01-01

We have measured the resistance below Tc of single crystals of the high-temperature superconductors Ba2YCu3O7 and Bi2.2Sr2Ca0.8Cu2O8+δ in magnetic fields up to 12 T. The resistive transition of both compounds is dominated by intrinsic dissipation which is thermally activated, resulting in an

Passivation Of High-Temperature Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Vasquez, Richard P.

1991-01-01

Surfaces of high-temperature superconductors passivated with native iodides, sulfides, or sulfates formed by chemical treatments after superconductors grown. Passivating compounds nearly insoluble in and unreactive with water and protect underlying superconductors from effects of moisture. Layers of cuprous iodide and of barium sulfate grown. Other candidate passivating surface films: iodides and sulfides of bismuth, strontium, and thallium. Other proposed techniques for formation of passivating layers include deposition and gas-phase reaction.

Current sharing effect on the current instability and allowable temperature rise of composite high-TC superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanovskii, V.R.; Watanabe, K.; Awaji, S.; Nishijima, G.; Takahashi, Ken-ichiro

2004-01-01

To understand the basic mechanisms of the thermal runaway phenomenon, the limiting margin of the current instability, which may spontaneously occur in composite high-T C superconductors like multifilament Bi-based wire or tape, is derived under DC magnetic field. The current sharing and allowable temperature rise effects were considered. A static zero-dimensional model was utilized to describe the basic formulae dealing with the peculiarities of the non-isothermal change of superconducting composite voltage-current characteristic. The boundary of allowable stable values of the temperature, electric field and current are derived analytically. It was shown that permissible values of the current and electric field might be higher than those determined by use of the standard critical current criterion. In consequence of this feature, the noticeable allowable temperature rise of the composite superconductor before its transition to the normal state may be seen. The criterion for complete thermal stability condition is written describing the state when temperature of the composite equals critical temperature of a superconductor and the transport current flows stably only in matrix. The performed analysis also proves the existence of value of the volume fraction of a superconductor in composite at which its current-carrying capacity has minimum. These peculiarities are due to the stable current redistribution between superconductor and stabilizing matrix. Therefore, the current sharing not only leads to the matrix/superconductor ratio effect on the stable operating characteristics of the composite high-T C superconductors but also becomes important in the adequate description of quench process in the high-T C superconducting magnets

Processing of bulk Bi-2223 high-temperature superconductor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Polasek

2005-12-01

Full Text Available The Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3 O10+x (Bi-2223 is one of the main high temperature superconductors for applications. One of these applications is the Superconductor Fault Current Limiter (SCFCL, which is a very promising high temperature superconducting device. SCFCL's can be improved by using bulk superconductors with high critical currents, which requires a sufficiently dense and textured material. In the present work, a process for improving the microstructure of Bi-2223 bulk samples is investigated. Pressed precursor blocks are processed by sintering with a further partial melting step, in order to enhance the Bi-2223 grain texture and to healing cracks induced by pressing. In order to improve the microstructure, the precursor is mixed with silver powder before pressing. Samples with and without silver powder have been studied, with the aim of investigating the influence of silver on the microstructure evolution. The phase contents and the microstructure obtained have been analyzed through XRD and SEM/EDS. The electromagnetic characterization has been performed by Magnetic Susceptibility Analysis. We present and discuss the process and the properties of the superconducting blocks. High fractions of textured Bi-2223 grains have been obtained.

Finite-element modelling of superconductors in over-critical regime with temperature dependent resistivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duron, J; Grilli, F; Antognazza, L; Decroux, M; Stavrev, S; Dutoit, B; Fischer, Oe

2006-01-01

In this paper, we present a new numerical model, in which both the thermal and the electromagnetic aspects of the over-critical current regime of HTS materials are taken into account. The electromagnetic and thermal equations have been implemented in finite-element method (FEM) software in order to obtain a novel, closer to reality model for investigating the behaviour of the superconductor when the current exceeds I c . This model has been applied for studying the behaviour of strip lines of an YBCO/Au FCL with a sapphire substrate. Simulations with currents largely exceeding I c have been performed, showing that the total current limitation occurs only when the temperature dependence of the electrical parameters is taken into consideration. Such modelling can replace experiments with currents far exceeding I c which may damage or destroy the studied sample or HTS device

High temperature superconductor cable concepts for fusion magnets

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2078397

2013-01-01

Three concepts of high temperature superconductor cables carrying kA currents (RACC, CORC and TSTC) are investigated, optimized and evaluated in the scope of their applicability as conductor in fusion magnets. The magnetic field and temperature dependence of the cables is measured; the thermal expansion and conductivity of structure, insulation and filling materials are investigated. High temperature superconductor winding packs for fusion magnets are calculated and compared with corresponding low temperature superconductor cases.

Critical de Broglie wavelength in superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Talantsev, E. F.

2018-03-01

There are growing numbers of experimental evidences that the self-field critical currents, Jc(sf,T), are a new instructive tool to investigate fundamental properties of superconductors ranging from atomically thin films [M. Liao et al., Nat. Phys. 6 (2018), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-017-0031-6; E. F. Talantsev et al., 2D Mater. 4 (2017) 025072; A. Fete et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 109 (2016) 192601] to millimeter-scale samples [E. F. Talantsev et al., Sci. Rep. 7 (2017) 10010]. The basic empirical equation which quantitatively accurately described experimental Jc(sf,T) was proposed by Talantsev and Tallon [Nat. Commun. 6 (2015) 7820] and it was the relevant critical field (i.e. thermodynamic field, Bc, for type-I and lower critical field, Bc1, for type-II superconductors) divided by the London penetration depth, λL. In this paper, we report new findings relating to this empirical equation. It is that the critical wavelength of the de Broglie wave, λdB,c, of the superconducting charge carrier which within a numerical pre-factor is equal to the largest of two characteristic lengths of Ginzburg-Landau theory, i.e. the coherence length, ξ, for type-I superconductors or the London penetration depth, λL, for type-II superconductors. We also formulate a microscopic criterion for the onset of dissipative transport current flow: ps ṡ 2ṡλL ln(1+2ṡ(λL ξ )) ≥ 1 2 ṡ ( h 2π), where ps is the charge carrier momentum, h is Planck’s constant and the inequality sign “ <” is reserved for the dissipation-free flow.

In silico optimization of critical currents in superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kimmel, Gregory; Sadovskyy, Ivan A.; Glatz, Andreas

2017-07-01

For many technological applications of superconductors the performance of a material is determined by the highest current it can carry losslessly-the critical current. In turn, the critical current can be controlled by adding nonsuperconducting defects in the superconductor matrix. Here we report on systematic comparison of different local and global optimization strategies to predict optimal structures of pinning centers leading to the highest possible critical currents. We demonstrate performance of these methods for a superconductor with randomly placed spherical, elliptical, and columnar defects.

Critical transport current in granular high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogolyubov, N.A.

1999-01-01

The temperature and size dependence of the critical current in a zero magnetic field of three bismuth-based ceramic samples with round cross section and one sample with rectangular triangle cross section have been studied by a contactless technique. It is shown that the critical current can be presented as a product of the temperature and size dependent factors. The temperature-dependent multiplier reflects the individual peculiarities of the Josephson net of each sample, while the size factor is a homogeneous function of the cross-section sizes. The index of this function is independent of the cross-section form, the temperature and individual properties of HTSC samples. The radial distribution of critical current density in round samples and dependence of the critical current density on the magnetic conduction in granular HTSC have been found from the analysis of experimental data

Electron-beam damaged high-temperature superconductor Josephson junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pauza, A.J.; Booij, W.E.; Herrmann, K.; Moore, D.F.; Blamire, M.G.; Rudman, D.A.; Vale, L.R.

1997-01-01

Results are presented on the fabrication and characterization of high critical temperature Josephson junctions in thin films of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ produced by the process of focused electron-beam irradiation using 350 keV electrons. The junctions so produced have uniform spatial current densities, can be described in terms of the resistive shunted junction model, and their current densities can be tailored for a given operating temperature. The physical properties of the damaged barrier can be described as a superconducting material of either reduced or zero critical temperature (T c ), which has a length of ∼15nm. The T c reduction is caused primarily by oxygen Frenkel defects in the Cu - O planes. The large beam currents used in the fabrication of the junctions mean that the extent of the barrier is limited by the incident electron-beam diameter, rather than by scattering within the film. The properties of the barrier can be calculated using a superconductor/normal/superconductor (SNS) junction model with no boundary resistance. From the SNS model, we can predict the scaling of the critical current resistance (I c R n ) product and gain insight into the factors controlling the junction properties, T c , and reproducibility. From the measured I c R n scaling data, we can predict the I c R n product of a junction at a given operating temperature with a given current density. I c R n products of ∼2mV can be achieved at 4.2 K. The reproducibility of several junctions in a number of samples can be characterized by the ratio of the maximum-to-minimum critical currents on the same substrate of less than 1.4. Stability over several months has been demonstrated at room and refrigerator temperatures (297 and 281 K) for junctions that have been initially over damaged and then annealed at temperatures ∼380K. (Abstract Truncated)

Sealed glass coating of high temperature ceramic superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Weite; Chu, Cha Y.; Goretta, Kenneth C.; Routbort, Jules L.

1995-01-01

A method and article of manufacture of a lead oxide based glass coating on a high temperature superconductor. The method includes preparing a dispersion of glass powders in a solution, applying the dispersion to the superconductor, drying the dispersion before applying another coating and heating the glass powder dispersion at temperatures below oxygen diffusion onset and above the glass melting point to form a continuous glass coating on the superconductor to establish compressive stresses which enhance the fracture strength of the superconductor.

Risk Mitigaion for HTS Motors: Intermediate Temperature (27 K) Strain Effects in Reinforced Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O Superconductors

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Schwartz, Justin

2004-01-01

High temperature superconductors , known for their high critical temperatures, also have very high upper critical fields and thus have received significant attention for superconducting magnets (SCMs...

Levitation Experiment Using a High-Temperature Superconductor Coil for a Plasma Confinement Device

Science.gov (United States)

Morikawa, Junji; Ozawa, Daisaku; Ogawa, Yuichi; Yanagi, Nagato; Hamaguchi, Sinji; Mito, Toshiyuki

2001-10-01

Levitation experiments using a high-temperature superconductor coil have been carried out. A coil with a minor radius of 42 mm was fabricated with a Bi-2223 tape conductor, and immersed in the liquid nitrogen. The coil current was induced by the field-cooling method up to the critical current value. The current decay of the coil can be accounted for by the flux flow resistance and the normal resistance at the lap joint. The high-temperature superconductor coil can be levitated for 4 min or more within an accuracy of 25-30 μm.

Temperature factor for magnetic instability conditions of type – II superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanovskii, V.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Electrodynamics and thermal diffusion phenomena in superconductors have the fission-chain-reaction nature. • There exist nontrivial relations between stability conditions, allowable losses and stable superconductor’s overheating. • The magnetic stability conditions are direct consequence of the states when the heat releases exceeds the critical energy. • The critical energy of magnetic instability depends on the nature of an external disturbance. • The non-isothermal magnetic instability conditions of the critical state are formulated. - Abstract: The macroscopic development of interrelated electrodynamics and thermal states taking place both before and after instability onset in type-II superconductors are studied using the critical state and the flux creep concepts. The physical mechanisms of the non-isothermal formation of the critical state are discussed solving the set of unsteady thermo-electrodynamics equations taking into consideration the unknown moving penetration boundary of the magnetic flux. To make it, the numerical method, which allows to study diffusion phenomena with unknown moving phase-two boundary, is developed. The corresponding non-isothermal flux jump criteria are written. It is proved for the first time that, first, the diffusion phenomena in superconductors have the fission-chain-reaction nature, second, the stability conditions, losses in superconductor and its stable overheating before instability onset are mutually dependent. The results are compared with those following from the existing magnetic instability theory, which does not take into consideration the stable temperature increase of superconductor before the instability onset. It is shown that errors of isothermal approximation are significant for modes closed to adiabatic ones. Therefore, the well-known adiabatic flux jump criterion limits the range of possible stable superconducting states since a correct determination of their stability states must

Self-organizing of critical state in granulated superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginzburg, S.L.; Savitskaya, N.E.

2000-01-01

Critical state in granulated superconductors was studied on the basis of two mathematical models - the system of differential equations for calibration and invariant difference of phases and a simplified model describing the system of associated images and equivalent to the standard models to study self-organizing criticality. The critical state of granulated superconductors in all studied cases was shown to be self-organized. Besides, it is shown that the applied models are practically equivalent ones, that is they both show similar critical behavior and lead to coincidence of noncritical phenomena. For the first time one showed that the occurrence of self-organized critically within the system of nonlinear differential equations and its equivalence to self-organized critically in the standard models [ru

High temperature superconductors and other superfluids

CERN Document Server

Alexandrov, A S

2017-01-01

Written by eminent researchers in the field, this text describes the theory of superconductivity and superfluidity starting from liquid helium and a charged Bose-gas. It also discusses the modern bipolaron theory of strongly coupled superconductors, which explains the basic physical properties of high-temperature superconductors. This book will be of interest to fourth year graduate and postgraduate students, specialist libraries, information centres and chemists working in high-temperature superconductivity.

Radiation-induced changes of critical fields in NbTi superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, H.W.; Khier, W.; Wacenovsky, M.; Hoch, H.

1988-01-01

Neutron irradiation experiments on a variety of metallurgically different NbTi superconductors for use in fusion magnets were performed. Results on the change in critical current densities with neutron fluence were significantly different in low and in high magnetic fields. Based on the suggestion of a prevailing influence of the upper critical field on critical currents at high fields a systematic study of upper critical fields was made on irradiated and unirradiated samples. The upper critical field decreased upon irradiation by about 2 to 6%. Companion experiments on the change of the transition temperature in the same materials showed excellent correlations between the degradation of these superconductive properties. Implications for the observed critical current density degradation at high fields are discussed

Effect of exciton pairing on the stationary Josephson current in superconductor-semimetal-superconductor junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itskovich, I.F.; Shekhter, R.I.

1983-01-01

The effect of exciton pairing of charge carriers in a semimetal on the stationary Josephson current in superconductor-semimetal-superconductor junctions is considered. It is shown that the phase transition of the semimetal interlayer into an exciton dielectric state for T/sub γ/< T/sub c/ (T/sub γ/, T/sub c/ are the superconducting and exciton transition temperatures, respectively) is accompanied by a kink on the critical current j/sub c/ versus temperature curve at the point T = T/sub γ/. A sharp nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the reduced current j/sub c//j/sub c/0 (j/sub c/0 is the critical current at T/sub γ/ = 0) is also possible in the range T< T/sub γ/. At low temperatures T<< v/sub 1,2//d<< T/sub γ/ (v/sub 1,2/ are the Fermi velocities of the carriers in the semimetal, d is the thickness of the interlayer) the critical current of the superconductor-semimetal-superconductor junction is exponentially smaller than the current in the absence of exciton pairing

Levitation experiment using a high-temperature superconductor coil for a plasma confinement device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morikawa, Junji; Ogawa, Yuichi [Tokyo Univ., High Temperature Plasma Center, Tokyo (Japan); Ozawa, Daisaku [Tokyo Univ., School of Engineering, Tokyo (Japan); Yanagi, Nagato; Hamaguchi, Sinji; Mito, Toshiyuki [National Institute for Fusion Science, Toki, Gifu (Japan)

2001-10-01

Levitation experiments using a high-temperature superconductor coil have been carried out. A coil with a minor radius of 42 mm was fabricated with a Bi-2223 tape conductor, and immersed in the liquid nitrogen. The coil current was induced by the field-cooling method up to the critical current value. The current decay of the coil can be accounted for by the flux flow resistance and the normal resistance at the lap joint. The high-temperature superconductor coil can be levitated for 4 min or more within an accuracy of 25-30 {mu}m. (author)

Levitation experiment using a high-temperature superconductor coil for a plasma confinement device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morikawa, Junji; Ogawa, Yuichi; Ozawa, Daisaku; Yanagi, Nagato; Hamaguchi, Sinji; Mito, Toshiyuki

2001-01-01

Levitation experiments using a high-temperature superconductor coil have been carried out. A coil with a minor radius of 42 mm was fabricated with a Bi-2223 tape conductor, and immersed in the liquid nitrogen. The coil current was induced by the field-cooling method up to the critical current value. The current decay of the coil can be accounted for by the flux flow resistance and the normal resistance at the lap joint. The high-temperature superconductor coil can be levitated for 4 min or more within an accuracy of 25-30 μm. (author)

Critical current enhancement in high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, S.; Graebner, J.E.; Tiefel, T.H.

1990-01-01

Progress toward major technological applications of the bulk, high T c superconductors has been hindered by two major barriers, i.e., the Josephson weak-links at grain boundaries and the lack of sufficient intragrain flux pinning. It has been demonstrated that the weak link problem can be overcome by extreme alignment of grains such as in melt-textured-growth (MTG) materials. Modified or improved processing by various laboratories has produced further increased critical currents. However, the insufficient flux pinning seems to limit the critical current density in high fields to about 10 4 --10 5 A/cm 2 at 77K, which is not satisfactory for many applications. In this paper, processing, microstructure, and critical current behavior of the MTG type superconductors are described, and various processing possibilities for flux pinning enhancement are discussed

Low-temperature rapid synthesis and superconductivity of Fe-based oxypnictide superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Ai-Hua; Huang, Fu-Qiang; Xie, Xiao-Ming; Jiang, Mian-Heng

2010-03-17

Fe-based oxypnictide superconductors were successfully synthesized at lower reaction temperatures and with shorter reaction times made possible by starting with less stable compounds, which provide a larger driving force for reactions. Using ball-milled powders of intermediate compounds, phase-pure superconductors with T(c) above 50 K were synthesized at 1173 K in 20 min. This method is particularly advantageous for retaining F, a volatile dopant that enhances superconductivity. Bulk superconductivity and high upper critical fields up to 392 T in Sm(0.85)Nd(0.15)FeAsO(0.85)F(0.15) were demonstrated.

The critical state stability in textured Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nabialek, A.; Niewczas, M.

2006-01-01

The influence of parameters such as temperature, density of the critical current j c , sample dimensions and heat exchange conditions on the critical state stability has been studied in thin samples of textured Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ (BSCCO) superconductor, in an external magnetic field perpendicular to the wide surface of the samples. The results show that stability of the superconductor against flux jumps increases with decreasing sample thickness. A composite-like sample consisting of two superconducting slabs glued together exhibits critical state stability as a bulk sample of the same thickness while it is less stable against flux jumping than the unit slab. The field of the first flux jump H fj1 decreases with increasing magnetic field sweep rate. For a given temperature there exists a critical sweep rate below which flux jumps vanish. These observations are interpreted in terms of the current distribution in thin superconducting samples characterized by a strong demagnetizing factor. The results are compared with a model developed for samples characterized by negligible demagnetizing effects. The critical state stability in BSCCO has been discussed in terms of the diffusion of heat and of the magnetic flux within the superconductor and the influence of heat exchange on these conditions

Fermionic spectral functions in backreacting p-wave superconductors at finite temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giordano, G.L.; Grandi, N.E.; Lugo, A.R. [Instituto de Física de La Plata - CONICET & Departamento de Física - UNLP,C.C. 67, 1900 La Plata (Argentina)

2017-04-14

We investigate the spectral function of fermions in a p-wave superconducting state, at finite both temperature and gravitational coupling, using the AdS/CFT correspondence and extending previous research. We found that, for any coupling below a critical value, the system behaves as its zero temperature limit. By increasing the coupling, the “peak-dip-hump” structure that characterizes the spectral function at fixed momenta disappears. In the region where the normal/superconductor phase transition is first order, the presence of a non-zero order parameter is reflected in the absence of rotational symmetry in the fermionic spectral function at the critical temperature.

Critical current measurements of high Tc superconductors in a scanning low temperature cryostat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Telschow, K.L.; O'Brien, T.K.

1991-01-01

Maintaining uniformity of properties over long distances is one of the fabrication problems encountered with the new high T c superconductors. Uniform properties are crucial in long tapes or wires with high critical current since local nonuniformities can limit the current carrying capacity of the whole piece. Transport critical currents in high T c superconductors are conventionally measured with the contact 4-point probe DC current-voltage technique. This technique requires contact with the sample and and spatially averages over the region between the two voltage contacts. Two techniques have been used to infer the critical state model. The first uses the net magnetization of a suitably shaped sample in an external magnetic field. The second combines a DC magnetic field with AC induced currents to infer spatial flux profiles. The AC magnetization technique offers an advantage in that it is noncontacting; however, it also averages the measurement over a large area and requires that the sample be shaped and positioned such that it exhibits zero demagnetizing factor. This paper describes a measurement technique and a scanning cryostat assembly that are capable of determining local critical current in a tape or wire with high resolution and without any direct sample electrical contact. A small compensated coil was used to induce AC currents in slab-shaped samples. The coil was situated near the surface on one side of the slab. With this method, the AC probe can be used as a noncontacting dissipation probe, replacing the voltage probe in the 4-point contact method, when an externally driven transport current is used, or by itself as a local critical state generator and dissipation detector. The results are shown to be meaningful even when the internal magnetic field is not uniform due to shape demagnetizing effects. 10 refs., 5 figs

High Temperature Superconductor Machine Prototype

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mijatovic, Nenad; Jensen, Bogi Bech; Træholt, Chresten

2011-01-01

A versatile testing platform for a High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) machine has been constructed. The stationary HTS field winding can carry up to 10 coils and it is operated at a temperature of 77K. The rotating armature is at room temperature. Test results and performance for the HTS field...

Characterization of high-current, high-temperature superconductor current lead elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niemann, R.C.; Evans, D.J.; Fisher, B.L.; Brockenborough, W.E.; Roberts, P.R.; Rodenbush, A.J.

1996-08-01

The refrigeration loads of current leads for superconducting magnets can be significantly reduced by using high-temperature superconductor (HTS) leads. An HTS conductor type that is well suited for this application is a laminated sintered stack of HTS powder-in-tube (PIT) tapes. The superconducting elements are normally characterized by their manufacturer by measuring critical currents at 77 K in self field. Additional characterization, which correlates electrical performance at 77 K and at lower temperatures with applied magnetic fields, provides the current lead designer and conductor element manufacturer with critical information. For HTS conductor elements comprising a laminated and sintered stack of Bi-2223 PIT tapes having an alloyed Ag sheath, this characterization uses variable applied fields and operating temperatures

High Temperature Superconductor Resonator Detectors

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) infrared detectors were studied for years but never matured sufficiently for infusion into instruments. Several recent...

Superconductors: The long road ahead

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foner, S.; Orlando, T.P.

1988-01-01

Before the discovery of high-temperature superconductors, progress in superconductivity was measured by quite small increases in critical temperature, often of less than one degree. Today, there is no reason to believe that the dramatic leaps in critical temperature inaugurated by superconducting ceramics are over. Researchers may find new high-temperature superconducting materials with less severe technical limitations than the ceramics we know today. And if the day ever comes when a superconductor can be reliably manufactured to operate effectively at room temperature, then superconductors will be incorporated in a broad range of everyday household devices - motors, appliances, even children's toys - with a large consumer market. High-temperature superconductors may also cause us to extensively revise our traditional theories about how superconductivity works. Should it run out that superconductivity in ceramics involves new physical mechanisms, then these mechanisms could lead to applications never considered before. The recent discoveries have already reinvigorated superconductivity research. What was once largely the domain of a relatively small group of scientists has become a genuinely multidisciplinary realm. Now physicists, materials scientists, chemists, metallurgists, ceramists, and solid-state electronics engineers are all focusing on superconductivity. The cross-fertilization of these disciplines should contribute to further discoveries of importance to the practical application of superconductors

To Crack or Not to Crack: Strain in High Temperature Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godeke, Arno

2007-01-01

Round wire Bi 2212 is emerging as a viable successor of Nb3Sn in High Energy Physics and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, to generate magnetic fields that surpass the intrinsic limitations of Nb3Sn. Rather bold claims are made on achievable magnetic fields in applications using Bi 2212, due to the materials' estimated critical magnetic field of 100 Tor higher. High transport currents in high magnetic fields, however, lead to large stress on, and resulting large strain in the superconductor. The effect of strain on the critical properties of Bi-2212 is far from understood, and strain is, as with Nb3Sn, often treated as a secondary parameter in the design of superconducting magnets. Reversibility of the strain induced change of the critical surface of Nb3Sn, points to an electronic origin of the observed strain dependence. Record breaking high field magnets are enabled by virtue of such reversible behavior. Strain effects on the critical surface of Bi-2212, in contrast, are mainly irreversible and suggest a non-electronic origin of the observed strain dependence, which appears to be dominated by the formation of cracks in the superconductor volumes. A review is presented of available results on the effects of strain on the critical surface of Bi-2212, Bi-2223 and YBCO. It is shown how a generic behavior emerges for the (axial) strain dependence of the critical current density, and how the irreversible reduction of the critical current density is dominated by strain induced crack formation in the superconductor. From this generic model it becomes clear that magnets using high temperature superconductors will be strain limited far before the intrinsic magnetic field limitations will be approached, or possibly even before the magnetic field limitation of Nb3Sn can be surpassed. On a positive note, in a very promising recent result from NIST on the axial strain dependence of the critical current density in extremely well aligned YBCO, reversible behavior was observed. This

Nematic quantum critical point without magnetism in FeSe1-xSx superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosoi, Suguru; Matsuura, Kohei; Ishida, Kousuke; Wang, Hao; Mizukami, Yuta; Watashige, Tatsuya; Kasahara, Shigeru; Matsuda, Yuji; Shibauchi, Takasada

2016-07-19

In most unconventional superconductors, the importance of antiferromagnetic fluctuations is widely acknowledged. In addition, cuprate and iron-pnictide high-temperature superconductors often exhibit unidirectional (nematic) electronic correlations, including stripe and orbital orders, whose fluctuations may also play a key role for electron pairing. In these materials, however, such nematic correlations are intertwined with antiferromagnetic or charge orders, preventing the identification of the essential role of nematic fluctuations. This calls for new materials having only nematicity without competing or coexisting orders. Here we report systematic elastoresistance measurements in FeSe1-xSx superconductors, which, unlike other iron-based families, exhibit an electronic nematic order without accompanying antiferromagnetic order. We find that the nematic transition temperature decreases with sulfur content x; whereas, the nematic fluctuations are strongly enhanced. Near [Formula: see text], the nematic susceptibility diverges toward absolute zero, revealing a nematic quantum critical point. The obtained phase diagram for the nematic and superconducting states highlights FeSe1-xSx as a unique nonmagnetic system suitable for studying the impact of nematicity on superconductivity.

Pinning and creep in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ovchinnikov, Yu.N.; Ivlev, B.I.

1992-01-01

The angular and magnetic field dependence of a critical current parallel to the layers in the layered superconductors is studied. The critical current value is found for a superconductor with strong pinning centers. Quantum flux creep in sufficiently perfect layered high-Tc superconductors is discussed. The cross-over temperature between activated and quantum creep is found. (orig.)

Epitaxial heterojunctions of oxide semiconductors and metals on high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Vasquez, Richard P. (Inventor); Hunt, Brian D. (Inventor); Foote, Marc C. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

Epitaxial heterojunctions formed between high temperature superconductors and metallic or semiconducting oxide barrier layers are provided. Metallic perovskites such as LaTiO3, CaVO3, and SrVO3 are grown on electron-type high temperature superconductors such as Nd(1.85)Ce(0.15)CuO(4-x). Alternatively, transition metal bronzes of the form A(x)MO(3) are epitaxially grown on electron-type high temperature superconductors. Also, semiconducting oxides of perovskite-related crystal structures such as WO3 are grown on either hole-type or electron-type high temperature superconductors.

Vortex lines in layered superconductors. II. Pinning and critical currents in high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Manuel, P.

1994-02-01

In this article, a qualitative survey is given on the various phenomena which influence the critical current of high temperature superconductors. Critical current is defined as a property related to a non-zero electric field criterion, the level of which is fixed by experimental considerations, or efficiency requirements of applications. The presentation is restricted to extrinsic intragranular critical current, which depends in a complex way on the interplay between the characteristics of pinning centres and the properties of the vortex lattice. The discussion is focussed on the configuration {B} / / {c}, which contains the main elements of this problem. Differences of behaviour between Y(123) and BSCCO (Bi(2212) or Bi(2223)) are analysed in the context of their respective anisotropy factors. Possible regimes for pinning and creep are discussed in various temperature domains. From critical current results, a strong pinning regime is found to occur in BSCCO, whereas the pinning strength in Y(123) is still an open question. The thermal decrease of critical current allows a collective creep regime to appear in both materials, but at different temperature ranges. The disappearance of correlation effects near the irreversibility line results in a fall of the effective pinning energy. We show that in BSCCO, the effective pinning energy deduced from experimental results is not in agreement with pinning by randomly dispersed oxygen vacancies. Finally, we shortly describe the microstructures which could allow a more efficient pinning in future materials. On effectue une présentation qualitative des divers phénomènes qui contrôlent la valeur du courant critique dans les supraconducteurs à haute température. La notion de courant critique qui est utilisée est reliée à un critère de champ électrique non nul, fixé par des considérations expérimentales ou des exigences de rendement pour les applications. On se restreint au problème des courants critiques

Enhancing critical current density of cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudhari, Praveen

2015-06-16

The present invention concerns the enhancement of critical current densities in cuprate superconductors. Such enhancement of critical current densities include using wave function symmetry and restricting movement of Abrikosov (A) vortices, Josephson (J) vortices, or Abrikosov-Josephson (A-J) vortices by using the half integer vortices associated with d-wave symmetry present in the grain boundary.

High temperature superconductors applications in telecommunications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, A.A.; Li, J.; Zhang, M.F. [Prairie View A& M Univ., Texas (United States)

1994-12-31

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to discuss high temperature superconductors with specific reference to their employment in telecommunications applications; and to discuss a few of the limitations of the normally employed two-fluid model. While the debate on the actual usage of high temperature superconductors in the design of electronic and telecommunications devices-obvious advantages versus practical difficulties-needs to be settled in the near future, it is of great interest to investigate the parameters and the assumptions that will be employed in such designs. This paper deals with the issue of providing the microwave design engineer with performance data for such superconducting waveguides. The values of conductivity and surface resistance, which are the primary determining factors of a waveguide performance, are computed based on the two-fluid model. A comparison between two models-a theoretical one in terms of microscopic parameters (termed Model A) and an experimental fit in terms of macroscopic parameters (termed Model B)-shows the limitations and the resulting ambiguities of the two-fluid model at high frequencies and at temperatures close to the transition temperature. The validity of the two-fluid model is then discussed. Our preliminary results show that the electrical transport description in the normal and superconducting phases as they are formulated in the two-fluid model needs to be modified to incorporate the new and special features of high temperature superconductors. Parameters describing the waveguide performance-conductivity, surface resistance and attenuation constant-will be computed. Potential applications in communications networks and large scale integrated circuits will be discussed. Some of the ongoing work will be reported. In particular, a brief proposal is made to investigate of the effects of electromagnetic interference and the concomitant notion of electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) of high T{sub c} superconductors.

High temperature superconductors applications in telecommunications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, A.A.; Li, J.; Zhang, M.F.

1994-01-01

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to discuss high temperature superconductors with specific reference to their employment in telecommunications applications; and to discuss a few of the limitations of the normally employed two-fluid model. While the debate on the actual usage of high temperature superconductors in the design of electronic and telecommunications devices-obvious advantages versus practical difficulties-needs to be settled in the near future, it is of great interest to investigate the parameters and the assumptions that will be employed in such designs. This paper deals with the issue of providing the microwave design engineer with performance data for such superconducting waveguides. The values of conductivity and surface resistance, which are the primary determining factors of a waveguide performance, are computed based on the two-fluid model. A comparison between two models-a theoretical one in terms of microscopic parameters (termed Model A) and an experimental fit in terms of macroscopic parameters (termed Model B)-shows the limitations and the resulting ambiguities of the two-fluid model at high frequencies and at temperatures close to the transition temperature. The validity of the two-fluid model is then discussed. Our preliminary results show that the electrical transport description in the normal and superconducting phases as they are formulated in the two-fluid model needs to be modified to incorporate the new and special features of high temperature superconductors. Parameters describing the waveguide performance-conductivity, surface resistance and attenuation constant-will be computed. Potential applications in communications networks and large scale integrated circuits will be discussed. Some of the ongoing work will be reported. In particular, a brief proposal is made to investigate of the effects of electromagnetic interference and the concomitant notion of electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) of high T c superconductors

Critical current density and wire fabrication of high-TC superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlabach, T.D.; Jin, S.; Sherwood, R.C.; Tiefel, T.H.

1989-01-01

In this paper, some of the recent investigations of wire fabrication techniques and critical current behavior in high T c superconductors will be reviewed. In spite of the tremendous interest and research effort, the progress toward major applications of the bulk high-temperature superconductors has been impeded by, among other thins, the low critical currents and their severe deterioration in weak magnetic fields. Significant advances, however, have been made in understanding the causes of the problem as well as in improving the current-carrying capacity through proper microstructural control such as the melt-textured-growth in Y-Ba-Cu-O. The low density of effective flux-pinning sites in bulk Y-Ba-Cu-O limits J c at 77K in high magnetic fields to about 10 4 A/cm 2 even in the absence of weak links. Magnetization measurements on Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O at 77K by various researchers indicate even weaker flux pinning capabilities in these materials than in Y-Ba-Cu-O. The challenge in the future is to obtain suitable flux-pinning defects by choosing the right processing and chemistry changes

High point for CERN and high-temperature superconductors

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

Amalia Ballarino is named the Superconductor Industry Person of the year 2006. Amalia Ballarino showing a tape of high-superconducting material used for the LHC current leads.The CERN project leader for the high-temperature superconducting current leads for the LHC, Amalia Ballarino, has received the award for "Superconductor Industry Person of the Year". This award, the most prestigious international award in the development and commercialization of superconductors, is presented by the leading industry newsletter "Superconductor Week". Amalia Ballarino was selected from dozens of nominations from around the world by a panel of recognized leading experts in superconductivity. "It is a great honour for me," says Amalia Ballarino. "It has been many years of hard work, and it’s a great satisfaction to see that the work has been completed successfully." Amalia Ballarino has been working on high-temperature superconducting materials sin...

Advanced technologies related to a high temperature superconductor for small laboratory experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogawa, Yuichi; Mito, Toshiyuki; Yanagi, Nagato

2006-01-01

Advanced technologies related to a high temperature superconductor materials and small refrigerator are reviewed. Mini-RT/RT-1 is designed and constructed as a plasma examination device. The element technology of low temperature apparatus, the results of performance tests and application examples are explained. The superconductors such as Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 (Bi-2212) for the low temperature phase, Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10 (Bi-2223) for the high temperature phase, and YBa 2 Cu 3 O y (YBCO or Y123) are described. Advanced 4K-Giford-Mcmahon (GM) refrigerator on the market put superconductor coil made of low temperature superconductor metals to practical use and extends its application field. Small laboratory is able to experiment on the high temperature superconductor materials. (S.Y.)

Fracture analysis of a transversely isotropic high temperature superconductor strip based on real fundamental solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Zhiwen; Zhou, Youhe

2015-04-01

Real fundamental solution for fracture problem of transversely isotropic high temperature superconductor (HTS) strip is obtained. The superconductor E-J constitutive law is characterized by the Bean model where the critical current density is independent of the flux density. Fracture analysis is performed by the methods of singular integral equations which are solved numerically by Gauss-Lobatto-Chybeshev (GSL) collocation method. To guarantee a satisfactory accuracy, the convergence behavior of the kernel function is investigated. Numerical results of fracture parameters are obtained and the effects of the geometric characteristics, applied magnetic field and critical current density on the stress intensity factors (SIF) are discussed.

Upper critical and irreversibility fields in Ni- and Co-doped pnictide bulk superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Nikolo, Martin; Singleton, John; Solenov, Dmitry; Jiang, Jianyi; Weiss, Jeremy; Hellstrom, Eric

2018-05-01

A comprehensive study of upper critical and irreversibility magnetic fields in Ba(Fe0.95Ni0.05)2As2 (large grain and small grain samples), Ba(Fe0.94Ni0.06)2As2, Ba(Fe0.92Co0.08)2As2, and Ba(Fe0.92Co0.09)2As2 polycrystalline bulk pnictide superconductors was made in pulsed fields of up to 65 T. The full magnetic field-temperature (H-T) phase diagrams, starting at 1.5 K, were measured. The higher temperature, upper critical field Hc2 data are well described by the one-band Werthamer, Helfand, and Hohenberg (WHH) model. At low temperatures, the experimental data depart from the fitted WHH curves, suggesting an emergence of a new phase that could be attributed to the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state. The large values of the Maki fitting parameter α indicate that the Zeeman pair breaking dominates over the orbital pair breaking and spin-paramagnetic pair-breaking effect is significant in these materials. Possible multi-band structure of these materials is lumped into effective parameters of the single-band model. Table of measured physical parameters allows us to compare these pnictide superconductors for different Co- and Ni- doping levels and granularity.

Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ekin, J.W.

1983-01-01

This chapter attempts to provide an introductory guide to interpreting handbook data on practical, high-current, superconducting materials, principally for magnet applications. An overview is given of the properties and operational limits of superconductive materials, as well as techniques used to fabricate practical superconducting wires. Topics considered include critical temperature, critical magnetic field, Type I and Type II superconductors, upper critical field values for practical materials, the temperature dependence of critical field and upper critical field, critical current, critical current density values for practical materials, the measurement of critical current, composite fabrication, stability, ac losses, eddy current loss, hysteretic loss, mechanical properties, critical current degradation, and superconducting materals selection and composite design

Processing and critical currents of high-Tc superconductor wires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krauth, H.; Heine, K.; Tenbrink, J.

1991-01-01

High-Tc superconductors are expected to have a major impact on magnet and energy technology. For technical applications they have to fulfill the requirement of carrying sufficient current at a critical current density of the order of 10 5 A/cm 2 at operating temperature and magnetic field. At 77 K these values have not been achieved yet in bulk material or wires due to weak link problems and flux creep effects. Progress made so far and remaining problems will be discussed in detail concentrating on problems concerning development of technical wires. In Bi-based materials technically interesting critical current densities could be achieved at 4.2 K in fields above 20 T (1,2), rendering possible the use of such material for very high field application. (orig.)

Proceedings, phenomenology and applications of high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bedell, K.S.

1991-01-01

Phenomenology and Applications of High Temperature Superconductors, The Los Alamos Symposium: 1991, was sponsored by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Center for Materials Science, the Advanced Studies Program on High Temperature Superconductivity Theory (ASP) and the Exploratory Research and Development Center. This is the second symposium in the series. High Temperature Superconductivity, The Los Alamos Symposium: 1989, also published by Addison Wesley, focused on the cutting-edge theoretical and experimental issues in high temperature superconductors. This symposium, with its focus on the phenomenology and applications of high temperature superconductors, gives a complementary review of the aspects of the field closely related to the impact of high temperature superconductors on technology. The objective of ASP is to advance the field on a broad front with no specific point of view by bringing a team of leading academic theorists into a joint effort with the theoretical and experimental scientists of a major DOE national laboratory. The ASP consisted of fellows led by Robert Schrieffer (UCSB and now FSU) joined by David Pines (University of illinois), Elihu Abrahams (Rutgers), Sebastian Doniach (Stanford), and Maurice Rice (ETH, Zurich) and theoretical and experimental staff of Los Alamos National Laboratory. This synergism of academic, laboratory, theoretical and experimental research produced a level of interaction and excitement that would not be possible otherwise. This publication and the previous one in the series are just examples of how this approach to advancing science can achieve significant contributions

Pinning and creep in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ovchinnikov, Yu.N.

1994-01-01

All superconductors can be separated into two large groups: type I and type II. The behaviour of these two groups in a magnetic field is quite different. The superconductors of type I, in a strong magnetic field, enter the intermediate state. Phenomenological picture of this state was given by Landau. The type II superconductors, in strong magnetic fields, form the mixed state (or Shubnikov phase). The microscopic picture of the mixed state was given by Abrikosov on the basis of Ginzburg-Landau equations. In ideal homogeneous superconductors the free energy is not changed if all the vortex structure is shifted on some distance u. The transport current will be proportional, therefore, to the electric field E. All the real superconductors, however, are inhomogeneous. Inhomogeneities interact with vortex lattice and pin it. In this new state the transport current below some critical value does not lead to the motion of the flux lattice and to the energy dissipation. The value of critical current strongly depends on the type of inhomogeneities, on the value of magnetic field and on temperature. In new layered superconductors, the critical current depends also on the orientation of the magnetic field B with respect to the layer planes. Temperature and quantum fluctuations lead to the transition between different metastable states in superconductors with current. As a result, the vortex lattice slowly moves (creep phenomenon). Below we will briefly discuss all these phenomena. (orig.)

Quantum oscillations and key theoretical issues in high temperature superconductors from the perspective of density waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakravarty, Sudip

2011-01-01

High temperature superconductivity in cuprate superconductors remains an unsolved problem in theoretical physics. The same statement can also be made about a number of other superconductors that have been dubbed novel. What makes these superconductors so elusive is an interesting question in itself. This paper focuses on the recent magnetic oscillation experiments and how they fit into the broader picture. Many aspects of these experiments can be explained by Fermi liquid theory; the key issue is the extent to which this is true. If true, the entire paradigm developed over the past three decades must be reexamined. A critical analysis of this issue has necessitated a broader analysis of questions about distinct ground states of matter, which may be useful in understanding other novel superconductors.

Flux motion and dissipation in high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, K.E.; Kim, D.H.

1991-01-01

The effects on flux motion and dissipation of interlayer coupling of the Cu-O planes along the c-axis are considered for the high-temperature superconductors (HTS). It is argued that for the highly-anisotropic HTS, the weak interlayer coupling plays a dominant role that can be described by incoherent Josephson tunneling between superconducting Cu-O bi- or tri-layers. In YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 , the layers are strongly coupled, presumably because the conducting Cu-O chains short circuit the Josephson tunneling, so that these effects are weak or missing. Recently, the effects of anisotropy and fluctuations on critical current densities, J c (T,H) and the field-induced broadening of resistivity transitions, ρ(T,H), have been studied in high-temperature superconductors (HTS). Although the broadening looks similar for the applied field, H, oriented either parallel to the superconducting Cu-O layers (H parallel ab) or parallel to the c-axis (H parallel c), its width and the detailed shape of ρ(T,H) are different. The explanations given in this paper for the highly anisotropic HTS differ in detail for the two cases, but have a crucial feature in common: they result from fluctuations affecting the Josephson coupling across the interlayer junctions

Magneto-optical Kerr-effect at low temperatures. Investigation of superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zahn, Patrick; Bayer, Jonas [Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Institute for Innovative Surfaces FINO, Aalen University, Beethovenstrasse 1, 73430 Aalen (Germany); Stahl, Claudia; Ruoss, Stephen; Graefe, Joachim; Schuetz, Gisela [Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Albrecht, Joachim [Institute for Innovative Surfaces FINO, Aalen University, Beethovenstrasse 1, 73430 Aalen (Germany)

2016-07-01

With XMCD microscopy it is possible to visualize the critical current density of the superconductor YBCO with high spatial resolution. Therefore, soft magnetic CoFeB is introduced as sensor layer. The magnetic stray fields of the supercurrents lead to a local reorientation of the magnetic moments in the ferromagnet, which are then imaged via X-ray microscopy. These experiments have to be carried out at the scanning X-ray microscope MAXYMUS at the synchrotron Bessy II in Berlin. For that purpose pre-characterization of the sensor is highly desirable: Magnetic interactions between the superconductor and the ferromagnetic sensor layer have been investigated at low temperatures using Kerr-effect measurements. Therefore hysteresis loops are obtained by a sophisticated magnet and field ramping setup within the NanoMOKE3 system. The results are used to optimize the ferromagnetic sensor layer for XMCD microscopy of superconductors.

High critical temperature superconductors: Progress achieved after two years. Les supraconducteurs haute temperature critique: L'etat des lieux deux ans apres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maillard, J M; Rammal, R; Vittorge, M C

1989-01-01

Progress concerning the theory of high temperature superconductors and activity of laboratories of the CNRS (France) are reviewed and news on strategy, budgets, theoretical research, materials characterization, fabrication process technology transfers, commercialisation, uses and data bases are given.

Normal-state Nernst effect of a high-critical-temperature superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambrecht, S.; Ausloos, M.

1996-01-01

We have analyzed the data of Clayhold et al. for the Nernst effect in the normal state of a high critical superconductor, i.e., Tl 2 Ba 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ . This requested to derive a kinetic expression for the Nernst effect, an expression able to take into account inelastic scattering and magnetic-field dependence. This was done along a relaxation time formalism for the solution of the Boltzmann equation but leaving a background term which can be calculated by the most appropriate method. The final calculation leads to the evaluation of the background term resulting from the thermoelectric field-free effect. In order to do this we have considered a model of Livanov and Sergeev. The Nernst effect is explained by a simple two band model for electrons and holes with different mobilities. The resulting fit to the experimental data looks rather convincing. Several predictions are made thereafter. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Thermodynamic parameters of single- or multi-band superconductors derived from self-field critical currents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Talantsev, Evgueni [Robinson Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, Lower Hutt (New Zealand); Crump, Wayne P.; Tallon, Jeffery L. [Robinson Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, Lower Hutt (New Zealand); MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Lower Hutt (New Zealand)

2017-12-15

Key questions for any superconductor include: what is its maximum dissipation-free electrical current (its 'critical current') and can this be used to extract fundamental thermodynamic parameters? Present models focus on depinning of magnetic vortices and implicate materials engineering to maximise pinning performance. But recently we showed that the self-field critical current for thin films is a universal property, independent of microstructure, controlled only by the penetration depth. Here, using an extended BCS-like model, we calculate the penetration depth from the temperature dependence of the superconducting energy gap thus allowing us to fit self-field critical current data. In this way we extract from the T-dependent gap a set of key thermodynamic parameters, the ground-state penetration depth, energy gap and jump in electronic specific heat. Our fits to 79 available data sets, from zinc nanowires to compressed sulphur hydride with critical temperatures of 0.65 to 203 K, respectively, are excellent and the extracted parameters agree well with reported bulk values. Samples include thin films, wires or nanowires of single- or multi-band s-wave and d-wave superconductors of either type I or type II. For multiband or multiphase samples we accurately recover individual band contributions and phase fractions. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Quantum critical point in high-temperature superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaginyan, V.R. [Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, RAS, Gatchina 188300 (Russian Federation); Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel)], E-mail: vrshag@thd.pnpi.spb.ru; Amusia, M.Ya. [Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Popov, K.G. [Komi Science Center, Ural Division, RAS, Syktyvkar 167982 (Russian Federation); Stephanovich, V.A. [Opole University, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Opole 45-052 (Poland)], E-mail: stef@math.uni.opole.pl

2009-02-02

Recently, in high-T{sub c} superconductors (HTSC), exciting measurements have been performed revealing their physics in superconducting and pseudogap states and in normal one induced by the application of magnetic field, when the transition from non-Fermi liquid to Landau-Fermi liquid behavior occurs. We employ a theory, based on fermion condensation quantum phase transition which is able to explain facts obtained in the measurements. We also show, that in spite of very different microscopic nature of HTSC, heavy-fermion metals and 2D {sup 3}He, the physical properties of these three classes of substances are similar to each other.

Critical current measurements of high-temperature superconducting short samples at a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Hongjun; Liu, Huajun; Liu, Fang; Zhang, Huahui; Ci, Lu; Shi, Yi; Lei, Lei

2018-01-01

High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS) are potential materials for high-field magnets, low-loss transmission cables, and Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) due to their high upper critical magnetic field (Hc2) and critical temperature (Tc). The critical current (Ic) of HTS, which is one of the most important parameters for superconductor application, depends strongly on the magnetic fields and temperatures. A new Ic measurement system that can carry out accurate Ic measurement for HTS short samples with various temperatures (4.2-80 K), magnetic fields (0-14 T), and angles of the magnetic field (0°-90°) has been developed. The Ic measurement system mainly consists of a measurement holder, temperature-control system, background magnet, test cryostat, data acquisition system, and DC power supply. The accuracy of temperature control is better than ±0.1 K over the 20-80 K range and ±0.05 K when measured below 20 K. The maximum current is over 1000 A with a measurement uncertainty of 1%. The system had been successfully used for YBa2Cu3O7-x(YBCO) tapes Ic determination with different temperatures and magnetic fields.

Critical current measurements of high-temperature superconducting short samples at a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Hongjun; Liu, Huajun; Liu, Fang; Zhang, Huahui; Ci, Lu; Shi, Yi; Lei, Lei

2018-01-01

High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS) are potential materials for high-field magnets, low-loss transmission cables, and Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) due to their high upper critical magnetic field (H c2 ) and critical temperature (T c ). The critical current (I c ) of HTS, which is one of the most important parameters for superconductor application, depends strongly on the magnetic fields and temperatures. A new I c measurement system that can carry out accurate I c measurement for HTS short samples with various temperatures (4.2-80 K), magnetic fields (0-14 T), and angles of the magnetic field (0°-90°) has been developed. The I c measurement system mainly consists of a measurement holder, temperature-control system, background magnet, test cryostat, data acquisition system, and DC power supply. The accuracy of temperature control is better than ±0.1 K over the 20-80 K range and ±0.05 K when measured below 20 K. The maximum current is over 1000 A with a measurement uncertainty of 1%. The system had been successfully used for YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (YBCO) tapes I c determination with different temperatures and magnetic fields.

Temperature measurement of RE123 bulk superconductors on magnetizing process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokoyama, K.; Kaneyama, M.; Oka, T.; Fujishiro, H.; Noto, K.

2004-01-01

We study on the magnetization behavior of to magnetize RE123 bulk superconductors to apply it as strong magnets. Through magnetizing process, the temperature of bulk superconductors is raised by pinning loss caused by the magnetic fluxes motion (e.g. flux jump of flux flow), and the trapped field is decreased. This paper presents the measurement of temperature changes of Sm123 bulk superconductors during the exciting process by iteratively magnetizing pulsed-field operation with reducing amplitudes (IMRA) method. Five thermocouples are put on the surface of Sm123 bulk superconductor of 46 mm in diameter. The temperatures at the center, on the growth sector boundary (GSB) line and in the sector region surrounded by GSB's line (inter-GSB region) are monitored. The temperature at a cold stage is also measured. A Hall sensor is attached near the center thermocouple to measure the trapped field. After a bulk superconductor is cooled by the GM type refrigerator until 40 K, iterative pulsed-fields of 2.32-5.42 T are applied by a magnetizing coil. When high magnetic field of 5.42 T is applied, a temperature of bulk superconductor reaches to 72.4 K and the magnetic field distribution has C form with which a part of circle is dented, and then, a trapped field is 2.28 T. When a lower magnetic field of 4.64 T is applied, a maximum temperature is 68.3 K and a trapped field is raised to 2.70 T, and moreover, the distribution becomes round shape like field-cooling method (FC). We showed clearly that heat generation by pinning loss was related to the mechanism of magnetic field capture

The Born-Mayer-Huggins potential in high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Hempal; Singh, Anu; Indu, B. D.

2016-07-01

The Born-Mayer-Huggins potential which has been found the best suitable potential to study the YBa2Cu3O7-δ type high temperature superconductors is revisited in a new framework. A deeper insight in it reveals that the Born-Mayer parameters for different interactions in high temperature superconductor are not simple quantities but several thermodynamic and spatial functions enter the problem. Based on the new theory, the expressions for pressure, bulk modulus and Born-Mayer parameters have been derived and it is established that these quantities depend upon Gruneisen parameter which is the measure of the strength of anharmonic effects in high temperature superconductors. This theory has been applied to a specific model YBa2Cu3O7-δ crystal for the purpose of numerical estimates to justify the new results.

Open questions in the magnetic behaviour of high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, L.F.; Jensen, Henrik Jeldtoft

1997-01-01

A principally experimental review of vortex behaviour in high-temperature superconductors is presented. The reader is first introduced to the basic concepts needed to understand the magnetic properties of type II superconductors. The concepts of vortex melting, the vortex glass, vortex creep, etc are also discussed briefly. The bulk part of the review relates the theoretical predictions proposed for the vortex system in high temperature superconductors to experimental findings. The review ends with an attempt to direct the reader to those areas which still require further clarification. (author)

Hard-Wired Dopant Networks and the Prediction of High Transition Temperatures in Ceramic Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, J.C.

2010-01-01

The review multiple successes of the discrete hard-wired dopant network model ZZIP, and comment on the equally numerous failures of continuum models, in describing and predicting the properties of ceramic superconductors. The prediction of transition temperatures can be regarded in several ways, either as an exacting test of theory, or as a tool for identifying theoretical rules for defining new homology models. Popular first principle methods for predicting transition temperatures in conventional crystalline superconductors have failed for cuprate HTSC, as have parameterized models based on CuO2 planes (with or without apical oxygen). Following a path suggested by Bayesian probability, it was found that the glassy, self-organized dopant network percolative model is so successful that it defines a new homology class appropriate to ceramic superconductors. The reasons for this success in an exponentially complex (non-polynomial complete, NPC) problem are discussed, and a critical comparison is made with previous polynomial (PC) theories. The predictions are successful for the superfamily of all ceramics, including new non-cuprates based on FeAs in place of CuO2.

Effect of texture on grain boundary misorientation distributions in polycrystalline high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goyal, A.; Specht, E.D.; Kroeger, D.M.; Mason, T.A.

1996-01-01

Computer simulations were performed to determine the most probable grain boundary misorientation distribution (GBMD) in model polycrystalline superconductors. GBMDs in polycrystalline superconductors can be expected to dictate the macroscopic transport critical current density, J c . Calculations were performed by simulating model polycrystals and then determining the GBMD. Such distributions were calculated for random materials having cubic, tetragonal, and orthorhombic crystal symmetry. In addition, since most high temperature superconductors are tetragonal or pseudotetragonal, the effect of macroscopic uniaxial and biaxial grain orientation texture on the GBMD was determined for tetragonal materials. It is found that macroscopic texture drastically alters the grain boundary misorientation distribution. The fraction of low angle boundaries increases significantly with uniaxial and biaxial texture. The results of this study are important in correlating the macroscopic transport J c with the measured grain orientation texture as determined by x-ray diffraction copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

Irradiation damage in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quere, Y.

1989-01-01

Most superconductors are quite sensitive to irradiation defects. Critical temperatures may be depressed, critical currents may be increased, by irradiation, but other behaviours may be encountered. In compounds, the sublattice in which defects are created is of significant importance. 24 refs

Contact spectroscopy of high-temperature superconductors. Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanson, I.K.

1991-01-01

We have attempted to systematize the research of high temperature superconductors by means of tunneling and point-contact spectroscopy. The theoretical grounds of the methods are briefly described. The deviations of current-voltage characteristics from ordinary superconductors are considered. The properties of point contacts with direct energy gap measurfements and the fine structure of derivatives of i(v) curves at the overlap energies are reviewed for the high-T c La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 materials

Exponential temperature dependence of the critical transport current in Y-Ba-Cu-O thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yom, S.S.; Hahn, T.S.; Kim, Y.H.; Chu, H.; Choi, S.S.

1989-01-01

We have measured the critical currents in rf-sputtered YBa 2 Cu 3 O/sub 7-x/ thin films deposited on polycrystalline yttria-stabilized zirconia substrates as a function of temperature down to 10 K. The dependence of the granular films at low temperature indicated exponential behavior which is similar to the superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (S-N-S) type tunneling junctions. For the films with a grain size of approximately 1 μm, we observed two exponential decay constants, which suggest that Josephson junctions limiting the transport critical current are possible both at the grain boundaries and at twin boundaries

Analysis of strain distribution and critical current of superconductors based on a strain-critical current measurement system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Fang; Wu Yu; Long Feng

2010-01-01

Based on Pacman device which is widely used to investigate the axial strain dependence of the critical current in superconductors, the finite element analysis method is employed to carry out the force analysis of the spring and the superconducting strand, thereby the axial and lateral strain distributions of the superconducting strand are obtained. According to the two extreme assumptions(low inter-filament resistance and high inter-filament resistance), the effects of the strain homogeneity at the cross section of the superconductor on the critical current is analyzed combined with the Nb 3 Sn deviatoric strain-critical current scaling law. (authors)

Experimental demonstration of superconducting critical temperature increase in electromagnetic metamaterials.

Science.gov (United States)

Smolyaninova, Vera N; Yost, Bradley; Zander, Kathryn; Osofsky, M S; Kim, Heungsoo; Saha, Shanta; Greene, R L; Smolyaninov, Igor I

2014-12-04

A recent proposal that the metamaterial approach to dielectric response engineering may increase the critical temperature of a composite superconductor-dielectric metamaterial has been tested in experiments with compressed mixtures of tin and barium titanate nanoparticles of varying composition. An increase of the critical temperature of the order of ΔT ~ 0.15 K compared to bulk tin has been observed for 40% volume fraction of barium titanate nanoparticles. Similar results were also obtained with compressed mixtures of tin and strontium titanate nanoparticles.

Experimental demonstration of superconducting critical temperature increase in electromagnetic metamaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Smolyaninova, Vera N.; Yost, Bradley; Zander, Kathryn; Osofsky, M. S.; Kim, Heungsoo; Saha, Shanta; Greene, R. L.; Smolyaninov, Igor I.

2014-12-01

A recent proposal that the metamaterial approach to dielectric response engineering may increase the critical temperature of a composite superconductor-dielectric metamaterial has been tested in experiments with compressed mixtures of tin and barium titanate nanoparticles of varying composition. An increase of the critical temperature of the order of ΔT ~ 0.15 K compared to bulk tin has been observed for 40% volume fraction of barium titanate nanoparticles. Similar results were also obtained with compressed mixtures of tin and strontium titanate nanoparticles.

Ceramic high temperature superconductor levitating motor with laser commutator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roslan Abd Shukor; Lee Keng Heong

1996-01-01

The design of a magnetically levitating motor using a ceramic high temperature superconductor with laser commutator is discussed. A YBa sub 2 Cu sub 3 O sub 7-δ high temperature superconductor with 25 mm diameter and 6 mm thickness is used to levitate a Nd-Fe-B magnet (19.0 mm diameter and 4.8 mm thickness) which is attached symmetrically to a 150 mm long graphite rod. A smaller magnet (5.5 mm diameter and 2.0 mm thickness) is attached at each end of the rod with the appropriate poles arrangements. A suitable laser beam chopper is used to optically drive a solenoid which repels the smaller magnets thus driving the motor. A simple and efficient liquid nitrogen supply system is designed to cool the superconductor. The stability of the bearing is provided by the flux pinning in this type-II superconductor. Some characteristics of the motor are discussed

Experimental study of flux pinning in NbN films and multilayers: Ultimate limits on critical currents in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, K.E.; Kampwirth, R.T.; Capone, D.W. II; Murduck, J.M.

1988-08-01

A flux pinning model is presented which predicts the maximum critical current density attainable in superconductors. That such a limit must exist comes from the realization that flux pinning is strongest in regions of weak superconductivity, but these regions cannot carry a large supercurrent. Since the same regions within the superconductor cannot be used for both pinning and supercurrent conductions, there must be an optimum mix, leading to a maximum J/sub c/. Measurements on films and multilayers of NbN have verified many details of the model including anisotropy effects and a strong reduction in J/sub c/ for defect spacings smaller than the flux core diameter. In an optimized multilayer the pinning force reached /approximately/22% of the theoretical maximum. The implications of these results on the practical applications of NbN films and on the maximum critical current density in the new high temperature superconductors are also discussed. 24 refs., 4 figs

The magnetic flux dynamics in the critical state of one-dimensional discrete superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginzburg, S.L.; Nakin, A.V.; Savitskaya, N.E.

2006-01-01

We give a theoretical description of avalanche-like dynamics of magnetic flux in the critical state of discrete superconductors using a one-dimensional model of a multijunction SQUID. We show that the system under consideration demonstrates the self-organized criticality. The avalanches of vortices manifest themselves as jumps of the total magnetic flux in the sample. The sizes of these jumps have a power-law distribution. We argue that similarities in the behavior of discrete and usual type-II superconductors allows to extend our results for description of avalanche-like dynamics in type-II superconductors with strong pinning

Probing High Temperature Superconductors with Magnetometry in Ultrahigh Magnetic Fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Lu [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2017-07-26

The objective of this research is to investigate the high-field magnetic properties of high temperature superconductors, materials that conduct electricity without loss. A technique known as high-resolution torque magnetometry that was developed to directly measure the magnetization of high temperature superconductors. This technique was implemented using the 65 Tesla pulsed magnetic field facility that is part of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This research addressed unanswered questions about the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity, determine the electronic structure of high temperature superconductors, and shed light on the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity and on potential applications of these materials in areas such as energy generation and power transmission. Further applications of the technology resolve the novel physical phenomena such as correlated topological insulators, and spin liquid state in quantum magnets.

Strain effects in oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wada, H.; Kuroda, T.; Sekine, H.; Yuyama, M.; Itoh, K.

1991-01-01

Strain sensitivities of superconducting properties are critical to high magnetic field applications of superconductors, since critical temperature, T c , upper critical field, H c2 , and critical current (density), I c (J c ), are all degraded under strains. Oxide superconductors so far known are all very fragile, thus requiring to be fabricated in the form of composite. In the case of practical metallic superconductors, such as Nb 3 Sn and V 3 Ga, the so-called bronze method has been developed where these superconducting intermetallics are enveloped in a ductile metallic sheath. Recently, a fabrication method similar to the bronze method has been developed for the Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O x superconductors using Ag tubes as sheath. In the present study mono- and multicore BiPbSrCaCuO tape conductors were prepared by means of this Ag-sheath composite method, and examined in terms of strain sensitivity by measuring their T c and I c (J c ) under bending or tensile strains. (orig.)

Studies of nonlinear electrodynamics of high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lam, Q.H.

1991-01-01

Nonlinear electrodynamics of high-Tc superconductors are studied theoretically and experimentally. For powdered samples, a novel model is presented in which the metallographically observed superconducting grains in the powder are modeled as superconducting current loops of various areas with weak links. Surprising harmonic generation behavior in an ac field, H 1 cos(ωt), is predicted by the model; the power at high harmonics show sharp dips almost periodic in a super-posing dc magnetic field, revealing flux quantization in the prototype loops in the model. Such oscillation of the harmonic power in dc magnetic field, P nf (H dc ), is experimentally observed in powdered YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 . For bulk sintered cylindrical samples, a generalized critical state model is presented. The nonlinear electrodynamics are due to flux-pinning. Experiments in ac and dc magnetic fields on a sintered cylindrical rod of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 yield unambiguous evidence of independent inter- and intragranular contributions to the complex harmonic permeability μ n = μ' n - iμ double-prime n . These data, together with P nf (H dc ), are explained quantitatively by the generalized critical state model, yielding a dependence on magnetic field of J c (H) ∼ H 02 local for the intergranular component, a steeper field dependence than for conventional type-II superconductors. Temperature-dependence measurements reveal that, while the intragranular supercurrents disappear at T c ≥ 91.2 K, the intergranular supercurrents disappear at T ≥ 86.6 K

Effects of backreaction on power-Maxwell holographic superconductors in Gauss-Bonnet gravity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salahi, Hamid Reza; Montakhab, Afshin [Shiraz University, Physics Department and Biruni Observatory, College of Sciences, Shiraz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sheykhi, Ahmad [Shiraz University, Physics Department and Biruni Observatory, College of Sciences, Shiraz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of Maragha (RIAAM), P.O. Box 55134-441, Maragha (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-10-15

We analytically and numerically investigate the properties of s-wave holographic superconductors by considering the effects of scalar and gauge fields on the background geometry in five-dimensional Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity. We assume the gauge field to be in the form of the power-Maxwell nonlinear electrodynamics. We employ the Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problem for analytical calculation of the critical temperature and the shooting method for the numerical investigation. Our numerical and analytical results indicate that higher curvature corrections affect condensation of the holographic superconductors with backreaction. We observe that the backreaction can decrease the critical temperature of the holographic superconductors, while the power-Maxwell electrodynamics and Gauss-Bonnet coefficient term may increase the critical temperature of the holographic superconductors. We find that the critical exponent has the mean-field value β = 1/2, regardless of the values of Gauss-Bonnet coefficient, backreaction and power-Maxwell parameters. (orig.)

High-temperature superconductors in application - fight for the top

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

For the superconductor market two-digit growth rates are predicted until after the year 2000. The decrosslinking of the high temperature superconductors initiated a worldwide race for first applications. The report considers the situation of raw materials and the application potentials in the USA, Japan and Western Europe. (orig.) [de

Behaviour of magnetic superconductors in a magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buzdin, A.I.

1984-01-01

The behaviour of magnetic superconductors with close ferromagnetic and superconducting transition temperatures in a magnetic field is considered. It is shown that on lowering of the temperature the superconducting transition changes from a second to first order transition. The respective critical fields and dependence of the magnetization on the magnetic field and temperature are found. The magnetization discontinuity in the vortex core in magnetic superconductors is noted. Due to this property and the relatively large scattering cross section, magnetic superconductors are convenient for studying the superconducting vortex lattice by neutron diffraction techniques

High Temperature Superconductor Bolometers for Planetary Science

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This work is a design study of an instrument optimized for JPL's novel high temperature superconductor bolometers. The work involves designing an imaging...

Effect of Au nano-particles doping on polycrystalline YBCO high temperature superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dadras, Sedigheh, E-mail: dadras@alzahra.ac.ir; Gharehgazloo, Zahra

2016-07-01

In this research, we prepared different Au nanoparticles (0.1–2 wt%) doped YBCO high temperature superconductor samples by sol-gel method. To characterize the samples, we used X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. Results show the formation of orthorhombic phase of superconductivity for all prepared samples. We observed that by adding Au nanoparticles, the grains' size of the samples reduces from 76 nm to 47 nm as well. The critical current density (J{sub c}) and transition temperature (T{sub c}) were determined using current versus voltage (I–V) and resistivity versus temperature (ρ-T) measurements, respectively. We found that by increasing Au nanoparticles in the compound, in comparison to the pure YBCO sample, the transition temperature, pinning energy and critical current density will increase. Also, the highest J{sub c} is for 1 wt% Au doped YBCO compound that its critical current density is about 8 times more than the J{sub c} of pure one in 0.7 T magnetic field.

Chemistry of high temperature superconductors

CERN Document Server

1991-01-01

This review volume contains the most up-to-date articles on the chemical aspects of high temperature oxide superconductors. These articles are written by some of the leading scientists in the field and includes a comprehensive list of references. This is an essential volume for researchers working in the fields of ceramics, materials science and chemistry.

Chemical stability of high-temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Bansal, Narottam P.

1992-01-01

A review of the available studies on the chemical stability of the high temperature superconductors (HTS) in various environments was made. The La(1.8)Ba(0.2)CuO4 HTS is unstable in the presence of H2O, CO2, and CO. The YBa2Cu3O(7-x) superconductor is highly susceptible to degradation in different environments, especially water. The La(2-x)Ba(x)CuO4 and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O HTS are relatively less reactive than the YBa2Cu3O(7-x). Processing of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) HTS in purified oxygen, rather than in air, using high purity noncarbon containing starting materials is recommended. Exposure of this HTS to the ambient atmosphere should also be avoided at all stages during processing and storage. Devices and components made out of these oxide superconductors would have to be protected with an impermeable coating of a polymer, glass, or metal to avoid deterioration during use.

Fabrication of high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Balachandran, Uthamalingam; Dorris, Stephen E.; Ma, Beihai; Li, Meiya

2003-06-17

A method of forming a biaxially aligned superconductor on a non-biaxially aligned substrate substantially chemically inert to the biaxially aligned superconductor comprising is disclosed. A non-biaxially aligned substrate chemically inert to the superconductor is provided and a biaxially aligned superconductor material is deposited directly on the non-biaxially aligned substrate. A method forming a plume of superconductor material and contacting the plume and the non-biaxially aligned substrate at an angle greater than 0.degree. and less than 90.degree. to deposit a biaxially aligned superconductor on the non-biaxially aligned substrate is also disclosed. Various superconductors and substrates are illustrated.

Low temperature X-ray imaging of magnetic flux patterns in high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Stahl, Claudia; Ruoß, Stephen; Weigand, Markus; Bechtel, Michael; Schütz, Gisela; Albrecht, Joachim

2015-05-01

We present X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) microscopy results obtained at liquid nitrogen temperatures on the high-Tc superconductor YBCO (YBa2Cu3O7-δ). The magnetic flux distribution arising from electric currents in the superconductor is detected and visualized using soft-magnetic Co40Fe40B20 (CoFeB) as sensor layer and XMCD as contrast mechanism. It has been shown that the XMCD contrast in the sensor layer directly corresponds to magnetic flux distribution of the superconductor and hence can be used to image magnetic structures in superconductors [Stahl et al., Phys. Rev. B 90, 104515 (2014)]. The existing scanning UHV X-ray microscopy setup MAXYMUS at the synchrotron BESSY II in Berlin has been upgraded for that purpose: we use a nitrogen based MMR Micro Miniature Joule-Thompson Cryostat with temperature range from 75 K to 580 K. The capability of the method is demonstrated on two different superconducting samples, an optimally doped thin film and a melt-textured block.

ASM Inaugural Lecture 2009: High temperature superconductors: Materials, mechanisms and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roslan Abdul Shukor

2009-01-01

A surprising variety of new superconducting materials has been discovered in recent years. Many compounds with light elements such as fullerenes, oxides, borides, nitrides, some organic materials and also heavy fermions have been found to superconductor at various temperatures. Hitherto, superconductors have proven to be highly varied in composition but elusive and mysterious. The juxtaposition of superconductivity and magnetism at the nano scale in some of these new materials has paved the way to a rich and exciting new field in condensed matter and materials research. An overview of superconductor research in Malaysian institutions is presented in this paper. Some of the new superconducting materials and their possible mechanisms, conventional and exotic, are presented. The possible role of lattice vibrations in the mechanisms of high temperature superconductivity and the study of this via acoustic methods are discussed. Frozen flux superconductors in a nano magnet-superconductor hybrid system are also discussed. (author)

Fracture analysis of a transversely isotropic high temperature superconductor strip based on real fundamental solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Zhiwen; Zhou, Youhe

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We studied fracture problem in HTS based on real fundamental solutions. • When the thickness of HTS strip increases the SIF decrease. • A higher applied field leads to a larger stress intensity factor. • The greater the critical current density is, the smaller values of the SIF is. - Abstract: Real fundamental solution for fracture problem of transversely isotropic high temperature superconductor (HTS) strip is obtained. The superconductor E–J constitutive law is characterized by the Bean model where the critical current density is independent of the flux density. Fracture analysis is performed by the methods of singular integral equations which are solved numerically by Gauss–Lobatto–Chybeshev (GSL) collocation method. To guarantee a satisfactory accuracy, the convergence behavior of the kernel function is investigated. Numerical results of fracture parameters are obtained and the effects of the geometric characteristics, applied magnetic field and critical current density on the stress intensity factors (SIF) are discussed

Singularity of the London penetration depth at quantum critical points in superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chowdhury, Debanjan; Swingle, Brian; Berg, Erez; Sachdev, Subir

2013-10-11

We present a general theory of the singularity in the London penetration depth at symmetry-breaking and topological quantum critical points within a superconducting phase. While the critical exponents and ratios of amplitudes on the two sides of the transition are universal, an overall sign depends upon the interplay between the critical theory and the underlying Fermi surface. We determine these features for critical points to spin density wave and nematic ordering, and for a topological transition between a superconductor with Z2 fractionalization and a conventional superconductor. We note implications for recent measurements of the London penetration depth in BaFe2(As(1-x)P(x))2 [K. Hashimoto et al., Science 336, 1554 (2012)].

High temperature superconductors

CERN Document Server

Paranthaman, Parans

2010-01-01

This essential reference provides the most comprehensive presentation of the state of the art in the field of high temperature superconductors. This growing field of research and applications is currently being supported by numerous governmental and industrial initiatives in the United States, Asia and Europe to overcome grid energy distribution issues. The technology is particularly intended for densely populated areas. It is now being commercialized for power-delivery devices, such as power transmission lines and cables, motors and generators. Applications in electric utilities include current limiters, long transmission lines and energy-storage devices that will help industries avoid dips in electric power.

Forces of vortice trapping and critical current in type II superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bormio, C.

1985-12-01

The vortice-centers interactions of trapping in type II superconductor materials were studied by two theories: thermodynamic (Hampshire-Taylor) and microscopic (Larkin - Ovchinnikov). The study was applied to NbTi with composition of 50% weight of Ti. They are commercial cables containing 361 filaments with final diameter of 0.35 mm for the wire and 9.2 μm foi filaments. The material presents high deformation rate in area and high density of dislocations. These defects actuate as centers of trapping. Variations in themomechanical treatments of superconductor cables modify the interaction mechanisms. The specific mechanism for each treatment type was identified. Measurements of critical current density in function of magnetic field in the range from 1 to 7 Tesla were done, which the usual superconductor parameters as upper critical field and Ginzburg - Landau (Kappa-k) parameter are estimated from literature data. (M.C.K.) [pt

Modeling high-temperature superconductors and metallic alloys on the Intel iPSC/860

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geist, G.A.; Peyton, B.W.; Shelton, W.A.; Stocks, G.M.

1990-01-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has embarked on several computational grand Challenges, which require the close cooperation of physicists, mathematicians, and computer scientists. One of these projects is the determination of the material properties of alloys form first principles and, in particular, the electronic structure of high-temperature superconductors. The physical basis for high Tc superconductivity is not well understood. The design of materials with higher critical temperatures and the ability to carry higher current densities can be greatly facilitated by the modeling and detailed study of the electronic structure of existing superconductors. This paper describes the progress to data on this project. We include a description of a self-consistent KKR-CPA method, parallelization of the model, and the incorporation of a dynamic load balancing scheme into the algorithm. We also describe the development and performance of a consolidated KKR-CPA code capable of running on CRAYs, workstations, and several parallel computers without source code modification

Flux pinning and critical current in layered type-II superconductors in parallel magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prokic, V.; Davidovic, D.; Dobrosavljevic-Grujic, L.

1995-01-01

We have shown, within the Ginzburg-Landau theory, that the interaction between vortices and normal-metal layers in high-T c superconductor--normal-metal superlattices can cause high critical-current densities j c . The interaction is primarily magnetic, except at very low temperatures T, where the core interaction is dominant. For a lattice of vortices commensurate with an array of normal-metal layers in a parallel magnetic field H, strong magnetic pinning is obtained, with a nonmonotonic critical-current dependence on H, and with j c of the order of 10 7 --10 8 A/cm 2

Weyl holographic superconductor in the Lifshitz black hole background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansoori, S. A. Hosseini; Mirza, B.; Mokhtari, A.; Dezaki, F. Lalehgani; Sherkatghanad, Z.

2016-01-01

We investigate analytically the properties of the Weyl holographic superconductor in the Lifshitz black hole background. We find that the critical temperature of the Weyl superconductor decreases with increasing Lifshitz dynamical exponent, z, indicating that condensation becomes difficult. In addition, it is found that the critical temperature and condensation operator could be affected by applying the Weyl coupling, γ. Moreover, we compute the critical magnetic field and investigate its dependence on the parameters γ and z. Finally, we show numerically that the Weyl coupling parameter γ and the Lifshitz dynamical exponent z together control the size and strength of the conductivity peak and the ratio of gap frequency over critical temperature ω_g/T_c.

Weyl holographic superconductor in the Lifshitz black hole background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mansoori, S. A. Hosseini [Department of Physics, Boston University,590 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Department of Physics, Isfahan University of Technology,Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mirza, B. [Department of Physics, Isfahan University of Technology,Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mokhtari, A. [Department of Physics, Tarbiat Modares University,Tehran 14155-4838 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Dezaki, F. Lalehgani; Sherkatghanad, Z. [Department of Physics, Isfahan University of Technology,Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-07-21

We investigate analytically the properties of the Weyl holographic superconductor in the Lifshitz black hole background. We find that the critical temperature of the Weyl superconductor decreases with increasing Lifshitz dynamical exponent, z, indicating that condensation becomes difficult. In addition, it is found that the critical temperature and condensation operator could be affected by applying the Weyl coupling, γ. Moreover, we compute the critical magnetic field and investigate its dependence on the parameters γ and z. Finally, we show numerically that the Weyl coupling parameter γ and the Lifshitz dynamical exponent z together control the size and strength of the conductivity peak and the ratio of gap frequency over critical temperature ω{sub g}/T{sub c}.

Weyl holographic superconductor in the Lifshitz black hole background

Science.gov (United States)

Mansoori, S. A. Hosseini; Mirza, B.; Mokhtari, A.; Dezaki, F. Lalehgani; Sherkatghanad, Z.

2016-07-01

We investigate analytically the properties of the Weyl holographic superconductor in the Lifshitz black hole background. We find that the critical temperature of the Weyl superconductor decreases with increasing Lifshitz dynamical exponent, z, indicating that condensation becomes difficult. In addition, it is found that the critical temperature and condensation operator could be affected by applying the Weyl coupling, γ. Moreover, we compute the critical magnetic field and investigate its dependence on the parameters γ and z. Finally, we show numerically that the Weyl coupling parameter γ and the Lifshitz dynamical exponent z together control the size and strength of the conductivity peak and the ratio of gap frequency over critical temperature ω g /T c .

Self-organization of the critical state in Josephson lattices and granulated superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginzburg, S.L.

1994-01-01

A number of models of a Josephson medium and granulated superconductors are studied. It is shown that an important parameter is the quantity V∼j c a 3 /Φ 0 , where j c is the Josephson-current density, a is the granule size, and Φ 0 is the quantum of flux. In the limit V>>1 the continuum approximation is inapplicable. In this case the Josephson medium is transformed into a system in which pinning is realized on elementary loops that incorporate Josephson junctions. Here, nonlinear properties of these junctions obtain. The equations obtained for the currents of the Josephson lattice are identical to the standard formulation in the problem of self-organized criticality, while in granulated superconductors a problem of self-organized criticality with a different symmetry arises-a problem not of sites, but of loop. From the point of view of the critical state in granulated superconductors the concept of self-organized criticality radically changes the entire customary picture. The usual equations of the critical state describe only the average values of the magnetic field in the hydrodynamic approximation. However, it follows from the concept of self-organized criticality that the critical state has an extremely complicated structure, much more complicated than that which follows from the equation of the critical state. In particular, the fluctuations of various quantities in the critical state are much stronger than the ordinary statistical fluctuations, since there are large-scale fluctuations of the currents and fields, with a power-law (scaling) behavior that extends up to scales of the order of the size of the system, as in a turbulent medium. On the other hand, the basic equations in it reflect all the features of pinning - hysteresis and threshold behavior. Therefore, the self-organization of the critical state of a superconductor is a natural realization of this extremely general problem. 15 refs., 4 figs

Spins in the vortices of a high-temperature superconductor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lake, B.; Aeppli, G.; Clausen, K.N.

2001-01-01

Neutron scattering is used to characterize the magnetism of the vortices for the optimally doped high-temperature superconductor La2-xSrxCuO4 (x = 0.163) in an applied magnetic field. As temperature is reduced, Low-frequency spin fluctuations first disappear with the loss of vortex mobility......, but then reappear. We find that the vortex state can be regarded as an inhomogeneous mixture of a superconducting spin fluid and a material containing a nearly ordered antiferromagnet. These experiments show that as for many other properties of cuprate superconductors, the important underlying microscopic forces...

Electron microscopic observation at low temperature on superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokota, Yasuhiro; Hashimoto, Hatsujiro; Yoshida, Hiroyuki.

1991-01-01

The authors have observed superconducting materials with a high resolution electron microscope at liquid helium temperature. First, observation was carried out on Nb system intermetallic compounds such as Nb 3 Al and Nb 3 Sn of Al 5 type and Nb 3 Ge of 11 type at extremely low temperature. Next, the observation of high temperature superconductive ceramics in the state of superconductivity was attempted. In this paper, first the development of the liquid helium sample holder for a 400 kV electron microscope to realize the observation is reported. Besides, the sample holder of Gatan Co. and an extremely low temperature, high resolution electron microscope with a superconducting lens are described. The purpose of carrying out the electron microscope observation of superconductors at low temperature is the direct observation of the crystalline lattice image in the state of superconductivity. Also the structural transformation from tetragonal crystals to rhombic crystals in Al 5 type superconductors can be observed. The results of observation are reported. (K.I.)

Positron annihilation studies on high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundar, C.S.; Bharathi, A.

1996-01-01

A survey of the positron annihilation studies on high temperature superconductors (HTSC), with results drawn mainly from our work, is presented. These include results of the studies on the temperature dependence of positron lifetime across T c , which have been carried out in the whole gamut of oxide superconductors. These experimental results are discussed in conjunction with the results of theoretically calculated positron density distribution, and it is shown that the observed temperature dependence of lifetime is intimately linked to the probing of the Cu-O network by the positrons. Results on the investigation of oxygen defects, which play a crucial role in HTSC, are presented. The most significant contribution of positrons to HTSC relates to the investigation of Fermi surface and the results of these studies, drawn from literature, are indicated. Some of our recent results in other novel superconducting materials, viz., the fullerenes and borocarbides are also presented. (author). 69 refs., 15 figs

Studies of high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narlikar, A.

1989-01-01

The high temperature superconductors (HTSCs) discovered are from the family of ceramic oxides. Their large scale utilization in electrical utilities and in microelectronic devices are the frontal challenges which can perhaps be effectively met only through consolidated efforts and expertise of a multidisciplinary nature. During the last two years the growth of the new field has occurred on an international scale and perhaps has been more rapid than in most other fields. There has been an extraordinary rush of data and results which are continually being published as short texts dispersed in many excellent journals, some of which were started to ensure rapid publication exclusively in this field. As a result, the literature on HTSCs has indeed become so massive and so diffuse that it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep abreast with the important and reliable facets of this fast-growing field. This provided the motivation to evolve a process whereby both professional investigators and students can have ready access to up-to- date in-depth accounts of major technical advances happening in this field. The present series Studies of High Temperature Superconductors has been launched to, at least in part, fulfill this need

Size, Shape and Impurity Effects on Superconducting critical temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Umeda, Masaki; Kato, Masaru; Sato, Osamu

Bulk superconductors have their own critical temperatures Tc. However, for a nano-structured superconductor, Tc depends on size and shape of the superconductor. Nishizaki showed that the high pressure torsion on bulks of Nb makes Tc higher, because the torsion makes many nano-sized fine grains in the bulks. However the high pressure torsion on bulks of V makes Tc lower, and Nishizaki discussed that the decrease of Tc is caused by impurities in the bulks of V. We studied size, shape, and impurity effects on Tc, by solving the Gor'kov equations, using the finite element method. We found that smaller and narrower superconductors show higher Tc. We found how size and shape affects Tc by studying spacial order parameter distributions and quasi-particle eigen-energies. Also we studied the impurity effects on Tc, and found that Tc decreases with increase of scattering rate by impurities. This work was supported in part of KAKENHI Grant Number JP26400367 and JP16K05460, and program for leading graduate schools of ministry of education, culture, sports, science and technology-Japan.

Research On Bi-Based High-Temperature Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Curtis; Doane, George B., III; Golben, John

1993-01-01

Brief report describes effects of melt sintering on Bi-based high-temperature superconductor system, as well as use of vibrating-sample magnetometer to determine hysteresis curves at 77 K for partially melt-sintered samples. Also discussed is production of high-temperature superconducting thin films by laser ablation: such films potentially useful in detection of signals of very low power.

Non-monotonic field dependence of critical current in composite superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrianov, V.V.; Baev, V.P.; Ivanov, S.S.

1982-01-01

The nonmonotonic field dependence of critical current Im(B/sub a/ in composite superconductors is investigated experimentally for current and field varying simultaneously with final rates I and B/sub a/

Electronic Structure of the Bismuth Family of High Temperature Superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dunn, Lisa

2002-03-07

High temperature superconductivity remains the central intellectual problem in condensed matter physics fifteen years after its discovery. Angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) directly probes the electronic structure, and has played an important role in the field of high temperature superconductors. With the recent advances in sample growth and the photoemission technique, we are able to study the electronic structure in great detail, and address regimes that were previously inaccessible. This thesis work contains systematic photoemission studies of the electronic structure of the Bi-family of high temperature superconductors, which include the single-layer system (Bi2201), the bi-layer system (Bi2212), and the tri-layer system (Bi2223). We show that, unlike conventional BCS superconductors, phase coherence information emerges in the single particle excitation spectrum of high temperature superconductors as the superconducting peak in Bi2212. The universality and various properties of this superconducting peak are studied in various systems. We argue that the origin of the superconducting peak may provide the key to understanding the mechanism of High-Tc superconductors. In addition, we identified a new experimental energy scale in the bilayer material, the anisotropic intra-bilayer coupling energy. For a long time, it was predicted that this energy scale would cause bilayer band splitting. We observe this phenomenon, for the first time, in heavily overdoped Bi2212. This new observation requires the revision of the previous picture of the electronic excitation in the Brillouin zone boundary. As the first ARPES study of a trilayer system, various detailed electronic proper- ties of Bi2223 are examined. We show that, comparing with Bi2212, both superconducting gap and relative superconducting peak intensity become larger in Bi2223, however, the strength of the interlayer coupling within each unit cell is possibly weaker. These results suggest that the

High-temperature superconductors induced by ion implantation. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenwald, A.C.; Johnson, E.

1988-08-01

High dose oxygen ion implantation (10 to the 17th power ions per sq. cm.) at elevated temperatures (300 C) has been shown to adjust the critical temperature of gamma-Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O materials. These results are in marked contrast to earlier work which showed complete destruction of superconducting properties for similar radiation doses, and marked reduction in superconducting properties at one-tenth this dose in the 1-2-3- compound only. Experiments also showed that the superconducting materials can be patterned into conducting and nonconducting areas without etching by ion implantation, allowing maintenance of planar geometries required for microcircuit fabrication. Experiments on deposition of thin films of high temperature superconductors for use with the ion implantation experiments showed that ion beam sputtering from a single target could achieve the correct stoichiometry. Variations of composition with ion beam energy and angle of sputtered ions were studied

An overview of rotating machine systems with high-temperature bulk superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Difan; Izumi, Mitsuru; Miki, Motohiro; Felder, Brice; Ida, Tetsuya; Kitano, Masahiro

2012-10-01

The paper contains a review of recent advancements in rotating machines with bulk high-temperature superconductors (HTS). The high critical current density of bulk HTS enables us to design rotating machines with a compact configuration in a practical scheme. The development of an axial-gap-type trapped flux synchronous rotating machine together with the systematic research works at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology since 2001 are briefly introduced. Developments in bulk HTS rotating machines in other research groups are also summarized. The key issues of bulk HTS machines, including material progress of bulk HTS, in situ magnetization, and cooling together with AC loss at low-temperature operation are discussed.

Identifying the genes of unconventional high temperature superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jiangping

We elucidate a recently emergent framework in unifying the two families of high temperature (high [Formula: see text]) superconductors, cuprates and iron-based superconductors. The unification suggests that the latter is simply the counterpart of the former to realize robust extended s-wave pairing symmetries in a square lattice. The unification identifies that the key ingredients (gene) of high [Formula: see text] superconductors is a quasi two dimensional electronic environment in which the d -orbitals of cations that participate in strong in-plane couplings to the p -orbitals of anions are isolated near Fermi energy. With this gene, the superexchange magnetic interactions mediated by anions could maximize their contributions to superconductivity. Creating the gene requires special arrangements between local electronic structures and crystal lattice structures. The speciality explains why high [Formula: see text] superconductors are so rare. An explicit prediction is made to realize high [Formula: see text] superconductivity in Co/Ni-based materials with a quasi two dimensional hexagonal lattice structure formed by trigonal bipyramidal complexes.

Critical temperature gradient and critical current density in thin films of a type I superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heubener, R P

1968-12-16

Measurements of the critical temperature gradient and the critical current density in superconducting lead films in a transverse magnetic field indicate that the critical current flows predominantly along the surface of the films and that the critical surface currents contribute only very little to the Lorentz force on a fluxoid.

Condensation energy density in Bi-2212 superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsushita, Teruo; Kiuchi, Masaru; Haraguchi, Teruhisa; Imada, Takeki; Okamura, Kazunori; Okayasu, Satoru; Uchida, Satoshi; Shimoyama, Jun-ichi; Kishio, Kohji

2006-01-01

The relationship between the condensation energy density and the anisotropy parameter, γ a , has been derived for Bi-2212 superconductors in various anisotropic states by analysing the critical current density due to columnar defects introduced by heavy ion irradiation. The critical current density depended on the size of the defects, determined by the kind and irradiation energy of the ions. A significantly large critical current density of 17.0 MA cm -2 was obtained at 5 K and 0.1 T even for the defect density of a matching field of 1 T in a specimen irradiated with iodine ions. The dependence of the critical current density on the size of the defects agreed well with the prediction from the summation theory of pinning forces, and the condensation energy density could be obtained consistently from specimens irradiated with different ions. The condensation energy density obtained increased with decreasing γ a over the entire range of measurement temperature, and reached about 60% of the value for the most three-dimensional Y-123 observed by Civale et al at 5 K. This gives the reason for the very strong pinning in Bi-2212 superconductors at low temperatures. The thermodynamic critical field obtained decreased linearly with increasing temperature and extrapolated to zero at a certain characteristic temperature, T * , lower than the critical temperature, T c . T * , which seems to be associated with the superconductivity in the block layers, was highest for the optimally doped specimen. This shows that the superconductivity becomes more inhomogeneous as the doped state of a superconductor deviates from the optimum condition

Critical state transformation in hard superconductors resulting from thermomagnetic avalanches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chabanenko, V.V.; Kuchuk, E.I.; Rusakov, V.F.; Abaloszewa, I.; Nabialek, A.; Perez-Rodriguez, F.

2016-01-01

The results of experimental investigations of magnetic flux dynamics in finite superconductors, obtained using integral and local measurements methods, are presented. Local methods were aimed at clarifying the role of demagnetizing factor in dynamic formation of a complex magnetic structure of the critical state of hard superconductors. To understand the reasons for cardinal restructuring of the induction, we further analyzed the literature data of flux dynamics visualization during avalanches, obtained by magneto-optical methods. New features in the behavior of the magnetic flux during and after the avalanche were discovered. Two stages of the formation of the induction structures in the avalanche area were established, i.e. of homogeneous and heterogeneous filling with the magnetic flux. The mechanism of the inversion of the induction profile was considered. Oscillations in the speed of the front of the magnetic flux were revealed. Transformation of the critical state near the edge of the sample was analyzed. The role of thermal effects and of de-magnetizing factor in the dissipative flux dynamics was shown. Generalized information allowed, in the framework of the Bean concept, to present a model the transformation of the picture of the induction of the critical state and of the superconducting currents of a finite superconductor as a result of flux avalanches for two regimes - of screening and trapping of the magnetic flux.

"Fluctuoscopy" of Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Varlamov, A. A.

fluctuations close to critical temperature T c0and quantum fluctuations at zero temperature and in vicinity of the second critical field H c2(0). Then in the frameworks of the Ginzburg-Landau theory, we discuss the characteristic crossovers in fluctuation properties of superconductive nanoparticles and layered superconductors. We present the general expression for fluctuation magneto-conductivity valid through all phase diagram of superconductor and apply it to study of the quantum phase transition close to H c2(0). Fluctuation analysis of this transition allows us to present the scenario of fluctuation defragmentation of the Abrikosov lattice.

Low-energy physics of high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emery, V.J.; Kivelson, S.A.

1992-01-01

It is argued that the low-energy properties of high temperature superconductors are dominated by the interaction between the mobile holes and a particular class of collective modes, corresponding to local large-amplitude low-energy fluctuations in the hole density. The latter are a consequence of the competition between the effects of long-range Coulomb interactions and the tendency of a low concentration of holes in an antiferromagnet to phase separate. The low-energy behavior of the system is governed by the same fixed point as the two-channel Kondo problem, which accounts for the ''universality'' of the properties of the cuprate superconductors. Predictions of the optical properties and the spin dynamics are compared with experiment. The pairing resonance of the two Kondo problem gives a mechanism of high temperature superconductivity with an unconventional symmetry of the order parameter

Hall viscosity of a chiral two-orbital superconductor at finite temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Yazdani-Hamid, Meghdad; Shahzamanian, Mohammad Ali

2018-06-01

The Hall viscosity known as the anti-symmetric part of the viscosity fourth-rank tensor. Such dissipationless response which appears for systems with broken time reversal symmetry. We calculate this non-dissipative quantity for a chiral two-orbital superconductor placed in a viscoelastic magnetic field using the linear response theory and apply our calculations to the putative multiband chiral superconductor Sr2RuO4. The chirality origin of a multiband superconductor arises from the interorbital coupling of the superconducting state. This feature leads to the robustness of the Hall viscosity against temperature and impurity effects. We study the temperature effect on the Hall viscosity at the one-loop approximation.

Universal linear-temperature resistivity: possible quantum diffusion transport in strongly correlated superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Tao; Liu, Yinshang; Xiao, Hong; Mu, Gang; Yang, Yi-Feng

2017-08-25

The strongly correlated electron fluids in high temperature cuprate superconductors demonstrate an anomalous linear temperature (T) dependent resistivity behavior, which persists to a wide temperature range without exhibiting saturation. As cooling down, those electron fluids lose the resistivity and condense into the superfluid. However, the origin of the linear-T resistivity behavior and its relationship to the strongly correlated superconductivity remain a mystery. Here we report a universal relation [Formula: see text], which bridges the slope of the linear-T-dependent resistivity (dρ/dT) to the London penetration depth λ L at zero temperature among cuprate superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ and heavy fermion superconductors CeCoIn 5 , where μ 0 is vacuum permeability, k B is the Boltzmann constant and ħ is the reduced Planck constant. We extend this scaling relation to different systems and found that it holds for other cuprate, pnictide and heavy fermion superconductors as well, regardless of the significant differences in the strength of electronic correlations, transport directions, and doping levels. Our analysis suggests that the scaling relation in strongly correlated superconductors could be described as a hydrodynamic diffusive transport, with the diffusion coefficient (D) approaching the quantum limit D ~ ħ/m*, where m* is the quasi-particle effective mass.

Low-temperature deuteron irradiation of differently reacted Nb3Sn superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maier, P.; Seibt, E.

1978-01-01

Irradiation measurements with 50 MeV deuterons at 18 K and subsequent annealing measurements were performed on Nb 3 Sn single and multifilamentary superconductors at the Helium-Bath Irradiation Facility of the Karlsruhe Cyclotron. The critical current densities jsub(c) of Nb 3 Sn bronze-reacted wire samples at various reaction temperatures (Tsub(R)=650,700,750,800 and 850 0 C) with equal layer thickness were measured for integral deuteron fluxes up to PHIsub(t)=0.7x10 18 cm -2 . After a decrease in jsub(c) of 85% at maximum dose a relatively small annealing effect (4 to 10%) was observed at ambient temperatures. The maximum value of the normalized critical current density, jsub(c)/jsub(c0), at PHIsub(t)approximately=10 17 cm -2 increases with increasing reaction temperature. The difference in volume pinning forces before and after irradiation increases less than linear (approximately√PHIsub(t)) with the irradiation dose. An almost linear dependence between the inverse grain diameter (dsub(K) -1 )) and volume pinning force is obtained both before and after irradiation. (Auth.)

Processing of high-temperature superconductors at high strain rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamalis, A.G.; Pantazsopoulos, G.; Manolakos, D.E.; Szalay, A.

2000-01-01

This new book provides, for the first time, a systematic, unified presentation of all steps in the processing of high-temperature superconductor materials, ranging from synthesis of various systems to fabrication and industrial applications. Also covered are characterization techniques and current directions in research and development. The authors are leading specialists who bring to this new book their many years of experience in research, education and industrial engineering work in superconductor materials. This book is primarily focused on the bulk-fabrication techniques of high-temperature ceramic superconducting components, especially on the combination of dynamic powder-consolidation and subsequent deformation processing. The properties of these ceramics, which are difficult-to-form materials by applying conventional techniques, are combined for the net-shape manufacturing of such components for the construction of HTS deviceshor e llipsis. However, very important topics such as superconducting structures, chemical synthesis, film fabrication and characterization techniques are also reviewedhor e llipsis to provide a complete, comprehensive view of superconductors engineering

Exponential critical-state model for magnetization of hard superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, D.; Sanchez, A.; Munoz, J.S.

1990-01-01

We have calculated the initial magnetization curves and hysteresis loops for hard type-II superconductors based on the exponential-law model, J c (H i ) =k exp(-|H i |/H 0 ), where k and H 0 are constants. After discussing the general behavior of penetrated supercurrents in an infinitely long column specimen, we define a general cross-sectional shape based on two equal circles of radius a, which can be rendered into a circle, a rectangle, or many other shapes. With increasing parameter p (=ka/H 0 ), the computed M-H curves show obvious differences with those computed from Kim's model and approach the results of a simple infinitely narrow square pulse J c (H i ). For high-T c superconductors, our results can be applied to the study of the magnetic properties and the critical-current density of single crystals, as well as to the determination of the intergranular critical-current density from magnetic measurements

Non-universality of critical exponents in the paraconductivity of short-coherence-length superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauzzi, A.

1993-01-01

The Aslamazov-Larkin paraconductivity term is calculated in the case of sufficiently small superconducting coherence length. It is found that the critical exponent of paraconductivity depends on the short-wavelength cut-off of the fluctuation spectrum in the whole Ginzburg-Landau mean-field region. Hence, it is predicted that the Aslamazov-Larkin universal relation between the critical exponent of paraconductivity and the dimensionality of the superconducting state is no longer valid in short-coherence-length superconductors. This prediction is confirmed by paraconductivity measurements on cuprate superconductors. (orig.)

Model for the resistive critical current transition in composite superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warnes, W.H.

1988-01-01

Much of the research investigating technological type-II superconducting composites relies on the measurement of the resistive critical current transition. We have developed a model for the resistive transition which improves on older models by allowing for the very different nature of monofilamentary and multifilamentary composite structures. The monofilamentary model allows for axial current flow around critical current weak links in the superconducting filament. The multifilamentary model incorporates an additional radial current transfer between neighboring filaments. The development of both models is presented. It is shown that the models are useful for extracting more information from the experimental data than was formerly possible. Specific information obtainable from the experimental voltage-current characteristic includes the distribution of critical currents in the composite, the average critical current of the distribution, the range of critical currents in the composite, the field and temperature dependence of the distribution, and the fraction of the composite dissipating energy in flux flow at any current. This additional information about the distribution of critical currents may be helpful in leading toward a better understanding of flux pinning in technological superconductors. Comparison of the models with several experiments is given and shown to be in reasonable agreement. Implications of the models for the measurement of critical currents in technological composites is presented and discussed with reference to basic flux pinning studies in such composites

Positron annihilation studies on high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundar, C.S.; Bharathi, A.

1991-01-01

The results of positron annihilation measurements as a function of temperature, across Tc, in a variety of high temperature superconductors such as Y-Ba-Cu-O (Y1237), Y-Ba-Cu-O (Y1248), Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O, Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O, Ba-K-Bi-O and Nd-Ce-Cu-O are presented. It is shown that the variation of annihilation parameters in the superconducting state is correlated with the diposition of the positron density distribution with respect to the superconducting CuO planes. An increase in positron lifetime is observed below Tc when the positrons probe the CuO planes whereas a decrease in lifetime is observed when the positron density overlaps predominantly with the apical oxygen atom. With this correlation, the different temperature variation of annihilation parameters, seen in the various high temperature superconductors, is understood in terms of a local charge transfer from the planar oxygen atom to the apical oxygen atom. The significance of these results in the context of various theoretical models of high temperature superconductivity is discussed. In addition, the application of positron annihilation spectroscopy to the study of oxygen defects in the Y-Ba-Cu-O, Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Nd-Ce-Cu-O is presented. (author). 53 refs., 17 figs., 2 tabs

The superconductor revolutions and the (slow) applications evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foner, S.

1990-01-01

The discovery in the 1960's of type 2 superconductors with high critical current densities in high magnetic fields (and the development of NbTi in particular) led to the first revolution. The discovery of high temperature superconductors (HTS) started the second revolution. At this stage ceramists became involved with superconductors. I will assess the status of various superconductor applications, progress of HTS and their possible applications at 4.2K, and near-term needs for superconducting materials operating at 30T in specialized facilities. Reasons for the slow growth of superconductor applications will be reviewed

The local structure of high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mustre de Leon, J.; Conradson, S.D.; Bishop, A.R.; Raistrick, I.D.

1992-01-01

We show how x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) has been successfully used in the determination of the local crystal structure of high-temperature superconductors, with advantages over traditional diffraction techniques. We review the experimental results that yielded the first evidence for an axial-oxygen-centered lattice instability connected with the superconductivity transition. The interpretation of this instability in terms of a dynamical tunneling model suggests the presence of polarons in these materials. XAFS on Tl 2 Ba 2 CuO 6 and other Tl-based superconductors indicate the presence of local instabilities in the CuO 2 planes of these materials, in addition to axial-oxygen instabilities

Macroscopic phase separation in high-temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Hai-Hu

2000-01-01

High-temperature superconductivity is recovered by introducing extra holes to the Cu-O planes, which initially are insulating with antiferromagnetism. In this paper I present data to show the macroscopic electronic phase separation that is caused by either mobile doping or electronic instability in the overdoped region. My results clearly demonstrate that the electronic inhomogeneity is probably a general feature of high-temperature superconductors. PMID:11027323

Microstructures and critical currents in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suenaga, Masaki

1998-01-01

Microstructural defects are the primary determining factors for the values of critical-current densities in a high T c superconductor after the electronic anisotropy along the a-b plane and the c-direction. A review is made to assess firstly what would be the maximum achievable critical-current density in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 if nearly ideal pinning sites were introduced and secondly what types of pinning defects are currently introduced or exist in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 and how effective are these in pinning vortices

Alloy model for high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weissmann, M.; Saul, A.

1991-07-01

An alloy model is proposed for the electronic structure of high temperature superconductors. It is based on the assumption that holes and extra electrons are localized in small copper oxygen clusters, that would be the components of such alloy. This model, when used together with quantum chemical calculations on small clusters, can explain the structure observed in the experimental densities of states of both hole and electron superconductors close to the Fermi energy. The main point is the strong dependence of the energy level distribution and composition on the number of electrons in a cluster. The alloy model also suggests a way to correlate Tc with the number of holes, or extra electrons, and the number of adequate clusters to locate them. (author). 21 refs, 4 figs, 1 tab

Critical states and thermomagnetic instabilities in three-dimensional nanostructured superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamegai, T., E-mail: tamegai@ap.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Mine, A.; Tsuchiya, Y.; Miyano, S.; Pyon, S. [Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Mawatari, Y.; Nagasawa, S.; Hidaka, M. [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Critical state field profiles and thermomagnetic instabilities are studied in three-dimensional nanostructured superconductors. • We find that the critical state field profiles in bi-layer systems are not simple superpositions of critical states in the two layers. • We also studied flux avalanches in shifted strip arrays with layer numbers up to six. • Various forms of avalanches either perpendicular or parallel to the strip are observed when the overlap between layers is large. • We find that introduction of asymmetry to shifted strip arrays affects the shape of flux avalanches sensitively. - Abstract: Critical state field profiles and thermomagnetic instabilities are studied in two kinds of three-dimensional nanostructured superconductors. We find that the critical state field profiles in some simple bi-layer systems are not simple superpositions of critical states in the two layers. Competition between the divergence of the local field at the edges of the film and the shielding by the neighboring layer makes novel critical state field profiles. We also studied flux avalanches in shifted strip arrays (SSAs) with layer numbers up to six. Various forms of avalanches either perpendicular or parallel to the strip are observed when the overlap between strips in neighboring layers is large. We also find that introduction of asymmetry in various forms to SSA affects the shape of flux avalanches sensitively.

Effect of parameters of a high-temperature superconductor levitation system on the lateral force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Yong; Zheng Xiaojing

2008-01-01

The lateral forces on a rectangular permanent magnet above a cylindrical high-temperature superconductor during lateral traverses are simulated in two cooling conditions. The simulation is based on the finite element method and critical state model of Bean. The calculations agree well with the previous experimental data, on the basis of which the effect of initial cooling conditions, physical parameters, levitating height during lateral traverses and geometrical parameters on the lateral force is presented

Paramagnetic limiting of the upper critical field of the layered organic superconductor κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu(SCN)2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuo, F.; Brooks, J.S.; McKenzie, R.H.; Schlueter, J.A.; Williams, J.M.

2000-01-01

We report detailed measurements of the interlayer magnetoresistance of the layered organic superconductor κ-(BEDT-TTF) 2 Cu(SCN) 2 for temperatures down to 0.5 K and fields up to 30 T. The upper critical field is determined from the resistive transition for a wide range of temperatures and field directions. For magnetic fields parallel to the layers, the upper critical field increases approximately linearly with decreasing temperature. The upper critical field at low temperatures is compared to the Pauli paramagnetic limit, at which singlet superconductivity should be destroyed by the Zeeman splitting of the electron spins. The measured value is comparable to a value for the paramagnetic limit calculated from thermodynamic quantities but exceeds the limit calculated from BCS theory. The angular dependence of the upper critical field shows a cusplike feature for fields close to the layers, consistent with decoupled layers.

Temperature Induced Degradation of Nb Ti/Cu Composite Superconductors

CERN Document Server

Scheuerlein, C; Senatore, C; Di Michiel, M; Thilly, L; Gerardin, A; Reluner, B; Oberli, L; Willering, G; Bottura, L

2009-01-01

The degradation mechanisms of state-of-the-art Nb-Ti/Cu superconductors are described, based on in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements during heat treatment. A quantitative description of the Nb-Ti/Cu degradation in terms of critical current density, Cu stabiliser resistivity and mechanical composite strength is presented. In an applied magnetic field a significant critical current degradation is already observed after a 5-minute 400 °C heat treatment, due to variations of a-Ti precipitate size and distribution within the Nb-Ti alloy filaments. A strong degradation of the strand mechanical properties is observed after several minutes heating above 550 °C, which is also the temperature at which the formation of Cu Ti intermetallic phases is detected. Several minutes heating at 250 °C are sufficient to increase the RRR of the strongly cold work strands inside a Rutherford type cable from about 80 to about 240. Heating for several minutes at 400 °C does not cause a significant conductor degradati...

An explanation of the irreversibility behavior in the highly- anisotropic high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, K.E.; Kim, D.H.

1991-01-01

The wide temperature range of the reversible, lossy state of the new high-temperature superconductors in a magnetic field was recognized soon after their discovery. This behavior, which had gone virtually undetected in conventional superconductors, has generated considerable interest, both for a fundamental understanding of the HTS and because it degrades the performance of HTS for finite-field applications. We show that recently proposed explanation of this behavior for the highly-anisotropic high-temperature superconductors, as a dimensional crossover of the magnetic vortices, is strongly supported by recent experiments on a Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O x single crystal using the high-Q mechanical oscillator techniques

High temperature bismuth cuprate superconductors synthesis and characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansori, M.; Satre, P.; Breandon, C.; Roubin, M.; Sebaoun, A.

1993-01-01

High temperature superconductor phases synthesis by coprecipitation in alkaline solution is reported. (Bi 1.6 Pb 0.4 )Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8+x and (Bi 1.6 Pb 0.4 )Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+y noted (2212) and (2223) have been prepared and studied. From aqueous nitrate solutions of Bi, Pb, Sr, Ca and Cu and oxalic acid aqueous solution as well as ethylene glycol, using an organic base (the triethylamine), the pH was increased up to the path of the precipitation zone (pH = 10.5-11.2). This method assures a good granulometric homogeneity of powders. Thermal analysis and characterization of the different components produced during the synthesis have been studied by DTA (differential thermal analysis)- TGA (thermogravimetric analysis), X-ray diffraction at different temperatures and by Infrared spectroscopy with a Fourier transformation. The measurements of magnetic susceptibility for the 2212 (with and without lead) and 2223 (with lead) phases have permitted us to observe the critical temperatures of 84 K, 87 K and 114 K. (author). 29 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs

Engineering design of a high-temperature superconductor current lead

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niemann, R.C.; Cha, Y.S.; Hull, J.R.; Daugherty, M.A.; Buckles, W.E.

1993-01-01

As part of the US Department of Energy's Superconductivity Pilot Center Program, Argonne National Laboratory and Superconductivity, Inc., are developing high-temperature superconductor (HTS) current leads suitable for application to superconducting magnetic energy storage systems. The principal objective of the development program is to design, construct, and evaluate the performance of HTS current leads suitable for near-term applications. Supporting objectives are to (1) develop performance criteria; (2) develop a detailed design; (3) analyze performance; (4) gain manufacturing experience in the areas of materials and components procurement, fabrication and assembly, quality assurance, and cost; (5) measure performance of critical components and the overall assembly; (6) identify design uncertainties and develop a program for their study; and (7) develop application-acceptance criteria

Resistive current limiter with high-temperature superconductors. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schubert, M.

1995-12-01

Fundamental results of the possibility of using high temperature superconductors (HTSC) in resistive fault current limiters are discussed. Measurement of the homogeneity of BSCCO-powder-in-tube materials were made. In addition, investigations of the transition from superconducting to normalconducting state under AC-current conditions were carried out. Based on these results, simulations of HTSC-materials on ceramic substrate were made and recent results are presented. Important results of the investigations are: 1. Current-limiting without external trigger only possible when the critical current density of HTSC exceeds 10 4 A/cm 2 . 2. Inhomogeneities sometimes cause problems with local destruction. This can be solved by parallel-elements or external trigger. 3. Fast current-limiting causes overvoltages which can be reduced by using parallel-elements. (orig.) [de

Engineering design of a high-temperature superconductor current lead

Science.gov (United States)

Niemann, R. C.; Cha, Y. S.; Hull, J. R.; Daugherty, M. A.; Buckles, W. E.

As part of the US Department of Energy's Superconductivity Pilot Center Program, Argonne National Laboratory and Superconductivity, Inc., are developing high-temperature superconductor (HTS) current leads suitable for application to superconducting magnetic energy storage systems. The principal objective of the development program is to design, construct, and evaluate the performance of HTS current leads suitable for near-term applications. Supporting objectives are to (1) develop performance criteria; (2) develop a detailed design; (3) analyze performance; (4) gain manufacturing experience in the areas of materials and components procurement, fabrication and assembly, quality assurance, and cost; (5) measure performance of critical components and the overall assembly; (6) identify design uncertainties and develop a program for their study; and (7) develop application-acceptance criteria.

Preparation of silver doped high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stavek, Jiri; Zapletal, Vladimir

1989-01-01

High temperature superconductors were prepared by the controlled double-jet precipitation to manipulate the chemical composition, composition gradients, average grain size, grain size distribution, and other factors which contribute to the actual properties and performance of HTSC. The cations (Y-Ba-Cu or Bi-Pb-Ca-Sr-Cu) and oxalic anions solutions were simultaneously separately introduced to the crystallizer with a stirred solution of gelatin under conditions where the temperature, excess of oxalic anions in solution, pH, reactant addition rate, and other reaction conditions were tightly controlled to prepare the high sinterability powder. To increase the sinterability of submicron particles of produced precursor, the silver ions were introduced at the end of the controlled double-jet precipitation. This approach improves the electrical and mechanical properties of produced HTSC specimens. The controlled double jet precipitation provides a viable technique for preparation of oxide superconductors and the process is amenable for scaling up

Ternary superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giorgi, A.L.

1987-01-01

Ternary superconductors constitute a class of superconducting compounds with exceptional properties such as high transition temperatures (≅ 15.2 K), extremely high critical fields (H c2 >60 Tesla), and the coexistence of superconductivity and long-range magnetic order. This has generated great interest in the scientific community and resulted in a large number of experimental and theoretical investigations in which many new ternary compounds have been discovered. A review of some of the properties of these ternary compounds is presented with particular emphasis on the ternary molybdenum chalcogenides and the ternary rare earth transition metal tetraborides. The effect of partial substitution of a second metal atom to form pseudoternary compounds is examined as well as some of the proposed correlations between the superconducting transition temperature and the structural and electronic properties of the ternary superconductors

Prospects of High Temperature Superconductors for fusion magnets and power applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fietz, Walter H.; Barth, Christian; Drotziger, Sandra; Goldacker, Wilfried; Heller, Reinhard; Schlachter, Sonja I.; Weiss, Klaus-Peter

2013-01-01

Highlights: • An overview of HTS application in fusion is given. • BSCCO application for current leads is discussed. • Several approaches to come to a high current HTS cable are shown. • Open issues and benefits of REBCO high current HTS cables are discussed. -- Abstract: During the last few years, progress in the field of second-generation High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) was breathtaking. Industry has taken up production of long length coated REBCO conductors with reduced angular dependency on external magnetic field and excellent critical current density jc. Consequently these REBCO tapes are used more and more in power application. For fusion magnets, high current conductors in the kA range are needed to limit the voltage during fast discharge. Several designs for high current cables using High Temperature Superconductors have been proposed. With the REBCO tape performance at hand, the prospects of fusion magnets based on such high current cables are promising. An operation at 4.5 K offers a comfortable temperature margin, more mechanical stability and the possibility to reach even higher fields compared to existing solutions with Nb 3 Sn which could be interesting with respect to DEMO. After a brief overview of HTS use in power application the paper will give an overview of possible use of HTS material for fusion application. Present high current HTS cable designs are reviewed and the potential using such concepts for future fusion magnets is discussed

Charge and spin transport in mesoscopic superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. J. Wolf

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Non-equilibrium charge transport in superconductors has been investigated intensely in the 1970s and 1980s, mostly in the vicinity of the critical temperature. Much less attention has been paid to low temperatures and the role of the quasiparticle spin.Results: We report here on nonlocal transport in superconductor hybrid structures at very low temperatures. By comparing the nonlocal conductance obtained by using ferromagnetic and normal-metal detectors, we discriminate charge and spin degrees of freedom. We observe spin injection and long-range transport of pure, chargeless spin currents in the regime of large Zeeman splitting. We elucidate charge and spin transport by comparison to theoretical models.Conclusion: The observed long-range chargeless spin transport opens a new path to manipulate and utilize the quasiparticle spin in superconductor nanostructures.

Atomic hydrogen effects on high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frantskevich, N.V.; Ulyashin, A.G.; Alifanov, A.V.; Stepanenko, A.V.; Fedotova, V.V.

1999-01-01

The atomic hydrogen effects on the properties of bulk high-temperature superconductors were investigated. It is shown that the insertion of the atomic hydrogen into the bulk of these materials from a DC plasma leads to the increase of the critical current density J c for YBaCuO(123) as well as for BiSrCaCuO(2223) high-temperature superconductors. It is found that the hydrogenation of the He implanted samples with following annealing leads to the optically detected blistering on the surface. It means that the textured thin subsurface layers of high-temperature superconductors can be formed by this method. The improvement of superconductivity by atomic hydrogen can be explained by the passivation of dangling bonds and defects on grain boundaries of these materials

Testing and evaluation of high temperature superconductor current leads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yadav, Anand; Puntambekar, Avinash; Manekar, M.A.

2009-01-01

National Institute for Inter-disciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Trivandrum (formerly Regional Research Laboratory) has accomplished a DAE-BRNS project with Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) as principal collaborator for the development of high temperature superconductor (HTS) current leads. These HTS current leads have self-field critical currents (Ic) ranging from 50 A to 1000 A at liquid nitrogen (LN 2 ) temperature. These HTS are made out of silver sheathed Bismuth Strontium Calcium Copper Oxide (BSCCO-2223), for direct application in superconducting (SC) systems involving transportation of high electric currents from power sources at room temperature to superconducting devices at cryogenic temperatures. RRCAT has participated in this project by testing and evaluation of these HTS current leads and carried out actual load trials. In this paper, we will describe the HTS testing setup, tests performed with their testing procedure and the test results. The testing of these HTS has been done with joint effort of Materials Advanced Accelerator Science and Cryogenics Div. and Superconducting Technology Lab (SCT Lab), Advanced Accelerator Module Development Div., using the test facility available at the SCT Lab. (author)

Holographic superconductor in the analytic hairy black hole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myung, Yun Soo; Park, Chanyong

2011-01-01

We study the charged black hole of hyperbolic horizon with scalar hair (charged Martinez-Troncoso-Zanelli: CMTZ black hole) as a model of analytic hairy black hole for holographic superconductor. For this purpose, we investigate the second order phase transition between CMTZ and hyperbolic Reissner-Nordstroem-AdS (HRNAdS) black holes. However, this transition unlikely occurs. As an analytic treatment for holographic superconductor, we develop superconductor in the bulk and superfluidity on the boundary using the CMTZ black hole below the critical temperature. The presence of charge destroys the condensates around the zero temperature, which is in accord with the thermodynamic analysis of the CMTZ black hole.

Application of high temperature superconductors for fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fietz, W.H.; Heller, R.; Schlachter, S.I.; Goldacker, W.

2011-01-01

The use of High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) materials in future fusion machines can increase the efficiency drastically. For ITER, W7-X and JT-60SA the economic benefit of HTS current leads was recognized after a 70 kA HTS current lead demonstrator was designed, fabricated and successfully tested by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT, which is a merge of former Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe and University of Karlsruhe). For ITER, the Chinese Domestic Agency will provide the current leads as a part of the superconducting feeder system. KIT is in charge of design, construction and test of HTS current leads for W7-X and JT-60SA. For W7-X 14 current leads with a maximum current of 18.2 kA are required that are oriented with the room temperature end at the bottom. JT60-SA will need 26 current leads (20 leads - 20 kA and 6 leads - 25.7 kA) which are mounted in vertical, normal position. These current leads are based on BiSCCO HTS superconductors, demonstrating that HTS material is now state of the art for highly efficient current leads. With respect to future fusion reactors, it would be very promising to use HTS material not only in current leads but also in coils. This would allow a large increase of efficiency if the coils could be operated at temperatures ≥65 K. With such a high temperature it would be possible to omit the radiation shield of the coils, resulting in a less complex cryostat and a size reduction of the machine. In addition less refrigeration power is needed saving investment and operating costs. However, to come to an HTS fusion coil it is necessary to develop low ac loss HTS cables for currents well above 20 kA at high fields well above 10 T. The high field rules BiSCCO superconductors out at temperatures above 50 K, but RE-123 superconductors are promising. The development of a high current, high field RE-123 HTS fusion cable will not be targeted outside fusion community and has to be in the frame of a long term development programme for

Theory of the upper critical field in layered superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klemm, R.A.; Luther, A.; Beasley, M.R.

1975-01-01

The upper critical field H/subc/ 2 in layered superconductors is calculated from a microscopic theory in which the electrons are assumed to propagate freely within the individual layers subject to scattering off impurities and to propagate via tunneling between the layers. For the magnetic field parallel to the layers, there is a temperature T* 2 /sub parallel/ is thus determined by the combined effects of Pauli paramagnetism and spin-orbit scattering, and for sufficiently strong spin-orbit scattering rates, H/subc/ 2 /sub parallel/(T =0) can greatly exceed the Chandrasekhar-Clogston Pauli limiting field H/subP/. This unusual behavior is found to be most pronounced in the dirty limit for the electron propagation within the layers and when the electrons scatter many times in a given layer before tunneling to an adjacent layer. Our results are also discussed in light of the available experimental data. (auth)

Critical Current Test of Liquid Hydrogen Cooled HTC Superconductors under External Magnetic Field

OpenAIRE

Shirai, Yasuyuki; Shiotsu, Masahiro; Tatsumoto, Hideki; Kobayashi, Hiroaki; Naruo, Yoshihiro; Nonaka, Satoshi; Inatani, Yoshifumi

2016-01-01

High-Tc (HTC) superconductors including MgB2 will show excellent properties under temperature of Liquid Hydrogen (LH2:20K), which has large latent heat and low viscosity coefficient. In order to design and fabricate the LH2 cooled superconducting energy devices, we must clear the cooling property of LH2 for superconductors, the cooling system and safety design of LH2 cooled superconducting devices and electro-magnetic property evaluation of superconductors (BSCCO, REBCO and MgB2) and their ma...

Quantum critical matter. Quantum phase transitions with multiple dynamics and Weyl superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng, Tobias

2012-01-01

In this PhD thesis, the physics of quantum critical matter and exotic quantum state close to quantum phase transitions is investigated. We will focus on three different examples that highlight some of the interesting phenomena related to quantum phase transitions. Firstly, we discuss the physics of quantum phase transitions in quantum wires as a function of an external gate voltage when new subbands are activated. We find that at these transitions, strong correlations lead to the formation of an impenetrable gas of polarons, and identify criteria for possible instabilities in the spin- and charge sectors of the model. Our analysis is based on the combination of exact resummations, renormalization group techniques and Luttinger liquid approaches. Secondly, we turn to the physics of multiple divergent time scales close to a quantum critical point. Using an appropriately generalized renormalization group approach, we identify that the presence of multiple dynamics at a quantum phase transition can lead to the emergence of new critical scaling exponents and thus to the breakdown of the usual scaling schemes. We calculate the critical behavior of various thermodynamic properties and detail how unusual physics can arise. It is hoped that these results might be helpful for the interpretation of experimental scaling puzzles close to quantum critical points. Thirdly, we turn to the physics of topological transitions, and more precisely the physics of Weyl superconductors. The latter are the superconducting variant of the topologically non-trivial Weyl semimetals, and emerge at the quantum phase transition between a topological superconductor and a normal insulator upon perturbing the transition with a time reversal symmetry breaking perturbation, such as magnetism. We characterize the topological properties of Weyl superconductors and establish a topological phase diagram for a particular realization in heterostructures. We discuss the physics of vortices in Weyl

Functional development in density functional theory for superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanna, Antonio; Gross, E.K.U.; Essenberger, Frank [Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Halle (Saale) (Germany)

2015-07-01

Density functional theory for superconductors (SCDFT) is a fully parameter-free approach to superconductivity that allows for accurate predictions of critical temperature and properties of superconductors. We report on the most recent extensions of the method, in particular the development of new functionals to: (1) incorporate in a correct fashion Migdal's theorem; (2) compute the excitation spectrum; (3) include spin-fluctuation mediated pairing Applications and predictions are shown for a set of materials, including conventional and unconventional superconductors.

Development of high temperature superconductors for magnetic field applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larbalestier, D.C.

1991-01-01

The key requirement for magnetic field applications of high temperature superconductor (HTS) materials is to have conductors with high transport critical current density available for magnet builders. After 3 or 4 years of being without any such object, conductor makers have had recent success in producing simple conductor prototypes. These have permitted the construction of simple HTS magnets having self fields exceeding 1 tesla at 4K. Thus the scientific feasibility of making powerful HTS magnets has been demonstrated. Attention to the technological aspects of making HTS conductors for magnets with strong flux pinning and reduced superconducting granularity is now sensible and attractive. However, extrinsic defects such as filament sausaging, cracking, misaligned grains and other perturbations to long range current flow must be controlled at a low level if the benefit of intrinsic improvements to the critical current density is to be maintained in the conductor form. Due to the great complexity of HTS materials, there is sometimes confusion as to whether a given sample has an intrinsically or extrinsically limited critical current density. Systematic microstructure variation experiments and resistive transition analysis are shown to be particularly helpful in this phase of conductor development

Electric field obtained from an elliptic critical-state model for anisotropic type-II superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romero-Salazar, C., E-mail: cromeros@ifuap.buap.mx; Hernández-Flores, O.A.

2016-02-15

Highlights: • An anisotropic critical state model that incorporates a non-zero electric field is proposed. • The critical current density is driven by the electric field. • To determinate the magnetic properties is not required a material law for the electric field magnitude. - Abstract: The conventional elliptic critical-state models (ECSM) establish that the electric field vector is zero when it flows a critical current density in a type-II superconductor. This proposal incorporates a finite electric field on the ECSM to study samples with anisotropic-current-carrying capacity. Our theoretical scheme has the advantage of being able to dispense of a material law which drives the electric field magnitude, however, it does not consider the magnetic history of the superconductor.

Field-Induced Quantum Critical Point and Nodal Superconductivity in the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor Ce_{2}PdIn_{8}

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. K. Dong

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The in-plane resistivity ρ and thermal conductivity κ of the heavy-fermion superconductor Ce_{2}PdIn_{8} single crystals were measured down to 50 mK. A field-induced quantum critical point, occurring at the upper critical field H_{c2}, is demonstrated from the ρ(T∼T near H_{c2} and ρ(T∼T^{2} when further increasing the field. The large residual linear term κ_{0}/T at zero field and the rapid increase of κ(H/T at low field give evidence for nodal superconductivity in Ce_{2}PdIn_{8}. The jump of κ(H/T near H_{c2} suggests a first-order-like phase transition at low temperature. These results mimic the features of the famous CeCoIn_{5} superconductor, implying that Ce_{2}PdIn_{8} may be another interesting compound to investigate for the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity.

High temperature resistive phase transition in A15 high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, C.W.; Huang, C.Y.; Schmidt, P.H.; Sugawara, K.

1976-01-01

Resistive measurements were made on A15 high temperature superconductors. Anomalies indicative of a phase transition were observed at 433 0 K in a single crystal Nb 3 Sn and at 485 0 K in an unbacked Nb 3 Ge sputtered thin film. Results are compared with the high temperature transmission electron diffraction studies of Nb 3 Ge films by Schmidt et al. A possible instability in the electron energy spectrum is discussed

Improving superconducting properties of YBCO high temperature superconductor by Graphene Oxide doping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dadras, S., E-mail: dadras@alzahra.ac.ir; Dehghani, S.; Davoudiniya, M.; Falahati, S.

2017-06-01

In this research, we report the synthesis and characterization of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-δ} (YBCO) high temperature superconductor prepared by sol-gel method and doped with Graphene Oxide (GO) in different weight percentages, 0, 0.1, 0.7 and 1 % wt. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms the formation of orthorhombic phase of superconductivity for all the prepared samples. We found that GO doping reduces the crystalline size of the samples. We evaluated the effects of GO doping on the normal state resistivity (ρ), superconducting transition temperature (T{sub c}) and critical current density (J{sub c}). The results show that the GO doping has a positive effect on these properties. Also, the highest J{sub c} is obtained for the 0.7 %wt GO doped YBCO compound that its critical current density is about 15 times more than the J{sub c} of pure one in 0.4 T magnetic field. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis shows that there are better connections between the grains of GO doped samples. - Highlights: • Graphene Oxide doping increased the YBCO critical current density. • Graphene Oxide creates a better connection between the YBCO grains. • The normal resistivity of samples were decreased by GO doping to YBCO compounds. • Graphene Oxide doping has a positive effect on the critical transition temperature.

High temperature superconductivity: Concept, preparation and testing of high Tc superconductor compounds, and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harara, Wafik

1992-06-01

Many studies have been carried out on high temperature superconductors with transition temperature above that of the liquid nitrogen. In this scientific study the concept and the mechanism of this phenomena are discussed, in addition the examples of preparation and testing of high temperature superconductors compounds are shown. Also the most important applications in industry are explained. (author). 15 refs., 2 tabs., 18 figs

Passivation of high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Vasquez, Richard P. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

The surface of high temperature superconductors such as YBa2Cu3O(7-x) are passivated by reacting the native Y, Ba and Cu metal ions with an anion such as sulfate or oxalate to form a surface film that is impervious to water and has a solubility in water of no more than 10(exp -3) M. The passivating treatment is preferably conducted by immersing the surface in dilute aqueous acid solution since more soluble species dissolve into the solution. The treatment does not degrade the superconducting properties of the bulk material.

Thermal fluctuation effects far from the critical temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Refai, T.F.

1980-01-01

We report the first measurements of thermal fluctuations in superconductors at temperatures far from the critical temperature T/sub c/ (T approx. 1/2 T/sub c/), and also the first measurements that use thermal fluctuations to probe the non-equilibrium dynamics of a superconductor. This is the first work that separately measures the fluctuations that cause a superconductor to switch to the dissipative state and those that cause it to switch back to the superconductor state. These unique measurements allowed: (1) The first measurement experimental confirmation of the theory of Langer, Ambegaokar, McCumber, and Halperin (LAMH) where T/sub c/ was not an adjustable parameter. This rigorous test of the theory was not previously possible because earlier measurements were carried out very near T/sub c/, where a change of many orders of magnitude of predicted effects occur if the assumed T/sub c/ changes a few millidegrees. Thus T/sub c/ in all previous work was always adjusted so as to get agreement with the theory. (2) The first verification of the LAMH model far from T/sub c/. (3) The first experimental confirmation of the relation between current and transition probability that was predicted in the LAMH model. (4) Confirmation that the Lamda model developed by Peters, Wolf, and Rachford (PWR) to explain the dynamics on the nonequilibrium region can be extended to explain fluctuation effects. This is based on an original phenomenological extension of the LAMH model that is developed in this work and on our data. (5) The most direct measurement to date of the nature of the decay of the dissipative region in a weak link. These measurements show that the region recovers exponentially in time as proposed in the Lamda model

Two decades on[Research into high-temperature superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durrani, M. [Physics World (United Kingdom)

2006-04-15

Research into high-temperature superconductors should focus on experiment, not theory. While the world looked on in horror at the events unfolding at the Chernobyl nuclear-power plant in the Soviet Union 20 years ago this month, another significant - but far less reported - development in the world of physics had just taken place. On 17 April 1986 a short paper by Georg Bednorz and Alexander Mueller arrived at the offices of Zeitschrift fuer Physik in Heidelberg, Germany. The two physicists, based at IBM's Zurich Research Laboratory in Switzerland, announced they had made a material from barium, lanthanum, copper and oxygen that could conduct electricity without resistance when cooled below a transition temperature, T{sub c}, of about 30 K. It was the world's first 'high-temperature' superconductor. Driven by the dream of materials that can superconduct at room temperature, experimentalists scurried back to their labs. Within a year, a T{sub c} of 90 K in another material had been reported and by October 1987 Bednorz and Mueller had been crowned with a Nobel prize. While papers on high-temperature superconductivity have continued to stream out since those heady days, progress has been slower than expected. Applications like levitating trains and resistance-free power cables are only now starting to come to market. Scientists have been unable to make superconducting wires that work much above 130 K, while a reliable theory of high-temperature superconductivity remains elusive. Even if we had such a theory, it is not clear that it would predict which materials might superconduct at room temperature. After all, the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory, which explains the behaviour of low-temperature superconductors with admirable success, said nothing about the superconducting properties of Bednorz and Mueller's copper-oxide ceramics. What successes there have been over the last 20 years - such as the recent discoveries that iron, single crystals

Theory of tunneling in metal--superconductor devices: Supercurrents in the superconductor gap at zero temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, N.; Flores, F.; Guinea, F.

1988-01-01

Tunneling experiments in metal-oxide superconductor have shown the existence of ''leakage'' currents for applied voltages V smaller than one-half of the superconductor gap Δ. These currents are independent of temperature T. Recently experiments with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and squeezable tunnel junctions have shown that the observation of the superconductor gap depends strongly on the resistance in the junction. In fact only for resistances larger than ∼10 6 Ω the gap is clearly observable. These experiments have been explained in terms of the perturbative Hamiltonian formalism of Bardeen. However, it may happen that this theory while applicable for very large resistances may not be so for small tunnel resistances. We present here a nonperturbative theory in all orders of the transmitivity chemical bondTochemical bond 2 and show the existence of supercurrents for values of V 2 . We believe that experiments in STM and other junctions should be interpreted in the frame of this theory

Local antiferromagnetic exchange and collaborative Fermi surface as key ingredients of high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jiangping; Ding, Hong

2012-01-01

Cuprates, ferropnictides and ferrochalcogenides are three classes of unconventional high temperature superconductors, who share similar phase diagrams in which superconductivity develops after a magnetic order is suppressed, suggesting a strong interplay between superconductivity and magnetism, although the exact picture of this interplay remains elusive. Here we show that there is a direct bridge connecting antiferromagnetic exchange interactions determined in the parent compounds of these materials to the superconducting gap functions observed in the corresponding superconducting materials: in all high temperature superconductors, the Fermi surface topology matches the form factor of the pairing symmetry favored by local magnetic exchange interactions. We suggest that this match offers a principle guide to search for new high temperature superconductors. PMID:22536479

Impact of radiation exposure on mechanical and superconducting properties of Bi-2212 superconductor ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azlan Abdul Rahman; Nasri Abdul Hamid; Abdul Aziz Mohamed; Mohd Shahrul Nizam Abdullah; Samsul Isman; Hidayah Zainal

2013-01-01

Full-text: For practical applications of high-temperature superconductor ceramics, the compounds must be able to sustain extreme mechanical stress and external magnetic field. Bi-2212 superconductor is one of the existing superconductors that are commonly used in various applications. Improvement in the microstructure enhanced the connectivity of the adjacent grains within the superconducting grains, and as such improved the mechanical strength of the ceramics. The ability of the superconductor ceramics to sustain superconducting properties in external magnetic field is also required. The compounds must be able to maintain high transport critical current density (Jc) in magnetic field. Another potential application of superconductors is at the nuclear facilities. Thus, study on the impact of radiation exposure on the mechanical and superconducting properties is very important to gauge the viability of superconductor ceramics in such environment. In this study, the mechanical and superconducting properties between exposure and non-irradiated samples are compared. Characterization will be done by the temperature dependence on electrical resistance measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and measurements of transport critical current (Jc) dependence on temperature in magnetic field. (author)

Filtering properties of Thue-Morse nano-photonic crystals containing high-temperature superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Talebzadeh, Robabeh; Bavaghar, Mehrdad

2018-05-01

In this paper, we introduced new design of quasi-periodic layered structures by choosing order two of ternary Thue-Morse structure. We considered Superconductor-dielectric photonic crystal with mirror symmetric as (ABSSAB)N(BASSBA)N composed of two kinds of nano-scale dielectric layers (A and B) and high-temperature superconductor layers where N is the number of period. This structure is assumed to be the free space. By using the transfer matrix method and the two fluid model, we theoretically study the transmission spectrum of ternary Thue-Morse superconducting photonic crystals with mirror symmetry and introduce this structure as a narrow optical filter. We showed that transmission peak so-called defect mode appears itself inside the transmission spectrum of suggested structure as same as defective layered structure. Also, we analyzed the influence of various related parameters such as the operating temperature of superconductor layer on position of defect mode. The redshift of defect mode with increasing the operating temperature was observed.

Contamination of YBCO bulk superconductors by samarium and ytterbium

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Volochová, D.; Jurek, Karel; Radušovská, M.; Piovarči, S.; Antal, V.; Kováč, J.; Jirsa, Miloš; Diko, P.

2014-01-01

Roč. 496, JAN (2014), s. 14-17 ISSN 0921-4534 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : YBCO bulk superconductors * critical temperature * critical current density * peak effect Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.942, year: 2014

Magnetization hysteresis and history effects in conventional and high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaddah, P.

1990-01-01

The magnetization in hard superconductors is irreversible and history-dependent, and cannot be a priori compared with the equilibrium magnetization. These features have gained prominence in the high T c superconductors (HTSC) where the short coherence length presumably leads to intrinsic pinning. Various experimental features, first noticed in the HTSC, are explained by an extension of Bean's macroscopic model to include temperature variations and the field dependence of J c . This paper discusses recent measurements of history effects in niobium and show their similarities with other published data on HTSC. The authors also present our calculations of magnetization behaviour in hard superconductors of sample-shapes having a non-zero demagnetization factor

Cryocooler applications for high-temperature superconductor magnetic bearings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niemann, R. C.

1998-01-01

The efficiency and stability of rotational magnetic suspension systems are enhanced by the use of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) magnetic bearings. Fundamental aspects of the HTS magnetic bearings and rotational magnetic suspension are presented. HTS cooling can be by liquid cryogen bath immersion or by direct conduction, and thus there are various applications and integration issues for cryocoolers. Among the numerous cryocooler aspects to be considered are installation; operating temperature; losses; and vacuum pumping

Second-Generation High-Temperature Superconductor Wires for the Electric Power Grid

Science.gov (United States)

Malozemoff, A. P.

2012-08-01

Superconductors offer major advantages for the electric power grid, including high current and power capacity, high efficiency arising from the lossless current flow, and a unique current-limiting functionality arising from a superconductor-to-resistive transition. These advantages can be brought to bear on equipment such as underground power cables, fault current limiters, rotating machinery, transformers, and energy storage. The first round of significant commercial-scale superconductor power-equipment demonstrations, carried out during the past decade, relied on a first-generation high-temperature superconductor (HTS) wire. However, during the past few years, with the recent commercial availability of high-performance second-generation HTS wires, power-equipment demonstrations have increasingly been carried out with these new wires, which bring important advantages. The foundation is being laid for commercial expansion of this important technology into the power grid.

An induction/synchronous motor with high temperature superconductor/normal conductor hybrid double-cage rotor windings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, T; Nagao, K; Nishimura, T; Matsumura, K

2009-01-01

We propose hybrid double-cage rotor windings that consist of a high temperature superconductor (HTS) and a normal conductor, which are introduced into an HTS induction/synchronous motor (HTS-ISM). The motor rotates as a conventional induction motor when the operating temperature of the hybrid rotor is above the critical temperature of the HTS bars, i.e., in the normal conducting state. On the other hand, the HTS-ISM rotates as a synchronous motor when the temperature is below the critical temperature, i.e., in the superconducting (zero resistance) state. In other words, we do not always need to take care of the cooling conditions, if the HTS-ISM is automatically, as well as appropriately, controlled, depending upon the rotation mode. Namely, the above-mentioned hybrid double-cage HTS-ISM is possibly a breakthrough in solving the cooling problems of HTS rotating machines, especially for industrial applications. The experimental results of the aforementioned motor are reported. An example of an operation flowchart of the motor is also presented and discussed.

Computer modelling of high-temperature superconductors using an A-V formulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruiz-Alonso, D; Coombs, T; Campbell, A M [Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

2004-05-01

Numerical methods for calculating the current and field distribution in high-temperature superconductors under non-uniform time-varying fields are being investigated. The highly non-linear behaviour of superconductors makes them difficult to analyse and computationally expensive. This non-linear behaviour is often accounted for through a non-linear E-J constitutive law. This paper proposes a fast method based on the finite element method to solve 2D and axially symmetric problems that contain superconducting materials. An E-J power law together with an A-V formulation is used to calculate the induction of currents in the superconductor due to time-varying external magnetic fields or forced transport current. Experimental data of a magnet-above-superconductor system is obtained in order to validate the model. In the experimental set-up a magnet is brought towards a superconducting puck at different speed rates and is also vibrated on top of it. The force between the magnet and the superconductor is measured and is found to vary with both time and frequency of excitation.

Computer modelling of high-temperature superconductors using an A-V formulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruiz-Alonso, D; Coombs, T; Campbell, A M

2004-01-01

Numerical methods for calculating the current and field distribution in high-temperature superconductors under non-uniform time-varying fields are being investigated. The highly non-linear behaviour of superconductors makes them difficult to analyse and computationally expensive. This non-linear behaviour is often accounted for through a non-linear E-J constitutive law. This paper proposes a fast method based on the finite element method to solve 2D and axially symmetric problems that contain superconducting materials. An E-J power law together with an A-V formulation is used to calculate the induction of currents in the superconductor due to time-varying external magnetic fields or forced transport current. Experimental data of a magnet-above-superconductor system is obtained in order to validate the model. In the experimental set-up a magnet is brought towards a superconducting puck at different speed rates and is also vibrated on top of it. The force between the magnet and the superconductor is measured and is found to vary with both time and frequency of excitation

Electronic Structure, Irreversibility Line and Magnetoresistance of Cu_0_._3Bi_2Se_3 Superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yi He-Mian; Chen Chao-Yu; Sun Xuan; Xie Zhuo-Jin; Feng Ya; Liang Ai-Ji; Peng Ying-Ying; He Shao-Long; Zhao Lin; Liu Guo-Dong; Dong Xiao-Li; Zhang Jun; Zhou Xing-Jiang; Chen Chuang-Tian; Xu Zu-Yan; Gu Gen-Da

2015-01-01

Cu_xBi_2Se_3 is a superconductor that is a potential candidate for topological superconductors. We report our laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurement on the electronic structure of the Cu_xBi_2Se_3 superconductor, and a detailed magneto-resistance measurement in both normal and superconducting states. We find that the topological surface state of the pristine Bi_2Se_3 topological insulator remains robust after the Cu-intercalation, while the Dirac cone location moves downward due to electron doping. Detailed measurements on the magnetic field-dependence of the resistance in the superconducting state establishes an irreversibility line and gives a value of the upper critical field at zero temperature of ∼4000 Oe for the Cu_0_._3Bi_2Se_3 superconductor with a middle point T_c of 1.9K. The relation between the upper critical field H_c_2 and temperature T is different from the usual scaling relation found in cuprates and in other kinds of superconductors. Small positive magneto-resistance is observed in Cu_0_._3Bi_2Se_3 superconductors up to room temperature. These observations provide useful information for further study of this possible candidate for topological superconductors. (paper)

Advanced magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements of superconductors at low temperatures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Stahl

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Magneto-optical Kerr-effect (MOKE measurements of superconducting films with soft-magnetic coatings are performed at low temperatures using a laser-based MOKE set-up. An elaborate measurement scheme with internal reference allows the quantitative comparison of the temperature dependent Kerr-amplitude with the magnetic field generated by supercurrents. For this purpose, an amorphous CoFeB thin film exhibiting a large Kerr-signal is deposited directly on top of the YBCO superconductor acting as field sensing layer. It is shown that the resulting magnetic hysteresis loops of the soft-magnetic film can be used to reconstruct the electric properties of the superconductor.

Thermoelectric refrigerator having improved temperature stabilization means

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Falco, C.M.

1982-01-01

A control system for thermoelectric refrigerators is disclosed. The thermoelectric refrigerator includes at least one thermoelectric element that undergoes a first order change at a predetermined critical temperature. The element functions as a thermoelectric refrigerator element above the critical temperature, but discontinuously ceases to function as a thermoelectric refrigerator element below the critical temperature. One example of such an arrangement includes thermoelectric refrigerator elements which are superconductors. The transition temperature of one of the superconductor elements is selected as the temperature control point of the refrigerator. When the refrigerator attempts to cool below the point, the metals become superconductors losing their ability to perform as a thermoelectric refrigerator. An extremely accurate, first-order control is realized

PR IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTORS - INSULATING PLANES, METALLIC CHAINS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

KHOMSKII, D

Critical discussion is given of the properties of Pr-containing high-T(c) superconductors, especially Y1-xPrxBa2Cu3O7. It is argued that the models proposed to explain suppression of T(c) and other properties of this system (pairbreaking; hole filling; strong p-f hybridization) are inadequate and

American superconductor technology to help CERN to explore the mysteries of matter company's high temperature superconductor wire to be used in CERN's Large Hadron Collider

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

American Superconductor Corporation has been selected by CERN, to provide 14,000 meters of high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire for current lead devices that will be used in CERN's Large Hadron Collider (1 page).

Survey of potential electronic applications of high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammond, R.B.; Bourne, L.C.

1991-01-01

In this paper the authors present a survey of the potential electronic applications of high temperature superconductor (HTSC) thin films. During the past four years there has been substantial speculation on this topic. The authors will cover only a small fraction of the potential electronic applications that have been identified. Their treatment is influenced by the developments over the past few years in materials and device development and in market analysis. They present their view of the most promising potential applications. Superconductors have two important properties that make them attractive for electronic applications. These are (a) low surface resistance at high frequencies, and (b) the Josephson effect

Voltage current characteristics of type III superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorofejev, G.L.; Imenitov, A.B.; Klimenko, E.Y.

1980-01-01

An adequate description of voltage-current characteristics is important in order to understand the nature of high critical current for the electrodynamic construction of type-III superconductors and for commercial superconductor specification. Homogeneous monofilament and multifilament Nb-Ti, Nb-Zr,Nb 3 Sn wires were investigated in different ranges of magnetic field, temperature and current. The shape of the voltage-current characteristics of multifilament wires, and the parameter's dependence on temperature and magnetic field may be explained qualitatively by the longitudinal heterogeneous nature of the filaments. A method of attaining the complete specification of the wire's electro-physical properties is proposed. It includes the traditional description of a critical surface (i.e. the surface corresponding to a certain conventional effective resistivity in T,B,J-space) and a description of any increasing parameter that depends on B and T. (author)

Voltage current characteristics of type III superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dorofeiev, G L; Imenitov, A B; Klimenko, E Y [Gosudarstvennyi Komitet po Ispol' zovaniyu Atomnoi Ehnergii SSSR, Moscow. Inst. Atomnoi Ehnergii

1980-06-01

An adequate description of voltage-current characteristics is important in order to understand the nature of high critical current for the electrodynamic construction of type-III superconductors and for commercial superconductor specification. Homogeneous monofilament and multifilament Nb-Ti, Nb-Zr,Nb/sub 3/Sn wires were investigated in different ranges of magnetic field, temperature and current. The shape of the voltage-current characteristics of multifilament wires, and the parameter's dependence on temperature and magnetic field may be explained qualitatively by the longitudinal heterogeneous nature of the filaments. A method of attaining the complete specification of the wire's electro-physical properties is proposed. It includes the traditional description of a critical surface (i.e. the surface corresponding to a certain conventional effective resistivity in T,B,J-space) and a description of any increasing parameter that depends on B and T.

Potential aerospace applications of high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Selim, Raouf

1994-01-01

The recent discovery of High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) with superconducting transition temperature, T(sub c), above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen has opened the door for using these materials in new and practical applications. These materials have zero resistance to electric current, have the capability of carrying large currents and as such have the potential to be used in high magnetic field applications. One of the space applications that can use superconductors is electromagnetic launch of payloads to low-earth-orbit. An electromagnetic gun-type launcher can be used in small payload systems that are launched at very high velocity, while sled-type magnetically levitated launcher can be used to launch larger payloads at smaller velocities. Both types of launchers are being studied by NASA and the aerospace industry. The use of superconductors will be essential in any of these types of launchers in order to produce the large magnetic fields required to obtain large thrust forces. Low Temperature Superconductor (LTS) technology is mature enough and can be easily integrated in such systems. As for the HTS, many leading companies are currently producing HTS coils and magnets that potentially can be mass-produced for these launchers. It seems that designing and building a small-scale electromagnetic launcher is the next logical step toward seriously considering this method for launching payloads into low-earth-orbit. A second potential application is the use of HTS to build sensitive portable devices for the use in Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE). Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUID's) are the most sensitive instruments for measuring changes in magnetic flux. By using HTS in SQUID's, one will be able to design a portable unit that uses liquid nitrogen or a cryocooler pump to explore the use of gradiometers or magnetometers to detect deep cracks or corrosion in structures. A third use is the replacement of Infra-Red (IR) sensor leads on

Thermodynamics of vortices in disordered superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Beek, Cornelis Jacominus

2009-01-01

The emergence of the High Temperature Superconductors (HTSC) has not only profoundly affected solid state physics, it has also provoked a revolution in the understanding of the behaviour of quantified vortex lines that traverse the superconducting material when this is placed in a magnetic field. Owing to the conspiracy of extreme parameter values characterizing High Temperature Superconductors, all physical properties of flux vortices, their dynamics, and their phase diagram in the (B,T) plane could now be studied in hitherto inaccessible detail. Thus, it was established that the true phase transition to the superconducting state occurs nt at the upper critical field Bc2, but at the melting transition of the vortex ensemble. In disordered superconductors, an entirely new phenomenology, linked to flux line pinning by material defects, appeared. New thermodynamic vortex phases have been postulated, and sometimes found. The aim of this document is to take a critical look at the mechanism leading to the melting transition of the vortex ensemble in HTSC, as well as at the role played by material disorder on vortex physics. First and foremost, the materials under study are characterized. that is, not only are their fundamental parameters such as the critical temperature, critical fields, and penetration depth established, but also their purity and the nature of the disorder they contain. In this, the present work finds all its meaning in having been performed at the Laboratoire des Solides Irradies, whose primary goal is to investigate the role of material disorder introduced by irradiation on materials and physics. We then study the vortex melting transition in Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 by a method that is peculiar to layered superconductors: the Josephson Plasma Resonance. This technique will allow us to evaluate the average thermal displacements of the vortex lines in the vicinity of the transition, in as-grown as well as in irradiated crystals. The role of crystalline

Transport properties of high-temperature superconductors: Surface vs bulk effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burlachkov, L.; Koshelev, A.E.; Vinokur, V.M.

1996-01-01

We investigate surface-related transport properties of high-temperature superconductors. We find the mean vortex velocity under applied transport current determined by the activation energies for vortex penetration and exit through the Bean-Livingston barrier. We determine the current distribution between the surfaces of superconductor and the field and current dependencies of the transport activation energies. For a three-dimensional superconductor the transport activation energy, U s 3D , is found to decrease with the external field, H, and transport current, J, as U s 3D ∝H -1/2 and U s 3D ∝J -1/2 , respectively. In the quasi-two-dimensional compounds, U s 2D decays logarithmically with field and current. The interplay between the surface and the bulk contributions to the transport properties, such as current-voltage characteristics, is discussed. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

An exponential universal scaling law for the volume pinning force of high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hampshire, D.P.

1993-01-01

The exponential magnetic field dependence of the critical current density (J c (B,T)) found in many high temperature superconductors, given by: J c (B,T) α(T)exp(-B/β(T)) where α(T) and β(T) are functions of temperature alone, necessarily implies a Universal Scaling Law for the volume pinning force (F p ) of the form: F p /F PMAX exp(+1).(B/β(T)).exp(-B/β(T)). If the Upper Critical Field is not explicitly measured but is artificially determined by smooth extrapolation of J c (B,T) to zero on a linear J c (B,T) vs B plot, this exponential scaling law can be closely approximated by the Kramer dependence given by: F p /F PMAX C.b p .(1-b) q where p = 0.5, q = 2, C ∼ 3.5 and b = B/B C2 (T). The implications for flux pinning studies are discussed. (orig.)

Application of high temperature ceramic superconductors (CSC) to commercial tokamak reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehst, D.A.; Kim, S.; Gohar, Y.; Turner, L.; Smith, D.L.; Mattas, R.

1988-08-01

Ceramic superconductors operating near liquid nitrogen temperature may experience higher heating rates without losing stability, compared conventional superconductors. This will permit cable design with less stabilizer, reducing fabrication costs for large fusion magnets. Magnet performance is studied for different operating current densities in the superconductor, and cost benefits to commercial tokamak reactors are estimated. It appears that 10 kA /center dot/ cm/sup /minus/2/ (at 77 K and /approximately/10 T) is a target current density which must be achieved in order for the ceramic superconductors to compete with conventional materials. At current densities around 50 kA /center dot/ cm/sup /minus/2/ most potential benefits have already been gained, as magnet structural steel begins to dominate the cost at this point. For a steady state reactor reductions of /approximately/7% are forecast for the overall capital cost of the power plant in the best case. An additional /approximately/3% cost saving is possible for pulsed tokamaks. 9 refs., 4 figs., 8 tabs

Application of high temperature ceramic superconductors (CSC) to commercial tokamak reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehst, D.A.; Kim, S.; Gohar, Y.; Turner, L.; Smith, D.L.; Mattas, R.

1987-10-01

Ceramic superconductors operating near liquid nitrogen temperature may experience higher heating rates without losing stability, compared to conventional superconductors. This will permit cable design with less stabilizer, reducing fabrication costs for large fusion magnets. Magnet performance is studied for different operating current densities in the superconductor, and cost benefits to commercial tokamak reactors are estimated. It appears that 10 kA . cm -2 (at 77 K and ∼10 T) is a target current density which must be achieved in order for the ceramic superconductors to compete with conventional materials. At current densities around 50 kA . cm -2 most potential benefits have already been gained, as magnet structural steel begins to dominate the cost at this point. For a steady state reactor reductions of ∼7% are forecast for the overall capital cost of the power plant in the best case. An additional ∼3% cost saving is possible for pulsed tokamaks. 9 refs., 4 figs., 8 tabs

Effect of Abrikosov vortices on Josephson junction currents in high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchell, E.; Mueller, K.-H.

2000-01-01

Full text: The current-carrying capacity of high temperature superconductors (HTS) is limited by the weak links which form between individual grains. We investigate the role of Abrikosov vortices (AV) and inhomogeneities at the intergrain boundary by examining the high magnetic field characteristics of HTS thin film grain boundary junctions. We model the effects of junction inhomogeneity, AV's and vortex pinning by solving the inhomogeneous London equation. The calculations show that both inhomogeneities and the presence of AV's improve the current-carrying capacity across grain boundaries at high magnetic fields. Our experimental measurements of the irreversibility of the junction critical current density J c (H a ) find good agreement with the model

Stress effect on the critical current of Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta multifilamentary superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monju, Yoshiyuki; Tatara, Isamu

1978-01-01

The tensile behaviour at R.T., 77K, 4.2K and the degradation of the critical current with stress have been measured on multifilamentary Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloy superconductors. The assembly of the stress effect apparatus is as follows; At the center of the 60KOe superconducting solenoid coil, sample wire is hold around an FRP spool and the wire ends are gripped to the load train. Current is supplied through helium vapourcooled flexible leads up to 2000 A. It was clear that a definite degradation of the critical current with stress was not observed up to the stress equal to one third of the fracture stress at 4.2K. This stress value should be defined the maximum allowable stress of alloy superconductors examined from stress effects. (author)

Advantageous grain boundaries in iron pnictide superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Katase, Takayoshi; Ishimaru, Yoshihiro; Tsukamoto, Akira; Hiramatsu, Hidenori; Kamiya, Toshio; Tanabe, Keiichi; Hosono, Hideo

2011-01-01

High critical temperature superconductors have zero power consumption and could be used to produce ideal electric power lines. The principal obstacle in fabricating superconducting wires and tapes is grain boundaries—the misalignment of crystalline orientations at grain boundaries, which is unavoidable for polycrystals, largely deteriorates critical current density. Here we report that high critical temperature iron pnictide superconductors have advantages over cuprates with respect to these grain boundary issues. The transport properties through well-defined bicrystal grain boundary junctions with various misorientation angles (θGB) were systematically investigated for cobalt-doped BaFe2As2 (BaFe2As2:Co) epitaxial films fabricated on bicrystal substrates. The critical current density through bicrystal grain boundary (JcBGB) remained high (>1 MA cm−2) and nearly constant up to a critical angle θc of ∼9°, which is substantially larger than the θc of ∼5° for YBa2Cu3O7–δ. Even at θGB>θc, the decay of JcBGB was much slower than that of YBa2Cu3O7–δ. PMID:21811238

Magnetic-Field-Induced Soft-Mode Quantum Phase Transition in the High-Temperature Superconductor La1.855Sr0.145CuO4

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chang, J.; Christensen, Niels Bech; Niedermayer, C.

2009-01-01

Inelastic neutron-scattering experiments on the high-temperature superconductor La1.855Sr0.145CuO4 reveal a magnetic excitation gap Delta that decreases continuously upon application of a magnetic field perpendicular to the CuO2 planes. The gap vanishes at the critical field required to induce long...

Evolution of new superconductors. Past, present and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akimitsu, Jun

2011-01-01

I present here the past and present situations of new superconductors and also the future prospect. Superconductivity has started since Kamerlingh Onnes first observed the zero resistivity. After that, the critical temperature T c was gradually increased. In the early stage of superconductive material investigations, main contribution has been made by B. Matthias and his group. In 1986, a new superconductor La-Ba-Cu-O, which belongs to new category in the superconducting society, has been found by Bednorz and Mueller. After that T c 's have been drastically increased, and finally reached to T c - 164 K in the Hg-compound. Next, I review several new superconductors discovered within 20 years. Finally, I mention my personal perspective to a high-T c superconductor. (author)

High-Tc superconductor quantum interference devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

This patent describes a superconductive quantum interferometric device for sensing a characteristic of a magnetic field. It comprises a substrate having a surface, the substrate being selected from the group which consists of strontium titanate, aluminum oxide, sapphire, ZrO 2 and mixtures thereof; a coating of MgO on the surface of the substrate; two identical thin-strip films of a high-critical temperature superconductor on the coating, each of the films having a pair of mutually parallel arms in the form of superconductor strips extending toward and aligned with super conductor strips forming corresponding arms of the other thin-strip film, and a crossbar strip connecting the arms of each thin-strip film at right angles to the arms, the high-critical-temperature superconductor being selected from the group which consists of yttrium-barium-calcium-copper-oxides, bismuth-strontium-calcium-copper-oxides, thallium-barium-copper-oxides, thallium-barium-calcium-copper-oxides, barium oxide: potassium oxide: bismuth oxides, and calcium oxide: zinc oxide: iron oxides; and insulating films on the coating between corresponding free ends of the arms thin-strip films, the insulating films being composed of a material selected from the group which consists of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, magnesium oxide and mixture thereof

High transition temperature superconductor/insulator bilayers for the development of ultra-fast electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sirena, M.; Félix, L. Avilés; Haberkorn, N.

2013-01-01

High transition temperature superconductor (HTc)/SrTiO 3 (STO) bilayers were fabricated by sputtering deposition on (100) STO substrates. Their transport and morphological properties were characterized using conductive atomic force microscopy. The STO barriers present good insulating properties, with long attenuation lengths (λ ∼ 1 nm) which reduce the junction resistance and increase the operating critical current. The samples present roughness values smaller than 1 nm, with an extremely low density of surface defects (∼5 × 10 −5 defects/μm 2 ). The high control of the barrier quality over large defect free surfaces is encouraging for the development of microelectronics devices based in HTc Josephson junctions

Electronic phase separation and high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kivelson, S.A.

1994-01-01

The authors review the extensive evidence from model calculations that neutral holes in an antiferromagnet separate into hole-rich and hole-poor phases. All known solvable limits of models of holes in a Heisenberg antiferromagnet exhibit this behavior. The authors show that when the phase separation is frustrated by the introduction of long-range Coulomb interactions, the typical consequence is either a modulated (charge density wave) state or a superconducting phase. The authors then review some of the strong experimental evidence supporting an electronically-driven phase separation of the holes in the cuprate superconductors and the related Ni oxides. Finally, the authors argue that frustrated phase separation in these materials can account for many of the anomalous normal state properties of the high temperature superconductors and provide the mechanism of superconductivity. In particular, it is shown that the T-linear resistivity of the normal state is a paraconductivity associated with a novel composite pairing, although the ordered superconducting state is more conventional

Low field critical currents and ac losses of thin film niobium--tin superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howard, R.E.

1977-01-01

The results of a study of the low field critical current and ac loss properties of niobium-tin thin films and layered composites fabricated by electron-beam coevaporation are presented. Particular emphasis is placed upon determining the suitability of this material for use as a conductor in a superconducting power transmission line. Chapter I contains a summary of this work and its major results together with an introduction to the scientific and engineering concepts associated with a superconducting power transmission line. Chapter II is a discussion of the physics of current transport and the associated loss mechanisms in a type-II superconductor. Chapter III gives the details of the electron-beam coevaporation technique developed to fabricate the samples for this study. Also discussed in this chapter are the effects of the evaporation conditions on the growth morphology of the niobium-tin films. Chapter IV presents the details of the experimental techniques developed to measure the ac loss and critical current in these samples as a function of temperature. Chapter V shows the dependence of the critical current of these films and composites on temperature, magnetic field, and on the number of artificially introduced pinning centers in the layered composites. Experimental results are also presented concerning the stability of these conductors against flux jumps. Chapter VI is a discussion of the ac losses in these samples. Detailed comparisons are made between the measured loss and the predictions of the critical state model

Equivalent Coil Model for Computing Levitation Forces Between Permanent Magnets and High Temperatures Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cavia Santos, S.; Garcia-Tabares, L.

1998-05-01

A new simple theory has been developed for the study of levitation forces between a permanent magnet and a HTc superconductor. This theory is based on the assumption that both, the magnet and the superconductor, can be modelled by an equivalent coil placed on their surface. While the current flowing through the permanent magnet is constant, the equivalent current through the superconductor can be iether corresponding to screen the overall flux or a constant current corresponding to critical current density when the superconductor is saturated. A test facility has been designed and built for measuring levitation forces at variable approaching speeds. Comparison between theoretical and experimental measurements are presented in the report as well as a general description of the test facility. (Author)

PREFACE: Special section featuring selected papers from the 3rd International Workshop on Numerical Modelling of High Temperature Superconductors Special section featuring selected papers from the 3rd International Workshop on Numerical Modelling of High Temperature Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Granados, Xavier; Sánchez, Àlvar; López-López, Josep

2012-10-01

The development of superconducting applications and superconducting engineering requires the support of consistent tools which can provide models for obtaining a good understanding of the behaviour of the systems and predict novel features. These models aim to compute the behaviour of the superconducting systems, design superconducting devices and systems, and understand and test the behavior of the superconducting parts. 50 years ago, in 1962, Charles Bean provided the superconducting community with a model efficient enough to allow the computation of the response of a superconductor to external magnetic fields and currents flowing through in an understandable way: the so called critical-state model. Since then, in addition to the pioneering critical-state approach, other tools have been devised for designing operative superconducting systems, allowing integration of the superconducting design in nearly standard electromagnetic computer-aided design systems by modelling the superconducting parts with consideration of time-dependent processes. In April 2012, Barcelona hosted the 3rd International Workshop on Numerical Modelling of High Temperature Superconductors (HTS), the third in a series of workshops started in Lausanne in 2010 and followed by Cambridge in 2011. The workshop reflected the state-of-the-art and the new initiatives of HTS modelling, considering mathematical, physical and technological aspects within a wide and interdisciplinary scope. Superconductor Science and Technology is now publishing a selection of papers from the workshop which have been selected for their high quality. The selection comprises seven papers covering mathematical, physical and technological topics which contribute to an improvement in the development of procedures, understanding of phenomena and development of applications. We hope that they provide a perspective on the relevance and growth that the modelling of HTS superconductors has achieved in the past 25 years.

Comparison of electromechanical properties and lattice distortions of different cuprate high temperature superconductors

CERN Document Server

Scheuerlein, C.; Grether, A; Rikel, M O; Hudspeth, J; Sugano, M; Ballarino, A; Bottura, L

2016-01-01

The electromechanical properties of different cuprate high-temperature superconductors, notably two ReBCO tapes, a reinforced and a nonreinforced Bi-2223 tape, and a Bi-2212 wire, have been studied. The axial tensile stress and strain, as well as the transverse compressive stress limits at which an irreversible critical current degradation occurs, are compared. The experimental setup has been integrated in a high-energy synchrotron beamline, and the self-field critical current and lattice parameter changes as a function of tensile stress and strain of a reinforced Bi-2223 tape have been measured simultaneously. Initially, the Bi-2223 filaments exhibit nearly linear elastic behavior up to the strain at which an irreversible degradation is observed. At 77 K, an axial Bi-2223 filament precompression of 0.09% in the composite tape and a Bi-2223 Poisson ratio ν = 0.21 have been determined.

Doping dependence of Meissner effect in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Shiping; Huang Zheyu; Zhao Huaisong

2010-01-01

Within the t-t'-J model, the doping dependence of the Meissner effect in cuprate superconductors is studied based on the kinetic energy driven superconducting mechanism. Following the linear response theory, it is shown that the electromagnetic response consists of two parts, the diamagnetic current and the paramagnetic current, which exactly cancels the diamagnetic term in the normal state, and then the Meissner effect is obtained for all the temperature T ≤ T c throughout the superconducting dome. By considering the two-dimensional geometry of cuprate superconductors within the specular reflection model, the main features of the doping and temperature dependence of the local magnetic field profile, the magnetic field penetration depth, and the superfluid density observed on cuprate superconductors are well reproduced. In particular, it is shown that in analogy to the domelike shape of the doping dependent superconducting transition temperature, the maximal superfluid density occurs around the critical doping δ ∼ 0.195, and then decreases in both lower doped and higher doped regimes.

The superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lad, J.K.

1979-01-01

Techniques for fabrication of a few important superconductors like Nb, Ti and Nb 3 Sn are described. Copper or bronze or both can be used as a matrix in the superconductor. Current densities obtained for different ratios of copper to superconductor are studied. The specifications of multi-filament Nb 3 Sn superconductors are given. The relative merits of the two superconductors are discussed. The temperature range obtained is approximately 3 0 K and a magnetic field of 9T(tesla) can be achieved. (A.K.)

High-temperature superconductors learn from heavy fermions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varma, C.

1998-01-01

Physicists have been intrigued by the nature of high-temperature superconductors since they were discovered 12 years ago. Superconducting materials lose their electrical resistance below a transition temperature, T c , and certain copper-oxide compounds remain superconducting at temperatures up to 160 K. Research into these materials has been driven by fundamental, yet intractable, questions about the basic concepts of condensed-matter physics and the mechanisms of superconductivity. A key question is how the electrons come together to form the Cooper pairs responsible for superconductivity. Physicists at Cambridge University have now studied two heavy-fermion compounds experimentally, and have found that the electron pairing is caused by magnetic effects (N Mathur et al. 1998 Nature 394 39). In this article the author describes their research. (UK)

Finding high-temperature superconductors by metallizing the σ-bonding electrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Miao; Lu Zhongyi; Xiang Tao

2015-01-01

Raising superconducting transition temperature (T_c) is an important task of fundamental research on superconductivity. It is also a prerequisite for the large scale application of superconductors. Since the microscopic mechanism of high-T_c superconductivity is unknown, the conventional approach for increasing T_c is either to apply high pressure to a material which has the potential to become superconducting, or to push it close to an antiferromagnetic or some other quantum instability point by chemical doping. In this article, the authors point out that another general approach for raising T_c is to lift the σ-bonding bands to the Fermi level, or to metallize the σ-bonding elections. This approach can increase the probability of finding a novel high-T_c superconductor because the coupling of σ-bonding electrons with phonons is generally strong and the superconducting transition induced by this interaction can occur at relatively high temperatures. After elucidating the underlying mechanism, the authors discuss a number of schemes to metallize σ-bonding electrons, and present their recent prediction for the crystalline and electronic structures of two potential high-T_c superconductors, Li_2B_3C and Li_3B_4C_2, with T_c higher than 50 K. (authors)

The refrigeration of high temperature superconductors between 25K and 65K

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richardson, R.N.; Scurlock, R.G.; Tavner, A.C.R.

1996-01-01

The present state of the art indicates that acceptable j - H characteristics for power applications of the new high Tc superconductors will only be achieved using materials at temperatures below liquid nitrogen temperature. A boiling point of 27.1K and high specific cooling capacity make neon an eminently suitable choice of refrigerant at these temperatures. A cryostat has been constructed which employs a two stage Gifford-McMahon cooler to liquefy neon gas. The cryostat contains up to 5 litres of liquid neon which can be used for open-quote in-situ close-quote experiments or transfer to another cryostat. Another set of cryostats are being used with liquid nitrogen/oxygen mixtures at reduced pressure for temperatures down to 50K. All these cryostats provide a core facility for characterising and operating high T c superconductors at Southampton

Critical currents in multilayered superconducting films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raffy, Helene

1977-01-01

The superconducting critical currents Isub(c) were measured as a function of magnetic field H and temperature T, on multilayered films. These films consist of alternating layers of two different superconductors S 1 and S 2 being a weaker superconductor acting as a flux pinning barrier region. A strong anisotropy was observed between the two situations where the magnetic field H is applied parallel or perpendicular to the layers. In the case discussed, there is a peak effect in the curves Isub(c)H well defined at the highest temperatures, and disappearing at low temperatures. The anisotropy of the critical current at constant field presents a maximum at a temperature T* close to the critical temperature Tsub(c 2 ) of S 2 [fr

Leaders in high temperature superconductivity commercialization win superconductor industry award

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

CERN's Large Hadron Collider curretn leads project head Amalia Ballarino named superconductor industry person of the year 2006. Former high temperature superconductivity program manager at the US Department of energy James Daley wins lifetime achievement award. (1,5 page)

Magnetic properties of high temperature superconductors and their interaction with high energy permanent magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agarwala, A.K.

1990-01-01

Magnetic properties of sintered samples of YBCO ceramic superconductors at various temperatures were measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Also, measurements of forces experienced by a well characterized rare earth-transition metal (RE-TM) permanent magnet (PM) interacting with the superconducting YBCO sample cooled in liquid nitrogen, were performed. Based upon the observed hysteretic magnetization properties of these high temperature superconductors (HTS), the HTS-PM interaction force at liquid nitrogen temperature was calculated from first principle, and finally correlated to the force measurement results. With this analysis, magnetic forces between the same HTS and PM system including the levitation as well as suspension effects at liquid-helium temperature are predicted

Voltage fluctuations in granular superconductors in the perpendicular configuration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerashchenko, O V

2003-01-01

The spectral density of voltage fluctuations in granular YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ superconductors in the perpendicular configuration has been studied in the flux flow mode. It has been found that, in this case, the 1/f-voltage noise observed depends weakly on temperature and is associated with motion of a magnetic flux in the superconductor. A comparison of the data obtained with the results of previous measurements in parallel configuration has shown that voltage noise is produced by a single common source, which is presumably associated with self-organization of the critical state in granular superconductors

Maglev system concept using 20-K high-temperature superconductors and hyperconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Hull, J. R.; He, Jianliang

A magnetically levitated high-speed ground transportation concept is proposed that uses high-temperature superconductors or hyperconductors, cooled by liquid hydrogen at 20 K, to provide levitation. An on-board hydrogen-powered turbine/generator provides electricity for propulsion by linear induction motors. The liquid hydrogen is used to cool the superconductors and the windings of the generator and motors before combusting in the turbine. The principal advantage of this system is the potential to greatly reduce the cost of the guideway, which is completely passive.

Theory of terahertz electric oscillations by supercooled superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mishonov, Todor M; Mishonov, Mihail T [Department of Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Sofia St Kliment Ohridski, 5 J Bourchier Boulevard, 1164 Sofia (Bulgaria); Laboratorium voor Vaste-Stoffysica en Magnetisme, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 D B-3001 Leuven (Belgium)

2005-11-15

We predict that below T{sub c} a regime of negative differential conductivity (NDC) can be reached. The superconductor should be supercooled to Tsuperconductor is created by the excess conductivity of the fluctuation Cooper pairs. We propose NDC of supercooled superconductors to be used as an active medium for generation of electric oscillations. Such generators can be used in the superconducting electronics as a new type THz source of radiation. Oscillations can be modulated by the change of the bias voltage, electrostatic doping by a gate electrode when the superconductor is the channel of a field effect transistor, or by light. When small amplitude oscillations are stabilized near the critical temperature T{sub c} the generator can be used as a bolometer. NDC, which is essential for the applications, is predicted on the basis of analysis of known results for fluctuation conductivity, obtained in previous papers by solving the Boltzmann kinetic equation for the Cooper pairs metastable in the normal phase. The Boltzmann equation for fluctuation Cooper pairs is a result of state-of-the-art application of the microscopic theory of superconductivity. Our theoretical conclusions are based on some approximations like time dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory initially derived for gapless superconductors, but nevertheless can reliably predict the appearance of NDC. NDC is the main ingredient of the proposed technical applications. The maximal frequency at which superconductors can operate as generators is determined by the critical temperature {Dirac_h}/2{pi}{omega}{sub max} {approx} k{sub B}T{sub c}. For high-T{sub c} superconductors this maximal frequency falls well inside the terahertz range. Technical conditions to avoid nucleation of the superconducting phase are briefly discussed. We suggest that nanostructured high-T{sub c} superconductors patterned in a single chip can

Toward superconducting critical current by design

OpenAIRE

Sadovskyy, I. A.; Jia, Y.; Leroux, M.; Kwon, J.; Hu, H.; Fang, L.; Chaparro, C.; Zhu, S.; Welp, U.; Zuo, J. -M.; Zhang, Y.; Nakasaki, R.; Selvamanickam, V.; Crabtree, G. W.; Koshelev, A. E.

2015-01-01

We present the new paradigm of critical current by design. Analogous to materials by design, it aims at predicting the optimal defect landscape in a superconductor for targeted applications by elucidating the vortex dynamics responsible for the bulk critical current. To highlight this approach, we demonstrate the synergistic combination of critical current measurements on commercial high-temperature superconductors containing self-assembled and irradiation tailored correlated defects by using...

Toward Superconducting Critical Current by Design.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadovskyy, Ivan A; Jia, Ying; Leroux, Maxime; Kwon, Jihwan; Hu, Hefei; Fang, Lei; Chaparro, Carlos; Zhu, Shaofei; Welp, Ulrich; Zuo, Jian-Min; Zhang, Yifei; Nakasaki, Ryusuke; Selvamanickam, Venkat; Crabtree, George W; Koshelev, Alexei E; Glatz, Andreas; Kwok, Wai-Kwong

2016-06-01

A new critical-current-by-design paradigm is presented. It aims at predicting the optimal defect landscape in superconductors for targeted applications by elucidating the vortex dynamics responsible for the bulk critical current. To this end, critical current measurements on commercial high-temperature superconductors are combined with large-scale time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations of vortex dynamics. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Shift of the superconducting critical parameters due to correlated disorder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gitterman, M.; Shapiro, I.; Shapiro, B.Ya.

2012-01-01

Shift of the critical temperature and second critical magnetic field are calculated for a superconductor with Gaussian correlated disorder. All calculations have been performed in the framework of the stochastic Ginzburg-Landau equation. For uncorrelated disorder the macroscopic critical temperature is determined by the average of the local critical temperature across the sample, while for correlated disorder both the critical temperature and the upper critical magnetic field depend on disorder correlation length. In a nonuniform superconductor with randomly distributed local critical temperature both the macroscopic critical temperature and the upper critical magnetic field strongly depend on the characteristic correlation length ρ 0 of correlated disorder. The shift of the macroscopic critical parameters from those for non-correlated disorder, which does not exist for white noise, is obtained for small ρ 0 in the framework of the Ginzburg-Landau theory.

Substitutions in cation Nd/Ba subsystem in thin films of high-temperature superconductor NdBa2Cu3Oy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mozhaev, P.B.; Komissinskij, F.V.; Ivanov, Z.G.; Ovsyannikov, G.A.

2000-01-01

Thin films of the Nd 1+x Ba 2-x Cu 3 O y (NBCO) high-temperature superconductor with various neodymium and barium ratio are obtained through the method of combined laser spraying of targets with different elements composition. The films with neodymium excess (x >0) had low density of particles on the surface and roughness, however the critical temperature decreased with growth of x. The films with barium excess (x z particles. The NbCO structure and superconducting properties demonstrate strong dependence on the conditions of the films saturation with oxygen [ru

Eight-fold quantum states blossom in a high-temperature superconductor

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

"Researchers based at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley have used a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to reveal eight-fold patterns of quasiparticle interference in the high-temperature superconductor Bi-2212 (bismuth strontium calcium copper oxide)" (2 pages).

Phase competition and anomalous thermal evolution in high-temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Zuo-Dong; Zhou, Yuan; Yin, Wei-Guo; Lin, Hai-Qing; Gong, Chang-De

2017-07-01

The interplay of competing orders is relevant to high-temperature superconductivity known to emerge upon suppression of a parent antiferromagnetic order typically via charge doping. How such interplay evolves at low temperature—in particular at what doping level the zero-temperature quantum critical point (QCP) is located—is still elusive because it is masked by the superconducting state. The QCP had long been believed to follow a smooth extrapolation of the characteristic temperature T* for the strange normal state well above the superconducting transition temperature. However, recently the T* within the superconducting dome was reported to unexpectedly exhibit back-bending likely in the cuprate Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 +δ . Here we show that the original and revised phase diagrams can be understood in terms of weak and moderate competitions, respectively, between superconductivity and a pseudogap state such as d -density or spin-density wave, based on both Ginzburg-Landau theory and the realistic t -t'-t''-J -V model for the cuprates. We further found that the calculated temperature and doping-level dependence of the quasiparticle spectral gap and Raman response qualitatively agrees with the experiments. In particular, the T* back-bending can provide a simple explanation of the observed anomalous two-step thermal evolution dominated by the superconducting gap and the pseudogap, respectively. Our results imply that the revised phase diagram is likely to take place in high-temperature superconductors.

Modeling forces in high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, L. R.; Foster, M. W.

1997-01-01

We have developed a simple model that uses computed shielding currents to determine the forces acting on a high-temperature superconductor (HTS). The model has been applied to measurements of the force between HTS and permanent magnets (PM). Results show the expected hysteretic variation of force as the HTS moves first toward and then away from a permanent magnet, including the reversal of the sign of the force. Optimization of the shielding currents is carried out through a simulated annealing algorithm in a C++ program that repeatedly calls a commercial electromagnetic software code. Agreement with measured forces is encouraging

Superconductivity, critical current density, and flux pinning in MgB2-x(SiC)x/2 superconductor after SiC nanoparticle doping

Science.gov (United States)

Dou, S. X.; Pan, A. V.; Zhou, S.; Ionescu, M.; Wang, X. L.; Horvat, J.; Liu, H. K.; Munroe, P. R.

2003-08-01

We investigated the effect of SiC nanoparticle doping on the crystal lattice structure, critical temperature Tc, critical current density Jc, and flux pinning in MgB2 superconductor. A series of MgB2-x(SiC)x/2 samples with x=0-1.0 were fabricated using an in situ reaction process. The contraction of the lattice and depression of Tc with increasing SiC doping level remained rather small most likely due to the counterbalancing effect of Si and C co-doping. The high level Si and C co-doping allowed the creation of intragrain defects and highly dispersed nanoinclusions within the grains which can act as effective pinning centers for vortices, improving Jc behavior as a function of the applied magnetic field. The enhanced pinning is mainly attributable to the substitution-induced defects and local structure fluctuations within grains. A pinning mechanism is proposed to account for different contributions of different defects in MgB2-x(SiC)x/2 superconductors.

Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

The chapter 6.3 p. 143 to 153 of this book deals with superconductors 19 items are briefly presented with address of manufacturer or laboratory to contact, mainly in the USA or Japan. In particular magnets, films, high temperature superconductors and various applications are presented [fr

High transition temperature superconductor/insulator bilayers for the development of ultra-fast electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sirena, M.; Félix, L. Avilés [Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Centro Atómico Bariloche, CNEA, Bustillo 9500, 8400 Bariloche (Argentina); Instituto Balseiro, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo and CNEA, 8400 Bariloche (Argentina); Haberkorn, N. [Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Centro Atómico Bariloche, CNEA, Bustillo 9500, 8400 Bariloche (Argentina)

2013-07-29

High transition temperature superconductor (HTc)/SrTiO{sub 3} (STO) bilayers were fabricated by sputtering deposition on (100) STO substrates. Their transport and morphological properties were characterized using conductive atomic force microscopy. The STO barriers present good insulating properties, with long attenuation lengths (λ ∼ 1 nm) which reduce the junction resistance and increase the operating critical current. The samples present roughness values smaller than 1 nm, with an extremely low density of surface defects (∼5 × 10{sup −5} defects/μm{sup 2}). The high control of the barrier quality over large defect free surfaces is encouraging for the development of microelectronics devices based in HTc Josephson junctions.

Practical superconductor development for electrical power applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goretta, K.C.

1991-10-01

Development of useful high-critical-temperature (high-T c ) superconductors requires synthesis of superconducting compounds; fabrication of wires, tapes, and films from these compounds; production of composite structures that incorporate stabilizers or insulators; and design and testing of efficient components. This report describes technical progress of research and development efforts aimed at producing superconducting components based on the Y-Ba-Cu, Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu, Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu, and Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu oxides systems. Topics discussed are synthesis and heat treatment of high-T c superconductors, formation of monolithic and composite wires and tapes, superconductor/metal connectors, characterization of structures and superconducting and mechanical properties, and fabrication and properties of thin films. Collaborations with industry and academia are also documented. 10 figs

Condensate localization by mesoscale disorder in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, N.

1994-06-01

We propose and solve approximately a phenomenological model for Anderson localization of the macroscopic wavefunction for an inhomogeneous superconductor quench-disordered on the mesoscale of the order of the coherence length ξ 0 . Our treatment is based on the non-linear Schroedinger equation resulting from the Ginzburg-Landau free-energy functional having a spatially random coefficient representing spatial disorder of the pairing interaction. Linearization of the equation, valid close to the critical temperature T c , or to the upper critical field H c2 (T c ) maps it to the Anderson localization problem with T c identified with the mobility edge. For the highly anisotropic high-T c materials and thin (2D) films in the quantum Hall geometry, we predict windows of re-entrant superconductivity centered at integrally spaced temperature values. Our model treatment also provides a possible explanation for the critical current J c perpendicular becoming non-zero on cooling before J c parallel does in some high-T c superconductors. (author). 18 refs

Theory of quantum metal to superconductor transitions in highly conducting systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spivak, B.

2010-04-06

We derive the theory of the quantum (zero temperature) superconductor to metal transition in disordered materials when the resistance of the normal metal near criticality is small compared to the quantum of resistivity. This can occur most readily in situations in which 'Anderson's theorem' does not apply. We explicitly study the transition in superconductor-metal composites, in an swave superconducting film in the presence of a magnetic field, and in a low temperature disordered d-wave superconductor. Near the point of the transition, the distribution of the superconducting order parameter is highly inhomogeneous. To describe this situation we employ a procedure which is similar to that introduced by Mott for description of the temperature dependence of the variable range hopping conduction. As the system approaches the point of the transition from the metal to the superconductor, the conductivity of the system diverges, and the Wiedemann-Franz law is violated. In the case of d-wave (or other exotic) superconductors we predict the existence of (at least) two sequential transitions as a function of increasing disorder: a d-wave to s-wave, and then an s-wave to metal transition.

High critical currents in heavily doped (Gd,Y)Ba2Cu3Ox superconductor tapes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Selvamanickam, V; Gharahcheshmeh, MH; Xu, A; Galstyan, E; Delgado, L; Cantoni, C

2015-01-19

REBa2Cu3Ox ((REBCO), RE = rare earth) superconductor tapes with moderate levels of dopants have been optimized for high critical current density in low magnetic fields at 77 K, but they do not exhibit exemplary performance in conditions of interest for practical applications, i.e., temperatures less than 50K and fields of 2-30 T. Heavy doping of REBCO tapes has been avoided by researchers thus far due to deterioration in properties. Here, we report achievement of critical current densities (J(c)) above 20 MA/cm(2) at 30 K, 3 T in heavily doped (25 mol.% Zr-added) (Gd,Y)Ba2Cu3Ox superconductor tapes, which is more than three times higher than the J(c) typically obtained in moderately doped tapes. Pinning force levels above 1000 GN/m(3) have also been attained at 20 K. A composition map of lift factor in J(c) (ratio of J(c) at 30 K, 3 T to the J(c) at 77 K, 0 T) has been developed which reveals the optimum film composition to obtain lift factors above six, which is thrice the typical value. A highly c-axis aligned BaZrO3 (BZO) nanocolumn defect density of nearly 7 x 10(11) cm(-2) as well as 2-3 nm sized particles rich in Cu and Zr have been found in the high J(c) films. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

High pressure study of high-temperature superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Souliou, Sofia-Michaela

2014-09-29

The current thesis studies experimentally the effect of high external pressure on high-T{sub c} superconductors. The structure and lattice dynamics of several members of the high-T{sub c} cuprate and Fe-based superconductors families were investigated by means of Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction under well-controlled, hydrostatic high pressure and low temperature conditions. The lattice dynamics of the high-T{sub c} superconductor YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6+x} have been investigated systematically by Raman spectroscopy as a function of doping (x = 0.95, 0.75, 0.60, 0.55, and 0.45) and external pressure. Under ambient pressure conditions, in addition to the Raman modes expected from group theory, we observe new Raman active phonons upon cooling the underdoped samples, at temperatures well above the superconducting transition temperature. The doping dependence and the onset temperatures of the new Raman features suggest that they are associated with the incommensurate charge density wave (CDW) state recently discovered in underdoped cuprates using synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques. Under high pressure conditions (from 2 to 12 GPa), our Raman measurements on highly ordered underdoped YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6.55} samples do not show any of the new Raman phonons seen at ambient pressure. High pressure and low temperature Raman measurements have been performed on the underdoped superconductor YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 4}O{sub 8}. A clear renormalization of some of the Raman phonons is seen below T{sub c} as a result of the changes in the phonon self-energy upon the opening of the superconducting gap, with the most prominent one being that of the B{sub 1g}-like buckling phonon mode. The amplitude of this renormalization strongly increases with pressure, resembling the effect of hole doping in YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6+x}. At ∝ 10 GPa, the system undergoes a reversible pressure-induced structural phase transition to a non-centrosymmmetric structure (space group

High pressure study of high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souliou, Sofia-Michaela

2014-01-01

The current thesis studies experimentally the effect of high external pressure on high-T c superconductors. The structure and lattice dynamics of several members of the high-T c cuprate and Fe-based superconductors families were investigated by means of Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction under well-controlled, hydrostatic high pressure and low temperature conditions. The lattice dynamics of the high-T c superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x have been investigated systematically by Raman spectroscopy as a function of doping (x = 0.95, 0.75, 0.60, 0.55, and 0.45) and external pressure. Under ambient pressure conditions, in addition to the Raman modes expected from group theory, we observe new Raman active phonons upon cooling the underdoped samples, at temperatures well above the superconducting transition temperature. The doping dependence and the onset temperatures of the new Raman features suggest that they are associated with the incommensurate charge density wave (CDW) state recently discovered in underdoped cuprates using synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques. Under high pressure conditions (from 2 to 12 GPa), our Raman measurements on highly ordered underdoped YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.55 samples do not show any of the new Raman phonons seen at ambient pressure. High pressure and low temperature Raman measurements have been performed on the underdoped superconductor YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 . A clear renormalization of some of the Raman phonons is seen below T c as a result of the changes in the phonon self-energy upon the opening of the superconducting gap, with the most prominent one being that of the B 1g -like buckling phonon mode. The amplitude of this renormalization strongly increases with pressure, resembling the effect of hole doping in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x . At ∝ 10 GPa, the system undergoes a reversible pressure-induced structural phase transition to a non-centrosymmmetric structure (space group Imm2). The structural transition is clearly reflected in the high pressure

Scalar Condensation of Holographic Superconductors using ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. We study holographic superconductors analytically by using the Ginzburg–Landau action with the γ-quartic term | |4. Our results show that γ-term plays a role in the scalar condensation. It is found that the system displays two kinds of critical temperatures. One is independent of γ. But the other increases with ...

Prediction of inorganic superconductors with quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkova, L M; Marinin, D V

2013-01-01

Models of superconductors having a quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure based on the convoluted into a tube Ginzburg sandwich, which comprises a layered dielectric–metal–dielectric structure, have been suggested. The critical crystal chemistry parameters of the Ginzburg sandwich determining the possibility of the emergence of superconductivity and the T c value in layered high-T c cuprates, which could have the same functions in quasi-one-dimensional fragments (sandwich-type tubes), have been examined. The crystal structures of known low-temperature superconductors, in which one can mark out similar quasi-one-dimensional fragments, have been analyzed. Five compounds with quasi-one-dimensional structures, which can be considered as potential parents of new superconductor families, possibly with high transition temperatures, have been suggested. The methods of doping and modification of these compounds are provided. (paper)

XRD spectra of new YBaCuO superconductors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

superconductors of YBaCuO materials by solid state reac- tion. They used the ... The XRD spectra and critical temperatures are shown to be the same as that of ... samples were synthesized by solid state reaction using raw materials Y2O3 ...

Chapter 27. Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vavra, O.

2007-01-01

In this chapter author deals with superconductors and superconductivity. Different chemical materials used as high-temperature superconductors are presented. Some applications of superconductivity are presented.

Experimental Consequences of Mottness in High-Temperature Copper-Oxide Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Shiladitya

2009-01-01

It has been more than two decades since the copper-oxide high temperature superconductors were discovered. However, building a satisfactory theoretical framework to study these compounds still remains one of the major challenges in condensed matter physics. In addition to the mechanism of superconductivity, understanding the properties of the…

Theory of the upper critical field in antiferromagnetic superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ro, C.; Levin, K.

1984-01-01

We compute the temperature T dependence of the upper critical field H/sub c/2(T) in antiferromagnetic (AF) superconductors. Using a strong-coupling formalism we explicitly treat the effects of the molecular field H/sub Q/, inelastic and elastic spin-fluctuation scattering and magnetic as well as nonmagnetic impurities. A sum rule is used to relate the T dependence of H/sub Q/ to that of the spin-fluctuation scattering. The decreased pair breaking observed below the Neel temperature in SmRh 4 B 4 and the increased pair breaking seen in the AF Chevrel compounds will both occur in our theory for a reasonable choice of parameters. For larger values of the dimensionless spin-exchange coupling constant N(0)J/sup c/f, spin-fluctuation-scattering effects dominate over those of H/sub Q/ and decreased pair breaking is observed below T/sub N/. For smaller values of the coupling constant, the converse is true. Impurity scattering is treated in a self-consistent fashion. As a consequence, the molecular field H/sub Q/ is altered by nonmagnetic impurities. This leads to important pair-breaking effects in H/sub c/2. A physical manifestation of this pair breaking is a qualitative change in the shape of the H/sub c/2 versus T curve, as nonmagnetic impurities are added. We give detailed predictions for the expected effects of these impurities on H/sub c/2 which can be tested experimentally

Correlation of superconductor strand, cable, and dipole critical currents in CBA magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tannenbaum, M.J.; Garber, M.; Sampson, W.B.

1982-01-01

A calibration between vendor critical current data for 0.0268'' diameter superconductor strand supplied to Fermilab, and the BNL 10 -12 Ωcm critical current specification is presented. Vendor critical current data for over 400 Fermilab type billets are shown, both as supplied by the vendor and converted to BNL units. Predictions of cable critical current are made using the sum of the critical currents of the 23 strands, where all strands from the same half billet are assigned the same critical current. The measured critical current shows excellent correlation to the predicted value and is approximately 14 +- 2 percent below it. Colliding Beam Accelerator (CBA) full length dipoles reach the conductor critical current limit, essentially without training. Magnet performance is predictable from the measured critical current of a short sample of cable to within 2%

Vortex-antivortex patterns in mesoscopic superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teniers, Gerd; Moshchalkov, V.V.; Chibotaru, L.F.; Ceulemans, Arnout

2003-01-01

We have studied the nucleation of superconductivity in mesoscopic structures of different shape (triangle, square and rectangle). This was made possible by using an analytical gauge transformation for the vector potential A which gives A n =0 for the normal component along the boundary line of the rectangle. As a consequence the superconductor-vacuum boundary condition reduces to the Neumann boundary condition. By solving the linearized Ginzburg-Landau equation with this boundary condition we have determined the field-temperature superconducting phase boundary and the corresponding vortex patterns. The comparison of these patterns for different structures demonstrates that the critical parameters of a superconductor can be manipulated and fine-tuned through nanostructuring

Studies of superconductors using a low-temperature, high-field scanning tunneling microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirtley, J.R.; Feenstra, R.M.; Fein, A.P.

1988-01-01

We have developed a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) capable of operating at temperatures as low as 0.4 K and fields as high as 8 T. We have used this STM to study the energy gap of the high-T/sub c/ superconductors La--Sr--Cu--O and Y--Ba--Cu--O. We find that the reduced gap for these oxide superconductors falls in the range 3<2Δ/k/sub B/T/sub c/<7, for polycrystalline, single-crystal, and thin-film samples. We have also simultaneously imaged the surface topography and superconducting energy gap for thin films of the granular superconductor NbN. We occasionally see regions with smaller best-fit gaps that correlate with surface topographical features, but have been unable so far to image flux vortices

Block copolymer self-assembly–directed synthesis of mesoporous gyroidal superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Robbins, Spencer W.; Beaucage, Peter A.; Sai, Hiroaki; Tan, Kwan Wee; Werner, Jörg G.; Sethna, James P.; DiSalvo, Francis J.; Gruner, Sol M.; Van Dover, Robert B.; Wiesner, Ulrich

2016-01-01

Superconductors with periodically ordered mesoporous structures are expected to have properties very different from those of their bulk counterparts. Systematic studies of such phenomena to date are sparse, however, because of a lack of versatile synthetic approaches to such materials. We demonstrate the formation of three-dimensionally continuous gyroidal mesoporous niobium nitride (NbN) superconductors from chiral ABC triblock terpolymer self-assembly–directed sol-gel–derived niobium oxide with subsequent thermal processing in air and ammonia gas. Superconducting materials exhibit a critical temperature (Tc) of about 7 to 8 K, a flux exclusion of about 5% compared to a dense NbN solid, and an estimated critical current density (Jc) of 440 A cm−2 at 100 Oe and 2.5 K. We expect block copolymer self-assembly–directed mesoporous superconductors to provide interesting subjects for mesostructure-superconductivity correlation studies. PMID:27152327

Block copolymer self-assembly-directed synthesis of mesoporous gyroidal superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Robbins, Spencer W; Beaucage, Peter A; Sai, Hiroaki; Tan, Kwan Wee; Werner, Jörg G; Sethna, James P; DiSalvo, Francis J; Gruner, Sol M; Van Dover, Robert B; Wiesner, Ulrich

2016-01-01

Superconductors with periodically ordered mesoporous structures are expected to have properties very different from those of their bulk counterparts. Systematic studies of such phenomena to date are sparse, however, because of a lack of versatile synthetic approaches to such materials. We demonstrate the formation of three-dimensionally continuous gyroidal mesoporous niobium nitride (NbN) superconductors from chiral ABC triblock terpolymer self-assembly-directed sol-gel-derived niobium oxide with subsequent thermal processing in air and ammonia gas. Superconducting materials exhibit a critical temperature (T c) of about 7 to 8 K, a flux exclusion of about 5% compared to a dense NbN solid, and an estimated critical current density (J c) of 440 A cm(-2) at 100 Oe and 2.5 K. We expect block copolymer self-assembly-directed mesoporous superconductors to provide interesting subjects for mesostructure-superconductivity correlation studies.

The chaotic points and XRD analysis of Hg-based superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aslan, Oe [Anatuerkler Educational Consultancy and Trading Company, Orhan Veli Kanik Cad., 6/1, Kavacik 34810 Beykoz, Istanbul (Turkey); Oezdemir, Z Gueven [Physics Department, Yildiz Technical University, Davutpasa Campus, Esenler 34210, Istanbul (Turkey); Keskin, S S [Department of Environmental Eng., University of Marmara, Ziverbey, 34722, Istanbul (Turkey); Onbasli, Ue, E-mail: ozdenaslan@yahoo.co [Physics Department, University of Marmara, Ridvan Pasa Cad. 3. Sok. 85/12 Goztepe, Istanbul (Turkey)

2009-03-01

In this article, high T{sub c} mercury based cuprate superconductors with different oxygen doping rates have been examined by means of magnetic susceptibility (magnetization) versus temperature data and X-ray diffraction pattern analysis. The under, optimally and over oxygen doping procedures have been defined from the magnetic susceptibility versus temperature data of the superconducting sample by extracting the Meissner critical transition temperature, T{sub c} and the paramagnetic Meissner temperature, T{sub PME}, so called as the critical quantum chaos points. Moreover, the optimally oxygen doped samples have been investigated under both a.c. and d.c. magnetic fields. The related a.c. data for virgin(uncut) and cut samples with optimal doping have been obtained under a.c. magnetic field of 1 Gauss. For the cut sample with the rectangular shape, the chaotic points have been found to occur at 122 and 140 K, respectively. The Meissner critical temperature of 140 K is the new world record for the high temperature oxide superconductors under normal atmospheric pressure. Moreover, the crystallographic lattice parameters of superconducting samples have a crucial importance in calculating Josephson penetration depth determined by the XRD patterns. From the XRD data obtained for under and optimally doped samples, the crystal symmetries have been found in tetragonal structure.

Interplay of Phonon and Exciton-Mediated Superconductivity in Hybrid Semiconductor-Superconductor Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Skopelitis, Petros; Cherotchenko, Evgenia D.; Kavokin, Alexey V.; Posazhennikova, Anna

2018-03-01

We predict a strong enhancement of the critical temperature in a conventional Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superconductor in the presence of a bosonic condensate of exciton polaritons. The effect depends strongly on the ratio of the cutoff frequencies for phonon and exciton-polariton mediated BCS superconductivity, respectively. We also discuss a possible design of hybrid semiconductor-superconductor structures suitable for the experimental observation of such an effect.

Pseudogap temperature T* of cuprate superconductors from the Nernst effect

Science.gov (United States)

Cyr-Choinière, O.; Daou, R.; Laliberté, F.; Collignon, C.; Badoux, S.; LeBoeuf, D.; Chang, J.; Ramshaw, B. J.; Bonn, D. A.; Hardy, W. N.; Liang, R.; Yan, J.-Q.; Cheng, J.-G.; Zhou, J.-S.; Goodenough, J. B.; Pyon, S.; Takayama, T.; Takagi, H.; Doiron-Leyraud, N.; Taillefer, Louis

2018-02-01

We use the Nernst effect to delineate the boundary of the pseudogap phase in the temperature-doping phase diagram of hole-doped cuprate superconductors. New data for the Nernst coefficient ν (T ) of YBa2Cu3Oy (YBCO), La1.8 -xEu0.2SrxCuO4 (Eu-LSCO), and La1.6 -xNd0.4SrxCuO4 (Nd-LSCO) are presented and compared with previously published data on YBCO, Eu-LSCO, Nd-LSCO, and La2 -xSrxCuO4 (LSCO). The temperature Tν at which ν /T deviates from its high-temperature linear behavior is found to coincide with the temperature at which the resistivity ρ (T ) deviates from its linear-T dependence, which we take as the definition of the pseudogap temperature T★—in agreement with the temperature at which the antinodal spectral gap detected in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) opens. We track T★ as a function of doping and find that it decreases linearly vs p in all four materials, having the same value in the three LSCO-based cuprates, irrespective of their different crystal structures. At low p ,T★ is higher than the onset temperature of the various orders observed in underdoped cuprates, suggesting that these orders are secondary instabilities of the pseudogap phase. A linear extrapolation of T★(p ) to p =0 yields T★(p →0 ) ≃TN (0), the Néel temperature for the onset of antiferromagnetic order at p =0 , suggesting that there is a link between pseudogap and antiferromagnetism. With increasing p ,T★(p ) extrapolates linearly to zero at p ≃pc 2 , the critical doping below which superconductivity emerges at high doping, suggesting that the conditions which favor pseudogap formation also favor pairing. We also use the Nernst effect to investigate how far superconducting fluctuations extend above the critical temperature Tc, as a function of doping, and find that a narrow fluctuation regime tracks Tc, and not T★. This confirms that the pseudogap phase is not a form of precursor superconductivity, and fluctuations in the phase of the

Two classes of superconductors discovered in our material research: Iron-based high temperature superconductor and electride superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosono, Hideo

2009-01-01

We discovered two new classes of superconductors in the course of material exploration for electronic-active oxides. One is 12CaO . 7Al 2 O 3 crystal in which electrons accomodate in the crystallographic sub-nanometer-sized cavities. This material exhibiting metal-superconductor transition at 0.2 K is the first electride superconductor. The other is iron oxypnicitides with a layered structure. This superconductor is rather different from high T c cuprates in several respects. The high T c is emerged by doping carriers to the metallic parent phases which undergo crystallographic transition (tetra to ortho) and Pauli para to antiferromagnetic transition at ∼150 K. The T c is robust to impurity doping to the Fe sites or is induced by partial substitution of the Fe 2+ sites with Co 2+ or Ni 2+ . This article gives a brief summary of these discoveries and recent advances.

Electronic structure and superconductivity of FeSe-related superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xu; Zhao, Lin; He, Shaolong; He, Junfeng; Liu, Defa; Mou, Daixiang; Shen, Bing; Hu, Yong; Huang, Jianwei; Zhou, X J

2015-05-13

FeSe superconductors and their related systems have attracted much attention in the study of iron-based superconductors owing to their simple crystal structure and peculiar electronic and physical properties. The bulk FeSe superconductor has a superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of ~8 K and it can be dramatically enhanced to 37 K at high pressure. On the other hand, its cousin system, FeTe, possesses a unique antiferromagnetic ground state but is non-superconducting. Substitution of Se with Te in the FeSe superconductor results in an enhancement of Tc up to 14.5 K and superconductivity can persist over a large composition range in the Fe(Se,Te) system. Intercalation of the FeSe superconductor leads to the discovery of the AxFe2-ySe2 (A = K, Cs and Tl) system that exhibits a Tc higher than 30 K and a unique electronic structure of the superconducting phase. A recent report of possible high temperature superconductivity in single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films with a Tc above 65 K has generated much excitement in the community. This pioneering work opens a door for interface superconductivity to explore for high Tc superconductors. The distinct electronic structure and superconducting gap, layer-dependent behavior and insulator-superconductor transition of the FeSe/SrTiO3 films provide critical information in understanding the superconductivity mechanism of iron-based superconductors. In this paper, we present a brief review of the investigation of the electronic structure and superconductivity of the FeSe superconductor and related systems, with a particular focus on the FeSe films.

Oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cava, R.J.

2000-01-01

This article briefly reviews ceramic superconductors from historical and materials perspectives. It describes the factors that distinguish high-temperature cuprate superconductors from most electronic ceramics and places them in the context of other families of superconducting materials. Finally, it describes some of the scientific issues presently being actively pursued in the search for the mechanism for high-temperature superconductivity and the directions of research into new superconducting ceramics in recent years

Josephson plasma resonance in vortex filament state of high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Yuji; Gaifullin, M.B.

1996-01-01

High temperature superconductors have the crystalline structure in which two-dimensional CuO 2 planes are piled in layers, consequently, the anisotropy of electroconductivity arises, and this brings about stable and low energy Josephson plasma in superconducting state. Also as to the vortex filament state of high temperature superconductors, the effect of thermal fluctuation due to low dimensionality, short coherence length and high transition temperature becomes conspicuous. In reality, these plasma and vortex filament state are related closely. Light reflection and plasma edge in superconducting state, Josephson plasma resonance in the vortex filament state of BiO 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ , the plasma vibration in Josephson junction, Josephson plasma in magnetic field, Josephson plasma in the liquid state of vortex filament, Josephson plasma in the solid state of vortex filament, and Josephson plasma in parallel magnetic field are reported. The Josephson plasma resonance is the experimental means for exploring vortex filament state from microscopic standpoint, and its development hereafter is expected. (K.I.)

Surface electrostatic waves in bounded high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Averkov, Yu.O.; Yakovenko, V.M.

2008-01-01

The dispersion relations of surface electrostatic waves propagating along the surface of semi bounded layered superconductor and in the slab of layered superconductor are theoretically investigated. An arbitrary inclination of superconductor layers to the interface of a vacuum - crystal and an arbitrary direction of propagation of surface waves in the plane of the interface are taking into account. The possibility of initiation of an absolute instability during the propagation of a non-relativistic plasma stream above the surface of the layered superconductor is shown

High temperature superconductivity the road to higher critical temperature

CERN Document Server

Uchida, Shin-ichi

2015-01-01

This book presents an overview of material-specific factors that influence Tc and give rise to diverse Tc values for copper oxides and iron-based high- Tc superconductors on the basis of more than 25 years of experimental data, to most of which the author has made important contributions. The book then explains why both compounds are distinct from others with similar crystal structure and whether or not one can enhance Tc, which in turn gives a hint on the unresolved pairing mechanism. This is an unprecedented new approach to the problem of high-temperature superconductivity and thus will be inspiring to both specialists and non-specialists interested in this field.   Readers will receive in-depth information on the past, present, and future of high-temperature superconductors, along with special, updated information on what the real highest Tc values are and particularly on the possibility of enhancing Tc for each member material, which is important for application. At this time, the highest Tc has not been...

Design of High Field Solenoids made of High Temperature Superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bartalesi, Antonio; /Pisa U.

2010-12-01

This thesis starts from the analytical mechanical analysis of a superconducting solenoid, loaded by self generated Lorentz forces. Also, a finite element model is proposed and verified with the analytical results. To study the anisotropic behavior of a coil made by layers of superconductor and insulation, a finite element meso-mechanic model is proposed and designed. The resulting material properties are then used in the main solenoid analysis. In parallel, design work is performed as well: an existing Insert Test Facility (ITF) is adapted and structurally verified to support a coil made of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7}, a High Temperature Superconductor (HTS). Finally, a technological winding process was proposed and the required tooling is designed.

Pairing theory of high and low temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nam, Sang Boo

1997-01-01

A scenario which can account for all observed features of both high-Tc superconductors (HTS) and low-Tc superconductors (LTS) is discussed. This scenario is based on the fact that a finite pairing interaction energy range Td is required to have a finite value of Tc and that not all carriers participate in pairings, yielding multiconnected superconductors (MS). A new density of states, derived by keeping the order parameter zero outside of Td, is shown to account for the observed low energy states in HTS and for the temperature dependences in the specific heat, the penetration depth, the optical conductivity, and the tunneling conductance data. I argue that the notion of MS can account for the tunneling data along the a(or b)-, ab-, and c-axis, and the 1/2 flux quantum observed in HTS. The region occupied by unpaired carriers can be considered as a vortex with a fluxoid quantum number equal to 1 (VF), 0 (VZF), or -1 (VAF) when the magnetic flux around the vortex is greater than, equal to, or less than the effective flux produced by the supercurrent, respectively. The Hall anomaly depends on the relative strengths of the contributions via VF and VAF. The fact that the present scenario can account for all observed features of HTS and LTS suggests that the symmetry of the order parameter in HTS may not be different from one in LTS. (author)

High-Tc superconductors under very high pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wijngaarden, R.J.; Scholtz, J.J.; Eenige, E.N. van; Griessen, R.

1991-01-01

High pressure has played a crucial role in the short history of high T c superconductors. Soon after the discovery of superconductivity by Bednorz and Muller in La-Ba-Cu-O, Chu et al. showed that the critical temperature T c could be significantly increased by pressure. This observation led to the discovery of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 by Wu et al. with a T c above 90 K. Incidentally, this high T c is probably also due to the fact that YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 has two CuO 2 layers per unit cell instead of a single one in La-Ba-Cu-O. The authors discuss the high pressure dependence of the oxide superconductors, particularly at pressures above 10 GPa, and the nonmonotonic dependence of transition temperature on pressure

Method of depositing thin films of high temperature Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O-based ceramic oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budd, K.D.

1991-01-01

This patent describes a method. It comprises preparing a liquid precursor of a Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O- based ceramic oxide superconductor phase, wherein the liquid precursor comprises an alkoxyalkanol, copper acrylate, strontium acrylate, bismuth nitrate, and calcium nitrate, wherein the liquid precursor has a cation ratio sufficient to form the desired stoichiometry in the ceramic oxide superconductor phase when the liquid precursor is heated to a temperature and for a time sufficient to provide the desired ceramic oxide superconductor phase, and wherein the copper acrylate, strontium acrylate, bismuth nitrate, and calcium nitrate are mutually soluble in the alkoxyalkanol; applying the liquid precursor to a substrate, wherein the substrate is one of an oxide ceramic, a metal selected from the group consisting of Ag and Ni, and Si; and heating the substrate in an oxygen-containing atmosphere with the liquid precursor applied thereon to a temperature and for a time sufficient to form a thin film comprising at least one Bi-Sr- Ca-Cu-O-based high temperature ceramic oxide superconductor phase

High critical currents in heavily doped (Gd,Y)Ba2Cu3Ox superconductor tapes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selvamanickam, V.; Gharahcheshmeh, M. Heydari; Xu, A.; Galstyan, E.; Delgado, L.; Cantoni, C.

2015-01-01

REBa 2 Cu 3 O x ((REBCO), RE = rare earth) superconductor tapes with moderate levels of dopants have been optimized for high critical current density in low magnetic fields at 77 K, but they do not exhibit exemplary performance in conditions of interest for practical applications, i.e., temperatures less than 50 K and fields of 2–30 T. Heavy doping of REBCO tapes has been avoided by researchers thus far due to deterioration in properties. Here, we report achievement of critical current densities (J c ) above 20 MA/cm 2 at 30 K, 3 T in heavily doped (25 mol. % Zr-added) (Gd,Y)Ba 2 Cu 3 O x superconductor tapes, which is more than three times higher than the J c typically obtained in moderately doped tapes. Pinning force levels above 1000 GN/m 3 have also been attained at 20 K. A composition map of lift factor in J c (ratio of J c at 30 K, 3 T to the J c at 77 K, 0 T) has been developed which reveals the optimum film composition to obtain lift factors above six, which is thrice the typical value. A highly c-axis aligned BaZrO 3 (BZO) nanocolumn defect density of nearly 7 × 10 11  cm −2 as well as 2–3 nm sized particles rich in Cu and Zr have been found in the high J c films

Pressure effect on iron based superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arumugam, S.; Kanagaraj, M.

2011-01-01

A tuning of macroscopic thermo dynamical parameters such as temperature, pressure and volume play a crucial role in strongly correlated electron systems especially high T c superconductors, which leads to increasing conductivity as well as effective way of reducing intrinsic magnetic moments. Application of chemical and external pressure exhibits significant increases of critical temperature of recently discovered iron pnictides and chalcogenides superconductors. In this present report, we have investigated hydrostatic pressure effects on resistivity and magnetization of some 1111 type based oxypnictide superconductors such as Co doped CeFeAsO, La 0.8 Th 0.2 FeAsO, Ce 0.6 Y 0.4 FeAsO 0.8 F 0.2 and Yb doped CeFeAsO systems respectively. The initially applied pressure increases the T c and its down to lower value when beyond increasing pressure also has been observed and pressure effects on crystal structure were also discussed. From that all the obtained results reveal that controlling of magnetic instability and structure distortion at higher pressure is a dominant way to further developing of T c of these new ferropnictides compounds. (author)

Conductive polymer/superconductor bilayer structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDevitt, J.T.; Haupt, S.G.; Riley, D.R.; Zhao, J.; Grassi, J.; Lo, R.K.; Jones, C.

1994-01-01

The preparation of a hybrid conducting polymer/high-temperature superconductor device consisting of a polypyrrole-coated YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-∂ microbridge is reported. Electrochemical techniques are exploited to alter the oxidation state of the polymer and, in doing so, it is found for the first time that superconductivity can be modulated in a controllable and reproducible fashion by a polymer layer. Whereas the neutral (insulating) polypyrrole only slightly influences the electrical properties of the underlying YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-∂ film, the oxidized (conductive) polymer depresses Tc by up to 50K. In a similar fashion, the oxidation state of the polymer is found to modulate reversibly the magnitude of J c , the superconducting critical current. Thus, a new type of molecular switch for controlling superconductivity is demonstrated. Electrochemical, resistance vs. temperature, conact resistance, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy measurements are utilized to explore the polymer/superconductor interactions

Oxide glass to high temperature ceramic superconductors - a novel route

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaudhuri, B.K.; Som, K.K.

1992-01-01

Recently it has been discovered that many of transition metal oxide (TMO) glasses like Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O, Y-Ba-Cu-O, Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O etc. can be directly converted to the corresponding high temperature superconducting phases by properly annealing the respective glasses. In this review recent developements in this field are summarised. The structural, electrical, dielectrical, magnetic, optical, and other properties of these new type of (TMO) glass systems have been elucidated comparing them with the corresponding results of already known (TMO) glasses which do not become superconductors on annealing above their glass transition temperatures (T g ). The electrical properties of this novel glass system have been analysed with reference to the various existing theoretical models based on polaron hopping conduction mechanism. The electrical, magnetic, and other properties of the respective superconductors obtained from their corresponding glass phases by annealing above (T g ) and the possibility of drawing wires, ribbons etc. from these glass matrices and then converting them to their high T c superconducting phases have also been discussed. (author). 107 refs., 32 figs., 5 tabs

Radiation behavior of superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scanlan, R.M.; Raymond, E.L.

1979-01-01

High energy neutron irradiations have been performed on Nb 3 Sn superconductors to assess their behavior in a fusion reactor environment. Irradiations were performed at 4.2 K and property measurements were made without warming the samples. The critical current I/sub c/ increased with irradiation to a level about 50% above the unirradiated value at the highest fluences reached in our experiments. These results are compared with the results of other low temperature irradiations of Nb 3 Sn

Negative magnetic relaxation in superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krasnoperov E.P.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available It was observed that the trapped magnetic moment of HTS tablets or annuli increases in time (negative relaxation if they are not completely magnetized by a pulsed magnetic field. It is shown, in the framework of the Bean critical-state model, that the radial temperature gradient appearing in tablets or annuli during a pulsed field magnetization can explain the negative magnetic relaxation in the superconductor.

Analytical assessment of some characteristic ratios for s-wave superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Gonczarek, Ryszard; Krzyzosiak, Mateusz; Gonczarek, Adam; Jacak, Lucjan

2018-04-01

We evaluate some thermodynamic quantities and characteristic ratios that describe low- and high-temperature s-wave superconducting systems. Based on a set of fundamental equations derived within the conformal transformation method, a simple model is proposed and studied analytically. After including a one-parameter class of fluctuations in the density of states, the mathematical structure of the s-wave superconducting gap, the free energy difference, and the specific heat difference is found and discussed in an analytic manner. Both the zero-temperature limit T = 0 and the subcritical temperature range T ≲ T c are discussed using the method of successive approximations. The equation for the ratio R 1, relating the zero-temperature energy gap and the critical temperature, is formulated and solved numerically for various values of the model parameter. Other thermodynamic quantities are analyzed, including a characteristic ratio R 2, quantifying the dynamics of the specific heat jump at the critical temperature. It is shown that the obtained model results coincide with experimental data for low- T c superconductors. The prospect of application of the presented model in studies of high- T c superconductors and other superconducting systems of the new generation is also discussed.

The influence of measurement and relaxation time on flux jumps in high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Xiaobin; Zhou Youhe; Tu Shandong

2010-01-01

The influence of the magnetization and relaxation time on flux jumps in high temperature superconductors (HTSC) under varying magnetic field is studied using the fundamental electromagnetic field equations and the thermal diffusion equation; temperature variety corresponding to flux jump is also discussed. We find that for a low sweep rate of the applied magnetic field, the measurement and relaxation times can reduce flux jump and to constrain the number of flux jumps, even stabilizing the HTSC, since much heat produced by the motion of magnetic flux can transfer into coolant during the measurement and relaxation times. As high temperature superconductors are subjected to a high sweep rate or a strong pulsed magnetic field, magnetization undergoes from stability or oscillation to jump for different pause times. And the period of temperature oscillation is equal to the measurement and relaxation time.

Three-dimensionality of field-induced magnetism in a high-temperature superconductor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lake, B.; Lefmann, K.; Christensen, N.B.

2005-01-01

Many physical properties of high-temperature superconductors are two-dimensional phenomena derived from their square-planar CuO(2) building blocks. This is especially true of the magnetism from the copper ions. As mobile charge carriers enter the CuO(2) layers, the antiferromagnetism of the parent...

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of high-temperature superconductor clean surfaces and interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, D.M.

1989-01-01

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine the characteristic spectra for the high temperature superconductors La 1.85 Sr 0.15 CuO 4 , YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x , and Bi 2 Sr 2-x Ca 1+x Cu 2 O 8+y and their impurity phases. The oxidation state of Cu in all of these materials was predominantly Cu 2+ . The O 1s emission for clean surfaces was a single broad peak near 529 eV derived from emission from inequivalent O sites in the superconductors. The valence bands were a -6 eV wide manifold of Cu 3d-O 2p hybrid bands in the ∼ 1-7 eV binding energy range, with very low emission at E F arising from antibonding Cu 3d-O 2p orbitals. Emission from grain boundary and other impurity phases appeared at 531 eV for the O 1s core level, and in general ∼ 1-2 eV higher energy than the superconductor peak for other core levels except for Cu 2p. Impurity phases appeared in the valence bands as a shoulder at ∼ 5 eV. The amount of impurities detected was shown to be dependent on the fracture properties of the superconductors. All of the materials were shown to be stable under vacuum. The products and spatial extent of chemical reactions with Ag, Al, Al oxide, Au, Bi, Bi oxide, CaF 2 , Cu, Fe, Si, and Si oxide overlayers on these materials also were examined. Au, CaF 2 , and metal oxides deposited by activated oxidation during evaporation were non-reactive and non-disruptive of the superconductor surfaces. Ag overlayers were unique in that they disrupted the superconductor during deposition, but exhibited no evidence of any chemical reactions. Overlayers with an affinity for oxygen withdrew O from the superconductor. The O loss occurred preferentially from Cu atoms in the superconductor and disrupted the planar bonding structure

The development of research on high temperature superconductors in Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaari, A.H.; Hashim, M.; Dalimin, M.N.

1989-01-01

The background of the recent discovery of high-temperature oxide superconductor is given. This new discovery has driven scientists of different disciplines from many parts of the world into the race. Even those researchers from the developing countries are able to join the band wagon of the frontier research due to the convenience of working at temperatures well above that of liquid nitrogen. In Malaysia, some aspects of preparations and characterization of Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O ceramics are studied. The 90 K transition temperature is observed in Y-Ba-Cu-O. (Auth.). 10 figs.; 5 refs

Ceramic high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marquart, R.

1989-01-01

The contribution presents an overview treatment of the structure of the new superconductors (YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x ). Methods of powder production and processing technology are described, with current development projects by Dornier being taken into consideration. (orig.) [de

Possibility of the vortex-antivortex transition temperature of a thin-film superconductor being renormalized by disorder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hebard, A.F.; Kotliar, G.

1989-01-01

The universal relation between the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature T/sub c/ and the superfluid sheet density of thin-film superconductors with mean-field transition temperature T/sub c/ 0 results in a monotonically decreasing dependence of the ratio T/sub c//T/sub c0/ on the normal-state sheet resistance R/sub n/. Ambiguity in the experimental definition of R/sub n/ in highly disordered thin-film superconductors is addressed by reexamining previously published data on amorphous composite In/InO/sub x/ films. Arguments are presented in favor of using the zero-temperature value of R/sub n/, a quantity obtained by extrapolation. The dependence of T/sub c//T/sub c0/ on R/sub n/ that results from such a choice is in agreement with theory for dirty superconductors and thus suggests that additional corrections to T/sub c/ in the presence of extreme disorder are not required

EDITORIAL: The electromagnetic properties of iron-based superconductors The electromagnetic properties of iron-based superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Prozorov, Ruslan; Gurevich, Alex; Luke, Graeme

2010-05-01

cuprates, a superconducting 'dome' is formed upon doping the parent compounds, which exhibits antiferromagnetic and structural transitions at temperatures well above the superconducting critical temperature. This special section touches on several key aspects of these new iron-based superconductors. These topics include materials synthesis and basic characterization, the role of impurities and pairing symmetry, and mapping of the superconducting phase diagram as a function of chemical doping and pressure. Studies of transport, magnetic and optical properties account for a substantial portion of this special section. Particular attention is devoted to the role of magnetic excitations and the issue of the possible coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity. Attempts to understand the nature of the superconducting pairing are discussed from several angles, including tunneling spectroscopy and the London penetration depth. The vortex state is probed by magnetization, transport and neutron scattering, while the irreversible state is probed by studies of magnetic and transport critical current density.

First Results from Tests of High Temperature Superconductor Magnets on Tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gryaznevich, M.; Todd, T.T., E-mail: mikhail.gryaznevich@ccfe.ac.uk [Euratom/CCFE Fusion Association, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon (United Kingdom); Svoboda, V.; Markovic, T.; Ondrej, G. [Czech Technical University, Prague (Czech Republic); Stockel, J.; Duran, I.; Kovarik, K. [IPP Prague, Czech Technical University, Prague (Czech Republic); Sykes, A.; Kingham, D. [Tokamak Solutions, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon (United Kingdom); Melhem, Z.; Ball, S.; Chappell, S. [Oxford Instruments, Abingdon (United Kingdom); Lilley, M. K.; De Grouchy, P.; Kim, H. -T. [Imperial College, London (United Kingdom)

2012-09-15

Full text: It has long been known that high temperature superconductors (HTS) could have an important role to play in the future of tokamak fusion research. Here we report on first results of the use of HTS in a tokamak magnet and on the progress in design and construction of the first fully-HTS tokamak. In the experiment, the two copper vertical field coils of the small tokamak GOLEM were replaced by two coils each with 6 turns of HTS (Re)BCO tape. Liquid nitrogen was used to cool the coils to below the critical temperature at which HTS becomes superconducting. Little effect on the HTS critical current has been observed for perpendicular field up to 0.5 T and superconductivity has been achieved at {approx} 90.5K during bench tests. There had been concerns that the plasma pulses and pulsed magnetic fields might cause a 'quench' in the HTS, i.e., a sudden and potentially damaging transition from superconductor to normal conductor. However, many plasma pulses were fired without any quenches even when disruptions occurred with corresponding induced electrical fields. In addition, experiments without plasma have been performed to study properties of the HTS in a tokamak environment, i.e., critical current and its dependence on magnetic and electrical fields generated in a tokamak both in DC and pulsed operations, maximum current ramp-up speed, performance of the HTS tape after number of artificially induced quenches etc. No quench has been observed at DC currents up to 200 A (1.2 kA-turns through the coil). In short pulses, current up to 1 kA through the tape (6 kA-turns) has been achieved with no subsequent degradation of the HTS performance with a current ramp rate up to 0.6 MA/s. In future experiments, increases in both the plasma current and pulse duration are planned. Considerable experience has been gained during design and fabrication of the cryostat, coils, isolation and insulation, feeds and cryosystems, and GOLEM is now routinely operated with HTS coils. The

Finding new superconductors: the spin-fluctuation gateway to high Tc and possible room temperature superconductivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Pines, David

2013-10-24

We propose an experiment-based strategy for finding new high transition temperature superconductors that is based on the well-established spin fluctuation magnetic gateway to superconductivity in which the attractive quasiparticle interaction needed for superconductivity comes from their coupling to dynamical spin fluctuations originating in the proximity of the material to an antiferromagnetic state. We show how lessons learned by combining the results of almost three decades of intensive experimental and theoretical study of the cuprates with those found in the decade-long study of a strikingly similar family of unconventional heavy electron superconductors, the 115 materials, can prove helpful in carrying out that search. We conclude that, since Tc in these materials scales approximately with the strength of the interaction, J, between the nearest neighbor local moments in their parent antiferromagnetic state, there may not be a magnetic ceiling that would prevent one from discovering a room temperature superconductor.

Stability analysis of an uncooled segment of superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seol, S. Y. [Chonnam National University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)

2017-09-15

If the part of the HTS magnet is exposed to the outside of the cryogenic coolant due to the fluctuation of the height of the cooling liquid or the vapor generation, the uncooled part becomes very unstable. In this paper, the unstable equilibrium temperature distribution of the uncooled part of a superconductor is obtained, and the maximum temperature and energy are calculated as a function of the uncooled length. Similar to the superconductor stability problem, the current sharing model was applied to derive the theoretical formula and calculated by numerical integration. We also applied a jump model, which assumes that joule heat is generated in all of the uncooled segment, and compares it with the current sharing model results. As a result of the analysis, the stable equilibrium state and the critical uncooled length in the jump model are not shown in the current sharing model. The stability of the conductors to external disturbances was discussed based on the obtained temperature distribution, maximum temperature, and energy.

Weak-link-induced thermoelectricity in U-shaped BSCCO superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyle, R.A.; Gridin, V.V.

1992-01-01

The recently reported weak-link-induced analogue of the Fountain effect in high-Tc superconductors involves measurement of the response of a micro-bridge-shaped sample to superimposed electrical and thermal gradients. This geometry is however asymmetric since the current contacts are always at different temperatures. Consequently doubts might be expressed about the interference of Peltier effects at the current contacts with the measured symmetry in the I-V characteristics of the sample. We have studied the temrature dependence of the voltage response of U-shaped samples of polycrystalline BSCCO 2212 superconductor in the presence of a parallel applied temperature gradient and applied current when the current direction is reversed. It is shown that this method is directly complementary to the measurement of asymmetry in critical current density by use of I-V characteristics at fixed temperature. The U-shaped geometry employed here allows the current electrodes to be held equipotential and at the same temperature. Our results show that the Fountain effect, which is due to supercurrent-induced phase differences across weak links in the sample, is apparent in this material when measured using the U-shaped geometry. This provides further support for the importance of weak-link-related thermoelectric effects in high-temperature superconductors. (orig.)

Experimental and Computational Studies of the Superconducting Phase Transition of Quasi 1D Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Chi Ho

In this PhD project, the feasibility of establishing a state with vanishing resistance in quasi-1D superconductors are studied. In the first stage, extrinsic quasi-1D superconductors based on composite materials made by metallic nanowire arrays embedded in mesoporous silica substrates, such as Pb-SBA-15 and NbN-SBA-15 (fabricated by a Chemical Vapor Deposition technique) are investigated. Two impressive outcomes in Pb-SBA-15 are found, including an enormous enhancement of the upper critical field from 0.08T to 14T and an increase of the superconducting transition temperature onset s from 7.2 to 11K. The second stage is to apply Monte Carlo simulations to model the quasi-1D superconductor, considering its penetration depth, coherence length, defects, electron mean free path, tunneling barrier and insulating width between the nanowires. The Monte Carlo results provide a clear picture to approach to stage 3, which represents a study of the intrinsic quasi-1D superconductor Sc3CoC4, which contains parallel arrays of 1D superconducting CoC4 ribbons with weak transverse Josephson or Proximity interaction, embedded in a Sc matrix. According to our previous work, a BKT transition in the lateral plane is believed to be the physics behind the vanishing resistance of quasi-1D superconductors, because it activates a dimensional crossover from a 1D fluctuating superconductivity at high temperature to a 3D bulk phase coherent state in the entire material at low temperatures. Moreover, we decided to study thin 1D Sn nanowires without substrate, which display very similar superconducting properties to Pb-SBA-15 with a strong critical field and Tc enhancement. Finally, a preliminary research on a novel quasi-2D superconductor formed by parallel 2D mercury sheets that are separated by organic molecules is presented. The latter material may represent a model system to study the effect of a layered structure, which is believed to be an effective ingredient to design high temperature

Study of the implementation of high temperature superconductors to accelerator magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleiter, Jerome

2013-01-01

Particle colliders are the main tool for investigating and understanding the fundamental laws of physics. The CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is a circular accelerator which steers and collides two counter-rotating protons beams. It has four collision points where detectors are placed to analyze the products emerging from the collisions. In a synchrotron machine a magnetic flux density is used to guide and focus particles around the orbit. The maximum energy that a circular machine with a given geometry can achieve is limited by the maximum strength of the dipole magnetic flux density. There is therefore an interest in the particle physics community in searching for dipole magnets with higher strength. The LHC has a beam trajectory radius of 4.3 km and a collision center-of-mass energy of 14 TeV. The accelerator employs 1232 large superconducting Nb-Ti dipole magnets operated at a flux density of up to 8.3 T in a bath of superfluid helium at 1.9 K. Energies higher than that achieved with the LHC require magnets made from superconductors with higher upper critical flux density. Nb 3 Sn is an option for magnets operated up to about 14 T. The level of energies of the type being discussed for a potential energy upgrade of the LHC machine - 33 TeV- would require the use of high temperature superconductors (HTS). Three technical HTS are available today: YBCO, Bi-2212 and Bi-2223. At low temperature YBCO conductors present both irreversible flux density and current density in excess of those measured in Bi-2212 and Bi-2223 conductors. In addition, YBCO can be used as reacted conductor, which makes its use for applications simpler than Bi-2212, which requires heat treatment at high temperature and in oxygen atmosphere after cabling and winding. The level of currents required for application to accelerator magnets, which is above 10 kA at the nominal operating temperature and flux density, excludes the use of single strands. The high current and high current density

Flux flow and flux dynamics in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, L.H.; Turchinskaya, M.; Swartzendruber, L.J.; Roitburd, A.; Lundy, D.; Ritter, J.; Kaiser, D.L.

1991-01-01

Because high temperature superconductors, including BYCO and BSSCO, are type 2 superconductors with relatively low H(sub c 1) values and high H(sub c 2) values, they will be in a critical state for many of their applications. In the critical state, with the applied field between H(sub c 1) and H(sub c 2), flux lines have penetrated the material and can form a flux lattice and can be pinned by structural defects, chemical inhomogeneities, and impurities. A detailed knowledge of how flux penetrates the material and its behavior under the influence of applied fields and current flow, and the effect of material processing on these properties, is required in order to apply, and to improve the properties of these superconductors. When the applied field is changed rapidly, the time dependence of flux change can be divided into three regions, an initial region which occurs very rapidly, a second region in which the magnetization has a 1n(t) behavior, and a saturation region at very long times. A critical field is defined for depinning, H(sub c,p) as that field at which the hysteresis loop changes from irreversible to reversible. As a function of temperature, it is found that H(sub c,p) is well described by a power law with an exponent between 1.5 and 2.5. The behavior of H(sub c,p) for various materials and its relationship to flux flow and flux dynamics are discussed

Conceptual design of a forced-flow-cooled 20-kA current lead using Ag-alloy-sheathed Bi-2223 high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heller, R.

1994-11-01

The use of high-temperature superconductors in current leads to reduce refrigeration power has been investigated by many groups in the past. Most used YBCO and Bi-2212 bulk superconductors, although their critical current density is not very high. In this paper, BI-2223 HTSC tapes sheathed with Ag alloys are used in the design of a 20-kA current lead because of their higher critical current in medium magnetic fields. The lead current of 20 kA is related to the coil current of the planned stellarator WENDELSTEIN 7-X. Forced-now helium cooling has been used in the design, allowing position-independent and well-controlled operation. The design characteristics of the lead are presented and 4-K helium cooling of the whole lead, as well as 60-K helium cooling of the copper part of the lead, is discussed. The power consumption at zero current, and the lead's behaviour in case of loss of coolant flow, are given, The results of the design allow extrapolation to current leads of the 50-kA range

The effect of precursor powder size on the microstructure and integranular properties of Bi2223 superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Abdolhosseini

2006-09-01

Full Text Available  We have studied the effect of precursor powder size on the microstructure and intergranular behavior of polycrystalline Bi2223 superconductors using the XRD, SEM, electrical resistivity and AC susceptibility techniques. Polycrystalline Bi2223 superconductors were prepared from the powders with different milling times. The XRD results show that by decreasing the precursor powder size the Bi2223 phase fraction increases. It was found that the grain size and grain connectivity improved by decreasing the precursor powder size. Analysis of the temperature dependence of the AC susceptibility near the transition temperature (Tc has been done employing Beans critical state model. The observed variation of intergranular critical current densities (Jc with temperature indicates that the decreasing of precursor powder size in the Bi2223 system cases an increase in the intergranular critical current density.

Order parameter effect critical fields and current of Y1–xPrx:123 superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sedky A.

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Fluctuation induced conductivity by Pr substitution at Y sites of Y1-xPrx:123 superconductors is reported. It is found that the mean field temperature Tcmf, deduced from the peak of dρ/dT versus T plot, gradually decreases by increasing Pr up to 0.40. The order parameter dimensionality (OPD is estimated from the slope of the logarithmic plot between excess conductivity Δσ and reduced temperature є. Interestingly, the crossover from 2D to 3D is obtained for samples with Pr = 0.00, 0.10 and 0.20, while with increasing Pr up to 0.40, the crossover from 0D to quasi-2D is obtained. On the other hand, the calculated values of interlayer coupling, coherence lengths, critical fields and critical current decrease with increasing Pr up to 0.20, but with the further increase of Pr, up to 0.40, they increase. The hole carriers/Cu ions anisotropy and G-L parameter gradually increase with Pr up to 0.40. Our results are discussed in terms of the effects of Pr substitution at Y site, such as oxygen rearrangements, anisotropy, hybridization and localization of holes in the overdoped region.

Connection between in-plane upper critical field Hc 2 and gap symmetry in layered d -wave superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing-Rong; Liu, Guo-Zhu; Zhang, Chang-Jin

2016-07-01

Angle-resolved upper critical field Hc 2 provides an efficient tool to probe the gap symmetry of unconventional superconductors. We revisit the behavior of in-plane Hc 2 in d -wave superconductors by considering both the orbital effect and Pauli paramagnetic effect. After carrying out systematic analysis, we show that the maxima of Hc 2 could be along either nodal or antinodal directions of a d -wave superconducting gap, depending on the specific values of a number of tuning parameters. This behavior is in contrast to the common belief that the maxima of in-plane Hc 2 are along the direction where the superconducting gap takes its maximal value. Therefore, identifying the precise d -wave gap symmetry through fitting experiments results of angle-resolved Hc 2 with model calculations at a fixed temperature, as widely used in previous studies, is difficult and practically unreliable. However, our extensive analysis of angle-resolved Hc 2 show that there is a critical temperature T*: in-plane Hc 2 exhibits its maxima along nodal directions at T change as other parameters vary, but the existence of π /4 shift of Hc 2 at T* appears to be a general feature. Thus a better method to identify the precise d -wave gap symmetry is to measure Hc 2 at a number of different temperatures, and examine whether there is a π /4 shift in its angular dependence at certain T*. We further show that Landau level mixing does not change this general feature. However, in the presence of Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state, the angular dependence of Hc 2 becomes quite complicated, which makes it more difficult to determine the gap symmetry by measuring Hc 2. Our results indicate that some previous studies on the gap symmetry of CeCu2Si2 are unreliable and need to be reexamined, and also provide a candidate solution to an experimental discrepancy in the angle-resolved Hc 2 in CeCoIn5.

Proposal of Magnetic Circuit using Magnetic Shielding with Bulk-Type High Tc Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuoka, Katsuhiro; Hashimoto, Mitsuo; Tomita, Masaru; Murakami, Masato

Recently, bulk-type high Tc superconductors having a characteristic of critical current density over 104 A/cm2 in liquid nitrogen temperature (77K) on 1T, can be produced. They are promising for many practical applications such as a magnetic bearing, a magnetic levitation, a flywheel, a magnetic shielding and others. In this research, we propose a magnetic circuit that is able to use for the magnetic shield of plural superconductors as an application of bulk-type high Tc superconductors. It is a closed magnetic circuit by means of a toroidal core. Characteristics of the magnetic circuit surrounded with superconductors are evaluated and the possibility is examined. As the magnetic circuit of the ferrite core is surrounded with superconductors, the magnetic flux is shielded even if it leaked from the ferrite core.

Design study of SMES system using high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshihara, T.; Masuda, M.; Shintomi, T.; Hasegawa, J.

1988-01-01

Various studies of high Tc superconductors are being energetically pursued all over the world, since IBM Zurich Research Laboratory reported on the superconducting oxide. A new design using a high Tc superconductor is under study for 5000 MWh, on the assumption that it is available like conventional superconductors. Problems related to the Tc SMES system, mainly thermal insulation, refrigeration system, stability of superconductors, etc., are considered. Some design examples of high Tc SMES system are proposed

PdTe: a 4.5 K type-II BCS superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiwari, Brajesh; Goyal, Reena; Jha, Rajveer; Awana, V P S; Dixit, Ambesh

2015-01-01

We report on the structure and physical properties of the polycrystalline PdTe superconductor, which is synthesized by the solid state reaction route via the quartz vacuum encapsulation technique at 750 °C. The as synthesized compound is crystallized in hexagonal crystal structure with P63/mmc space group. Both transport and magnetic measurements showed that PdTe is a bulk superconductor below 4.5 K. Isothermal magnetization (MH) and magneto-transport (R(T)H) measurements provided the values of the lower (H c1 ) and upper (H c2 ) critical fields as 250 Oe and 1200 Oe respectively at 2 K, establishing that the compound is clearly a type-II superconductor. The coherence length (ξ 0 ) and Ginzburg–Landau parameter (κ) are estimated from the experimentally determined upper and lower critical fields, and are 449 Å and 1.48 respectively. Thermodynamic heat capacity measurements under different magnetic fields, i.e. C p (T)H, showed a clear transition at 4.5 K (T c ), which shifts gradually to lower temperatures with application of field. The values of Debye temperature (Θ D ) and electronic specific heat coefficient (γ) obtained from C p (T) data are found to be 203 K and 6.01 mJ mol −1 K −2 . The observed specific heat jump (ΔC/γT c ) is 1.33, thus suggesting a possible weak coupling case for the PdTe superconductor. (paper)

Flux-induced Nernst effect in low-dimensional superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berger, Jorge

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The Nernst effect tells us that the presence of a magnetic field and a temperature gradient in a conductor yields a transverse voltage. • The Nernst effect in superconductors, especially above their critical temperature, has been a hot topic of research during the last decades. • I predict a new effect in which a transverse voltage arises, not because of the magnetic field, but rather because of the magnetic flux enclosed by a loop with non-uniform temperature. - Abstract: A method is available that enables consistent study of the stochastic behavior of a system that obeys purely diffusive evolution equations. This method has been applied to a superconducting loop with nonuniform temperature, with average temperature close to T_c. It is found that a flux-dependent average potential difference arises along the loop, proportional to the temperature gradient and most pronounced in the direction perpendicular to this gradient. The largest voltages were obtained for fluxes close to 0.3Φ_0, average temperatures slightly below the critical temperature, thermal coherence length of the order of the perimeter of the ring, BCS coherence length that is not negligible in comparison to the thermal coherence length, and short inelastic scattering time. This effect is entirely due to thermal fluctuations. It differs essentially from the usual Nernst effect in bulk superconductors, that is induced by magnetic field rather than by magnetic flux. We also study the effect of confinement in a 2D mesoscopic film.

Flux motion and dissipation in high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, K.E.; Kim, D.H.

1991-08-01

The effects on flux motion and dissipation of interlayer coupling of the Cu-O planes along the c-axis are considered for the high- temperature superconductors (HTS). It is argued that for the highly-anisotropic HTS, the weak interlayer coupling plays a dominant role that can be described by incoherent Josephson tunneling between superconducting Cu-O bi- or tri-layers. In YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 , the layers are strongly coupled, presumably because the conducting Cu-O chains short circuit the Josephson tunneling, so that these effects are weak or missing

An unusual isotope effect in a high-transition-temperature superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gweon, G.-H.; Sasagawa, T.; Zhou, S.Y.; Graf, J.; Takagi, H.; Lee, D.-H.; Lanzara, A.

2004-01-01

In conventional superconductors, the electron pairing that allows superconductivity is caused by exchange of virtual phonons, which are quanta of lattice vibration. For high-transition-temperature (high-Tc) superconductors, it is far from clear that phonons are involved in the pairing at all. For example, the negligible change in Tc of optimally doped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (Bi2212) upon oxygen isotope substitution (16O to 18O leads to Tc decreasing from 92 to 91 K) has often been taken to mean that phonons play an insignificant role in this material. Here we provide a detailed comparison of the electron dynamics of Bi2212 samples containing different oxygen isotopes, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Our data show definite and strong isotope effects. Surprisingly, the effects mainly appear in broad high-energy humps, commonly referred to as ''incoherent peaks''. As a function of temperature and electron momentum, the magnitude of the isotope effect closely correlates with the superconducting gap--that is, the pair binding energy. We suggest that these results can be explained in a dynamic spin-Peierls picture, where the singlet pairing of electrons and the electron-lattice coupling mutually enhance each other

Thermal conductivity in high critical temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castello, D.J.

1990-01-01

A measuring procedure to obtain the electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity and thermoelectric power of samples of low conductivity has been developed. The setup was designed to allow the removal of the sample in clean fashion, so that further heat treatments could be performed, and therefore no adhesives were used in the mounting of the thermocouples or heat sinks, etc. The heat equation has been analyzed with time-dependent boundary conditions, with the purpose of developing a dynamic measuring method which avoids the long delays involved in reaching thermal equilibrium above 30K. Based on this analysis, the developed measuring method allows a precise and reliable measurements, in a continuous fashion, for temperatures above 25K. The same setup is used in a stationary mode at low temperatures, so the sample needs to be mounted only once. κ(T) has been measured in two ceramic samples of La 2 CuO 4 : the first semiconducting, the other superconducting (SC) as a consequence of an oxygen annealing. Both exhibit a strong thermal resistivity due to defects, though lower in the SC, where two maxima are observed and are attributed to an AF ordering: T N ' ≅ 40K and T N '' ≅ 240K. The low temperature dependence is T 1 .6 and T 2 .3 respectively. It was interpreted that the former sample presents a greater dispersion due to localized excitations, characteristic of amorphouus materials, 'tunneling two-level systems' (TS). A third syntherized sample of CuO exhibits a typical behaviour of an insulator, with T 2 .6 at low temperatures, a maximum at 40K and a decrease in T -1 at high temperatures. κ(T) in a SC sample of La 1 .85Sr 1 .15CuO 4 with T c =35.5K has also been measured, observing a small increase below T c because of the diminishing of the phonon dispersion due to the condensating electrons. κ(T) is lower than in the previous samples and thus a greater number of defects was inferred. At low temperatures, its dependence is T 1 .4 in agreement with the

Application of high temperature superconductors for optimization of regime of the electroenergetic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manusov, V.Z.; Mikheev, P.A.

2005-01-01

Application of the phenomenon of superconductivity in the energetic systems, as in the form of longitudinal engine, also in the transverse appearance (changing of the regime of neutral) is considerate in this article. In the normal regimes of the work of net it is profitable to have less resistance for contraction loss of the capability in the network and decrease of the tension, in emergency state ground return, on the contrary, from the security and safety point of view the work of such resistance will not arrange. Major properties of superconductors are their ability to change electrical parameters (in particular electric resistance) in dependence of the size of current crossing over them, notably nonlinearity of their volt-ampere characteristics. A high temperature superconductor, on the score of economical appropriateness of cooling of superconductor with liquid nitrogen instead of liquid gel is considered

Local electromagnetic waves in layered superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gvozdikov, V.M.; Vega-Monroy, R.

1999-01-01

A dispersion equation for electromagnetic waves localized on a defect layer of a layered superconductor is obtained in the frame of a model which neglects electron hopping between layers but assumes an arbitrary current-current response function within the layers. The defect layer differs from the rest of the layers by density and mass of charge carriers. It is shown that near the critical temperature in the London limit the local mode lies within the superconducting gap and has a wave vector threshold depending on the layered crystal and defect layer parameters. In the case of highly anisotropic layered superconductors, like Bi- or Tl-based high-T c cuprates, the local mode exists within a narrow range of positive variations of the mass and charge carriers. (author)

Proximity effect depression of the critical temperature in two-phase Nb-Ti superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meingast, C.; Daeumling, M.; Lee, P.J.; Larbalestier, D.C.

1987-01-01

The superconducting critical temperature of high critical current density Nb-Ti composites has been measured at various stages in the critical current optimization process. This process involves heat treatment steps which cause precipitation of normal α-Ti and make the matrix more Nb rich. T/sub c/ rises from 9.1 to 9.5 K during this stage. The final optimization stage involves extensive wire drawing during which the α-Ti precipitates are reduced to less than a coherence length in thickness. This does not result in a reduction in J/sub c/ but T/sub c/ is found to fall from 9.44 to 8.7 K during this step. The depression of T/sub c/ is found to be in fair agreement with the predicted proximity effect suppression of T/sub c/. Wires of optimum transport critical current density are seen to have T/sub c/ of around 9 K

Temperature controlled infrared broadband cloaking with the bilayer coatings of semiconductor and superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiaohua [College of Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016 (China); College of Physics and Electronics, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng 224051 (China); Liu, Youwen, E-mail: ywliu@nuaa.edu.cn [College of Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016 (China); Feng, Yuncai [College of Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016 (China)

2015-06-15

Highlights: • We first propose that the cloak is composed of the bilayer of semiconductor and superconductor. • We realize the infrared broadband cloaking based on the scattering cancellation method. • The cloaking frequency can be tuned by external temperature. - Abstract: The infrared broadband tunable cloaking have been proposed and investigated with the bilayer coating materials of semiconductor (n-Ge) and high-temperature superconductor (YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7}), whose cloaking frequency can be controlled by external temperature. The analytical solution is derived based on the scattering cancellation cloaking technique from the Mie scattering theory, and the full-wave numerical simulation is performed by the finite element method. The calculated and simulated results have demonstrated that this invisibility cloak may reduce the total scattering cross section of the composite structure of 90% over a broad frequency band of nearly 20 THz, and the infrared cloaking frequency can be tuned by the external temperature. It can provide a feasible way to design a broadband tunable cloak.

Peak effect in twinned superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larkin, A.I.; Marchetti, M.C.; Vinokur, V.M.

1995-01-01

A sharp maximum in the critical current J c as a function of temperature just below the melting point of the Abrikosov flux lattice has recently been observed in both low- and high-temperature superconductors. This peak effect is strongest in twinned crystals for fields aligned with the twin planes. We propose that this peak signals the breakdown of the collective pinning regime and the crossover to strong pinning of single vortices on the twin boundaries. This crossover is very sharp and can account for the steep drop of the differential resistivity observed in experiments. copyright 1995 The American Physical Society

Development of fabrication technique of bulk high superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Gye Won; Kim, Chang Joong; Kim, Ki Baik; Lee, Ho Jin; Lee, Hee Gyoun; Kwon, Sun Chil.

1997-05-01

In order to realize the commercial application of HTSC materials, it is necessary to develop the fabrication process of high Tc oxide superconductor materials with desired shape and for practical application and high critical current density as well as good mechanical strength which critical current density as well as good mechanical strength which can withstand high lorenz force generated at high magnetic field. Much studies have been concentrated to develop the fabrication technique for high critical current density but still there are a lot of gap which should be overcome for large scale application of HTSC materials at liquid nitrogen temperature. Recently some new fabrication techniques have been developed for YBCO bulk superconductor with high mechanical strength and critical current density. In this project, plastic extrusion and melt process techniques were studied. The components materials for the current lead and the flywheel application were fabricated and their characteristics were investigated from the view point of microstructure and phase formation during heat treatment process. (author). 64 refs., 59 figs

Electron spectroscopy on high-temperature superconductors and related compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knupfer, M.

1994-01-01

In the last two classes of materials have been discovered which distinguish themselves due to a transition into the superconducting state at relatively high temperatures. These are the cuprate superconductors and the alkali metal doped fullerenes. In this work the electronic structure of representatives of these materials, undoped and Ca-doped YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 and A 3 C 60 (A=K, Rb), has been investigated using electron energy-loss spectroscopy and photoemission spectroscopy. (orig.) [de

Magnetic properties of heavy-fermion superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rauchschwalbe, U.

1986-01-01

In the present thesis the magnetic properties of heavy-fermion superconductors are investigated. The magnetoresistance and the critical magnetic fields show a variety of anomalous phenomena. The Kondo lattices CeCu 2 Si and CeAl 3 are analysed by magnetoresistance and the field dependence of the resistivitis of UBe 13 , UPt 3 , URu 2 Si 2 and CeRu 3 Si are measured for temperatures < or approx. 1 K. (BHO)

Evidence for a pseudogap above T{sub c} in underdoped superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mesot, J; Boettger, G; Furrer, A [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland); Berastegui, P; Mutka, H [Institut Max von Laue - Paul Langevin (ILL), 38 - Grenoble (France)

1997-09-01

Our measurements of the temperature dependence of the relaxation rate of crystal field excitations in underdoped high temperature superconductors show clear evidences for the opening of a pseudogap in the normal state. The critical temperature related to the opening of the pseudogap appears to be extremely dependent upon the energy window at which the static susceptibility is being probed. (author) 2 figs., 4 refs.

Spatially resolved electronic structure inside and outside the vortex cores of a high-temperature superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Mitrović, V. F.; Sigmund, E. E.; Eschrig, M.; Bachman, H. N.; Halperin, W. P.; Reyes, A. P.; Kuhns, P.; Moulton, W. G.

2001-10-01

Puzzling aspects of high-transition-temperature (high-Tc) superconductors include the prevalence of magnetism in the normal state and the persistence of superconductivity in high magnetic fields. Superconductivity and magnetism generally are thought to be incompatible, based on what is known about conventional superconductors. Recent results, however, indicate that antiferromagnetism can appear in the superconducting state of a high-Tc superconductor in the presence of an applied magnetic field. Magnetic fields penetrate a superconductor in the form of quantized flux lines, each of which represents a vortex of supercurrents. Superconductivity is suppressed in the core of the vortex and it has been suggested that antiferromagnetism might develop there. Here we report the results of a high-field nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR) imaging experiment in which we spatially resolve the electronic structure of near-optimally doped YBa2Cu3O7-δ inside and outside vortex cores. Outside the cores, we find strong antiferromagnetic fluctuations, whereas inside we detect electronic states that are rather different from those found in conventional superconductors.

System and method for quench and over-current protection of superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Xianrui; Laskaris, Evangelos Trifon; Sivasubramaniam, Kiruba Haran; Bray, James William; Ryan, David Thomas; Fogarty, James Michael; Steinbach, Albert Eugene

2005-05-31

A system and method for protecting a superconductor. The system may comprise a current sensor operable to detect a current flowing through the superconductor. The system may comprise a coolant temperature sensor operable to detect the temperature of a cryogenic coolant used to cool the superconductor to a superconductive state. The control circuit is operable to estimate the superconductor temperature based on the current flow and the coolant temperature. The system may also be operable to compare the estimated superconductor temperature to at least one threshold temperature and to initiate a corrective action when the superconductor temperature exceeds the at least one threshold temperature.

Entanglement entropy and complexity for one-dimensional holographic superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Kord Zangeneh, Mahdi; Ong, Yen Chin; Wang, Bin

2017-08-01

Holographic superconductor is an important arena for holography, as it allows concrete calculations to further understand the dictionary between bulk physics and boundary physics. An important quantity of recent interest is the holographic complexity. Conflicting claims had been made in the literature concerning the behavior of holographic complexity during phase transition. We clarify this issue by performing a numerical study on one-dimensional holographic superconductor. Our investigation shows that holographic complexity does not behave in the same way as holographic entanglement entropy. Nevertheless, the universal terms of both quantities are finite and reflect the phase transition at the same critical temperature.

New superconductors from granular to high T$_{c}$

CERN Document Server

Deutscher, Guy

2006-01-01

How new are the high Tc superconductors, as compared to the conventional low Tc ones? In what sense are these oxides different from regular metals in their normal state? How different is the mechanism for high Tc superconductivity from the well-known electron-phonon interaction that explains so well superconductivity in metals and alloys? What are the implications of the new features of the high Tc oxides for their practical applications? This book aims to give some answers to those questions, drawing particularly on similarities between the high Tc oxides and granular superconductors, which also present a maximum of their critical temperature near the metal-insulator transition.

Future applications of superconductors for industrial use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reddy, S.P.

1988-01-01

Superconductors have been in existence for many years. Recent developments in superconductivity at higher temperatures are directed towards the potential use of superconductors at ambient temperatures. The diligent efforts of the scientific, engineering, and political agencies in researching and developing superconducting materials have resulted in encouraging accomplishments. Although superconductors could be used in every branch of electrical engineering, the authors focuses on a few areas in this paper. The power distribution and utilization in a typical industry is compared to that of a system using superconductors. Brief discussions of various machines with superconductors at ambient temperatures, based on developments made so far on large superconducting machines, for potential industrial applications are included in this paper

Voltage current characteristics of type III superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Dorofejev, G. L.; Imenitov, A. B.; Klimenko, E. Yu.

1980-06-01

An adequate description of voltage-current characteristics is important in order to understand the nature of high critical current for the electrodynamic construction of type-III superconductors and for commercial superconductor specification. Homogenious monofilament and multifilament Nb-Ti, Nb-Zr, Nb 3Sn wires were investigated in different ranges of magnetic field, temperature and current. The longitudinal electric field for homogenious wires may be described by E=J ρnexp- T c/T 0+ T/T 0+ B/B 0+ J/J 0, where To, Bo, Jo are the increasing parameters, which depend weakly on B and T, of the electric field. The shape of the voltage-current characteristics of multifilament wires, and the parameter's dependence on temperature and magnetic field may be explained qualitatively by the longitudinal heterogeneous nature of the filaments. A method of attaining the complete specification of the wire's electro-physical properties is proposed. It includes the traditional description of a critical surface (ie the surface corresponding to a certain conventional effective resistivity in T, B, J - space) and a description of any increasing parameter that depends on B and T.

Magnetic memory effects in high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rockenbauer, A.

1989-01-01

Microwave absorption of high temperature oxide superconductors MBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (M = Y, Er, Dy, Ho, Lu, Tm, Gd) at 77 K have been studied by ESR. In granular samples diamagnetic zero-field resonance and strong ESR baseline hysteresis have been observed: for increasing field sweep - a high, for decreasing one - a low, while in constant field the baseline approaches the middle position with kinetics typical of spin-glasses. The hysteresis amplitude, i.e. the deviation of high and low baselines, possesses maximum at zero field if the sample is cooled down in zero field. In case of field cooling both the diamagnetic resonance and hysteresis maximum are shifted as a function of relative direction of the fields where the samples are cooled and measured, respectively. The shift is caused by the remanent diamagnetism of trapped fluxons. The hysteresis critically depends on the modulation amplitude of magnetic field, and no hysteresis can be observed if the microwave absorption is detected without field modulation. By applying saw-tooth sweep the spin-glass can be driven between two extreme hysteresis states, and the ESR response is rectangular for large saw-tooth amplitude and linear - for small one, while for intermediate amplitudes the recording shows characteristic memory effects. The hysteresis memory is explained in terms of loop distribution of fluxons. In the single crystal the fluxon absorptions are also detected and the separation of fluxon lines can be related to the hysteresis in granular samples. (author)

Development of MgB2 superconductor wire with high critical current

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Chan Joong; Jun, Byung Hyuk; Park, Soon Dong; Kim, Nam Kyu; Kim, Yi Jeong; Yi, Ji Hye; Lee, Ji Hyun; Tan, Kai Sin

2009-07-01

The MgB 2 superconductor with smaller grain size could improve its critical properties by providing flux pinning centers with high grain boundary density. The effects of C doping such as charcoal, paper ash and glycerin on the superconducting properties was investigated for in situ processed MgB 2 samples using low purity semi-crystalline B powder. The results show a decrease in Tc and an enhancement of Jc at high fields for the C-doped samples as compared to the un-doped samples. A combined process of a mechanical ball milling and liquid glycerin (C 3 H 8 O 3 ) treatment of B powder has been conducted to enhance the superconducting properties of MgB 2 . The mechanical ball milling was effective for grain refinement, and a lattice disorder was easily achieved by glycerin addition. With the combined process, the critical properties was further increased due to a higher grain boundary density and a greater C substitution. To get fine grain structure of MgB 2 with high critical current properties, mechanical milling for as-received B powder and low temperature solid-state reaction of 550 or 600 .deg. C were attempted to in situ powder-in-tube processed MgB 2 /Fe wires. The critical current properties of the MgB 2 wires using the milled B powder were enhanced due to a smaller grain size and an increased volume of the superconducting phase. The solid-state reaction of a low temperature process for the samples using the milled B powder resulted in a poorer crystallinity with a smaller grain size, which improved superconducting properties. We established the system to measure the transport current properties of the MgB 2 wires. The field dependence of the transport Jc was evaluated for the MgB 2 wires heat-treated at different heat treatment conditions using ball-milled and glycerin-treated B powder. The MgB 2 magnet was developed and the AC loss of MgB 2 wire was also investigated. A conduction cooling device to cool the MgB 2 coil down to 4 K has been fabricated and the

Stiffness Evaluation of High Temperature Superconductor Bearing Stiffness for 10 kWh Superconductor Flywheel Energy Storage System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, B. J.; Jung, S. Y.; Lee, J. P.; Park, B. C.; Kim, C. H.; Han, S. C.; Du, S. G.; Han, Y. H.; Sung, T. H.

2009-01-01

A superconductor flywheel energy storage(SFES) system is mainly act an electro-mechanical battery which transfers mechanical energy into electrical form and vice versa. SFES system consists of a pair of non-contacting High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) bearings with a very low frictional loss. But it is essential to design an efficient HTS bearing considering with rotor dynamic properties through correct calculation of stiffness in order to support a huge composite flywheel rotor with high energy storage density. Static properties of HTS bearings provide data to solve problems which may occur easily in a running system. Since stiffness to counter vibration is the main parameter in designing an HTS bearing system, we investigate HTS bearing magnetic force through static properties between the Permanent Magnet(PM) and HTS. We measured axial / radial stiffness and found bearing stiffness can be easily changed by activated vibration direction between PM and HTS bulk. These results are used to determine the optimal design for a 10 kWh SFES.

Realization of multilayers for superconductors at critical high temperature by chemical method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guibadj, A.

2009-09-01

The aim of this research is to study buffer layers made of CeO 2 and La 2 Zr 2 O 7 for high Tc superconductors devoted to energy transportation (coated conductors). We used Metal Organic Decomposition method (MOD) for the synthesis of layers of CeO 2 /SrTiO 3 and La 2 Zr 2 O 7 /LaAlO 3 , because it is a soft and economic method well adapted to manufacture buffers layers for coated conductors. The comparison of various precursors of Cerium was made with the aim of obtaining the adequate precursor for the MOD process. Spin coating was used for depositing precursor solutions of Ce(EH) 3 and LZ(propionic) on various substrates. Thermal analyzes of these precursors allowed to determine their decomposition mode (weight loss analysis) according to the temperature, to estimate the quantity of absorbed moisture by the precursors and to determine the temperature of crystallization of the oxide. It was also used to discuss the mixed nature or not of the lanthanum-zirconium proprionate. The analyses of the microstructure and of the texture of CeO 2 and La 2 Zr 2 O 7 films are established by X-ray diffraction (scans θ-2θ, ω-scan, Φ-scan and pole figures). AFM and MEB allowed us to study roughness, topology and morphology of the surface. Heat treatments of the layers of C(EH) 3 /SrTiO 3 and (La(prop) 3 + Zr(prop) 4 )/LAO, under various atmospheres enabled us to differentiate the poly-crystalline growth from the epitaxial growth. The elimination of residual carbon in the grain boundaries, blocking the grain growth, was carried out by a control of the partial pressure of oxygen at the stage of crystallization; this step makes possible an improvement of the layers' texture. The heating rate has an influence on the nucleation which was studied. Increasing the heating rate favor the heterogeneous nucleation and decreases the number of nuclei, supporting the growth of larger epitaxial grains. Finally, we carried out the multi-layers CeO 2 /La 2 Zr 2 O 7 /LaAlO 3 and YBaCuO/CeO 2

Electron Sources of the Diode Type with Cathode and Anode of High Temperature Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korenev, S.A.

1994-01-01

The planar electron sources of the diode type with cathode and anode of high temperature superconductors (HTSC) are considered. Explosive emission cathode on the basis of bismuth ceramics (Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O) allows forming microsecond pulse (duration > 1 μs) and low energy electron beams (10-25 keV). Tube anode of HTSC in superconducting phase compresses the pulsed electron beam (K = 2-8). It leads to an increase of the beam power density. The high voltage of the generator of Arkad'ev-Marx type (U = 100-600 kV) and the generator with double L C-line are used for experiments. The pulsed method of measuring of the HTSC critical current with the help of pulsed high current electron beam is described. (author). 16 refs., 13 figs

Improvement of critical currents in Bi-2223 bulk superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eujen, R.; Brauer, D.J.; Huedepohl, J.

1991-01-01

Potential applications of the high-Tc superconductors for energy transport or high-field magnets require high critical current densities. A limiting factor in polycrystalline oxidic materials is the quality of the grain boundaries. Weak links have been made responsible for the steep decrease in the critical current density j c upon application of even weak magnetic fields of YBa CuO whereas flux creep seems to dominate the obtainable j c values for the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system (BSCCO) at 77 K. In the lead containing material (BPSCCO) the formation of a porous microstructure is enhanced by the platelike shape of the crystals. Special techniques such as powder-in-tube, hot isostatic pressing, zone melting or application of fluxes have been used in order to improve the grain contacts. A positive influence of fluxes on j c , e.g. by addition of Ca 2 CuO 3 or Ag 2 O, has been reported. In this study we have investigated the influence of various compositions and conditions on the formation of the BSCCO-2223 phase (T c ca. 107 K), the critical current density j c , and the magnet field dependence of the a.c. susceptibility. (orig.)

Charge redistribution and properties of high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khomskii, D.I.; Kusmartsev, F.V.

1992-01-01

We show that in high-T c superconductors (HTSC) with two groups of electrons (e.g., holes in CuO 2 planes and in a ''reservoir'') there should exist a charge redistribution with the temperature: the hole concentration N h in ''active'' superconducting CuO 2 planes increases below T c . This effect may explain structural changes such as the shift of the apical oxygen atom, anomalous thermal expansion, the shift of nuclear quadrupole resonance lines, the change of the positron lifetime, and the modification of the ion channeling below T c . Some other possible consequences of the charge redistribution (the modification of the temperature dependence of a gap Δ and of the ratio 2Δ 0 /T c , the phenomena at a contact of HTSC with normal metals and semiconductors) are discussed

On the critical temperature of superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poon, S.J.

1975-06-01

An exact expression for the superconducting transition temperature is derived from the Eliashberg equation at T = T/sub c/ taking the energy gap function in the two-square-well form. The expression is improved for self-consistency by using available tunneling data. It is found to give more restricted values of T/sub c/ than the McMillan equation. The prospects of obtaining high T/sub c/ in alloy systems are discussed within the framework of the new equation. (6 figures, 2 tables) (U.S.)

Superconductors, analysis and applications, with special reference to the utilisation of bulk (Re)BCO materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coombs, T.A., E-mail: tac1000@cam.ac.u [University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

2010-11-01

The Electrical Power and Energy Conversion (EPEC) superconductivity group at Cambridge University has been working on the application of superconductivity to large scale devices. This work is taking place over a range of areas which cover FCLs, motors and generators, SMES, accelerator magnets and MRI. The research is underpinned by advanced modelling techniques using both pure Critical State models and E-J models to analyse the behaviour of the superconductors. As part of the device design we are concentrating on the analysis of AC losses in complicated geometries such as are found in motor windings and the magnetisation of bulk superconductors to enable their full potential to be realised. We are interested in the full range of high-temperature superconductors and have measured and predicted the performance of YBCO, MgB{sub 2} and BSCCO at a range of temperatures and in wire, tape and bulk forms. This paper concentrates on recent work which includes: modelling of coils using formulations based on H and A. A critical state model for the analysis of coils in SMES; crossed field effects in bulk superconductors; a magnetic model together with experimental results which explain and describe the method of flux pumping whereby a bulk superconductor can be magnetised to a high flux density using a repeatedly applied field of low flux density and finally a new configuration for MRI magnets

Irradiation effects of high temperature superconductor of lanthanoid oxides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ueda, Koh-ichi; Kohara, Takao [Himeji Inst. of Tech., Hyogo (Japan)

1996-04-01

Neutron irradiation effects on excess oxygen were studied by neutron irradiation on La{sub 2}CuO{sub 4} treated with high pressure oxygen. La{sub 2}CuO{sub 4} was prepared by the usual method and annealed for 10 h under the oxygen pressure of 800-2000 atm. at 600degC. The superconducting transition temperature (Tc) is 27-32K before irradiation (La{sub 2}CuO{sub 4+d}, amount of excess oxygen d=0.03-0.12). Neutron irradiation was carried out by two kinds of experiments. Low irradiation dose test at low temperature (LTL: {approx}20-200K, storage in LN{sub 2}) showed Tc decreased more slowly than that of high temperature range. Experiment at high temperature (Hyd:{approx}80deg{yields}, storage at room temperature) showed -10K/10{sup 18}n/cm{sup 2}, the decrease of Tc was three times larger than that of YBCO type superconductor. (S.Y.)

Analysis of flux-flow curves in superconductors as a function of temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boboshko, N.

1978-01-01

A phenomenological method to analyse the experimental data of flux-flow resistivity in superconductors as a function of temperature is proposed and successfully applied to existing data for t = kappa >= 0.07. An empirical curve relating the flux-flow resistivity with the Ginsburg-Landau parameter kappa was obtained. (author)

Formation of hot spots in a superconductor observed by low-temperature scanning electron microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eichele, R.; Seifert, H.; Huebener, R.P.

1981-01-01

Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy can be used for the direct observation of hot spots in a superconductor. Experiments performed at 2.10 K with tim films demonstrating the method are reported

Influence of disorder on the superconducting critical temperature in indium-opal nanocomposites

Science.gov (United States)

Zakharchuk, I.; Januzaj, A.; Mikhailin, N. Yu.; Traito, K. B.; Chernyaev, A. V.; Romanov, S. G.; Safonchik, M.; Shamshur, D. V.; Lähderanta, E.

2018-06-01

Transport properties of bulk indium-opal and indium-porous glass superconducting nanocomposites possessing moderate and strong disorder are investigated. A strongly nonmonotonous dependence of the global critical temperature Tc versus normal state conductivity of samples is found. The maximum, which is observed at moderate disorder, has Tc higher than that of clean bulk indium. The increasing part can be explained by the Eliashberg equations with disorder and an additional mechanism of interaction between superconducting and dielectric granules. The descending part of the maximum at higher disorder can be explained by the increasing of long-range Coulomb repulsion due to diffusion of charges. Negative slope in magnetic field dependence of resistivity and a peak in the temperature dependence of resistivity, observed in the sample near the proximity to the disorder-induced superconductor-insulator transition (SIT). A large difference between the onset temperature of superconducting fluctuations, Tcon , and global critical temperature Tc is found and considered in the framework of the weak multifractal theory. Slow time-logarithmic relaxation of the resistivity between Tc and Tcon is observed, which assumes existence of the precursor state near the SIT. This unusual state is discussed in the scope of the many-body localization theory.

Nickel W14 substrates for high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolb-Telieps, Angelika; Gehrmann, Bodo

2008-01-01

High-temperature superconductivity is on the threshold of market launch. Starting from the results of a research project, ThyssenKrupp VDM has successfully developed an industrial-scale production process for nickel W14, which is used as substrate strip in superconductors destined for applications such as generators for wind turbines. The deoxidation of the melt presented a particular challenge. On the one hand, this is required in order to avoid fractures during the hot forming, on the other, the usual deoxidation elements have negative effects on the nanoscale texture and surface roughness needed for the substrate strip. (orig.)

Thermoelectric and thermomagnetic effects in high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huebener, R.P.; Ri, H.C.; Gross, R.; Kober, F.

1992-01-01

In the mixed state of high-temperature superconductors the dominant part of the Seebeck and Nernst effect is due to the thermal diffusion of quasiparticles and vortices, respectively. The authors' understanding of the Seebeck effect is based on the two-fluid counterflow model of Ginzburg and its extension to the mixed state with the presence of vortices. From the Nernst effect the transport entropy of the vortices is obtained. In this paper summarize the recent thermoelectric and thermomagnetic experiments, paying also attention to the role of the Magnus force (Hall effect) and to the thermal fluctuation effects near T c

Critical-state model for the determination of critical currents in disk-shaped superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frankel, D.J.

1979-01-01

A series of experiments has been carried out on the flux trapping and shielding capabilities of a flat strip of Nb-Ti/Cu composite material. A circular piece of material from the strip was tested in a uniform field directed perpendicularly to the surface of the sample. Profiles of the normal component of the field along the sample diameter were measured. The critical-state model was adapted for this geometry and proved capable of reproducing the measured field profiles. Model curves agreed well with experimental field profiles generated when the full sample was in the critical state, when only a portion of the sample was in the critical state, and when profiles were obtained after the direction of the rate change of the magnetic field was reversed. The adaption of the critical-state model to disk geometry provides a possible method either to derive values of the critical current from measurements of field profiles above thin flat samples, or to predict the trapping and shielding behavior of such samples if the critical current is already known. This method of determining critical currents does not require that samples be formed into narrow strips or wires, as is required for direct measurements of J/sub c/, or into tubes or cylinders, as is usually required for magnetization-type measurements. Only a relatively small approximately circular piece of material is needed. The method relies on induced currents, so there is no need to pass large currents into the sample. The field-profile measurements are easily performed with expensive Hall probes and do not require detection of the resistive transition of the superconductor

High temperature superconducting compounds II; Proceedings of the Second Symposium, Anaheim, CA, Feb. 20, 21, 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whang, S.H.; Dasgupta, A.; Laibowitz, R.

1990-01-01

Various topics relevant to the production and implementation of high-temperature superconducting compounds are highlighted including critical current; texturing; ceramics and novel processing; composites; deformation and consolidation; thin films; microstructures; tapes, filaments, and ribbons; and thermodynamics. The thermally activated flux creep, critical current density and current enhancement in high-temperature superconductors are addressed. Also discussed are the phase stability and microstructure of doped superconductors, mechanical considerations in the processing of high-Tc superconductors, fabrication and application of high current density, high RTc superconducting thin films and devices, the effect of substrate temperature and RF biasing on the composition of sputtered Bi-based superconducting thin films, and optical electron microanalysis of cuprate superconductors. The microstructure dependence of critical current density and fabrication of double-layered ribbons from cuprate are also discussed

Applications of superconductors to electric motors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McConnell, B.W.

1988-01-01

This paper reviews previous experience in applying superconductors to electric motors and examines the difficulties encountered. While motors and generators have a common basis, several significant differences exist. The application of high temperature superconductors to the major electric motor types is discussed and expected difficulties are presented. The limitations imposed by various motor designs are reflected in a statement of the desired material properties for high temperature superconductor electric motor applications

Flux-induced Nernst effect in low-dimensional superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berger, Jorge, E-mail: jorge.berger@braude.ac.il

2017-02-15

Highlights: • The Nernst effect tells us that the presence of a magnetic field and a temperature gradient in a conductor yields a transverse voltage. • The Nernst effect in superconductors, especially above their critical temperature, has been a hot topic of research during the last decades. • I predict a new effect in which a transverse voltage arises, not because of the magnetic field, but rather because of the magnetic flux enclosed by a loop with non-uniform temperature. - Abstract: A method is available that enables consistent study of the stochastic behavior of a system that obeys purely diffusive evolution equations. This method has been applied to a superconducting loop with nonuniform temperature, with average temperature close to T{sub c}. It is found that a flux-dependent average potential difference arises along the loop, proportional to the temperature gradient and most pronounced in the direction perpendicular to this gradient. The largest voltages were obtained for fluxes close to 0.3Φ{sub 0}, average temperatures slightly below the critical temperature, thermal coherence length of the order of the perimeter of the ring, BCS coherence length that is not negligible in comparison to the thermal coherence length, and short inelastic scattering time. This effect is entirely due to thermal fluctuations. It differs essentially from the usual Nernst effect in bulk superconductors, that is induced by magnetic field rather than by magnetic flux. We also study the effect of confinement in a 2D mesoscopic film.

AC susceptibility response of bulk YBCO superconductors in the presence of a temperature gradient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bodi, A.C.; Kirschner, I.

1997-01-01

Low-frequency AC susceptibility measurements on ceramic YBCO superconductors carried out at the presence of a quasi-one-dimensional temperature gradient are compared with those made without the temperature gradient. The values of the different characteristic temperatures measured on samples without and with a temperature gradient are identical but in the second case its characteristic temperature is a medium value. When the temperature gradient is constant on the sample the arithmetic medium value of the local temperatures is the effective characteristic temperature different phenomena. (orig.)

The apical oxygen influence on critical temperature of Hg-based superconducting cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myasojedov, Yu.M.; Lutsyiv, R.V.; Skyira, A.B.

1997-01-01

The analysis of changes in critical temperature (T c ) as a function of structural parameters is performed for the Hg-based superconductors. We found that there exists a correlation between T c and Madelung potential difference (ΔV) for holes (p) at apical oxygen (O A ) and oxygen (O p ) sites in the (CuO 2 ) plane. A change of the Madelung potential of holes for the varying occupancy factor of oxygen in the Hg-plane was calculated. We showed that a parabolic dependence of T c (p) for Hg-1201 is transformed to a 'boomerang' like dependence for Hg-1223

The improved damping of superconductor bearings for 35 kWh superconductor flywheel energy storage system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Y.H.; Park, B.J.; Jung, S.Y.; Han, S.C.; Lee, W.R.; Bae, Y.C.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We made a 35 kWh superconductor flywheel energy storage system. ► The damping coefficient of the superconductor bearing was increased over 3000 N s/m. ► The source of damping was discussed. -- Abstract: A 35 kWh Superconductor Flywheel Energy Storage system (SFES) using hybrid bearing sets, which is composed of a high temperature superconductor (HTS) bearing and an active magnet damper (AMD), has been developed at KEPCO Research Institute (KEPRI). Damping is a source of energy loss but necessary for the stability of the flywheel system. We found that the damping of HTS bearings can be improved by thermal insulating bolts, which play a role of passive type external damper. To investigate the source of the increased damping, damping coefficients were measured with HTS bearings using insulating bolts made of three kinds of polymer materials. The damping coefficient was raised over 3000 N s/m in the case of PEEK bolts. The value was almost a quarter of the AMD. In this study, thermoelastic and Coulomb friction damping mechanisms are discussed. The main damping mechanism was the thermoelastic damping of the bolts themselves. And interfacial gap between the insulating bolt and metal chamber, which increased during the cooling process, was considered to be the cause of the anisotropic damping coefficients. Finally, the effects of the HTS bearings on the first critical speed are shown

On the applicability of the critical state model to the description of electromagnetic properties of high-Tc superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisher, L.M.; Il' in, N.V.; Voloshin, I.F. (All-Russian Electrical Engineering Inst., Moscow (Russia)); Makarov, N.M.; Yampol' skii, V.A. (Inst. for Radiophysics and Electronics, Ukr. Acad. Sci., Karkov (Ukraine)); Perez Rodriguez, F. (Inst. de Fisica, Univ. Autonoma de Puebla, Rue (Mexico)); Snyder, R.L. (New York State Coll. of Ceramics, Alfred Univ. (United States))

1993-02-20

The frequency dependence of the surface impedance of superconductors have been studied experimentally and theoretically in the radio frequency range. Its essential deviation was found from the linear law predicted by the usual critical state model. The character of this deviation depends qualitatively on the amplitude of the radio wave. We have established the frequency limits of applicability of the traditional critical state model. Results obtained print out an explanation in the frame of the modified model where we take into account the contribution of a dissipative term to the screening current. The value of this is connected with the V-I plot of the superconductor, so it is possible to obtain information about the V-I characteristics by the contactless method. (orig.).

Theory of tunneling and photoemission spectroscopy for high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kouznetsov, K.; Coffey, L.

1996-01-01

A comprehensive analysis is presented of the tunneling conductance and angle-resolved photoemission spectra in high-temperature superconductors. It is shown that unexplained features of the tunneling and photoemission spectra such as broad backgrounds, dips, and asymmetry of the tunneling conductance can arise in a model of spin-fluctuation mediated inelastic tunneling. Effects of directionality in tunneling play an important role in determining the behavior of the tunneling conductance. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Crossover from three - to two-dimensional behavior of the vortex energies in layered XY-models for high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, H.; Jensen, H.J.

1992-01-01

We use Monte Carlo simulations of a layered XY-model to study the phase fluctuations in high Tc superconductors. A vortex-antivortex interaction dominated by a term linear in the vortex separation is found in the low temperature regime. This is in agreement with a zero temperature variational calculation. At temperature just above the 2D vortex unbinding temperature the linear term vanishes and an ordinary 2D vortex behaviour is found. This explains the finding that the High Tc superconductors show 2D properties in the vortex fluctuations responsible for the resistivity transition close to the critical temperature. (orig.)

Crossover from three- to two-dimensional behavior of the vortex energies in layered XY-models for high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, H.; Tekniska Hoegskolan, Luleaa; Jeldtoft Jensen, H.

1991-01-01

We use Monte Carlo simulations of a layered XY-model to study the phase fluctuations in high T c superconductors. A vortex-antivortex interaction dominated by a term linear in the vortex separation is found in the low temperature region. This is in agreement with a zero temperature variational calculation. At temperature just above the 2D vortex unbinding temperature the linear term vanishes and an ordinary 2D vortex behaviour is found. This explains the finding that the High T c superconductors show 2D properties in the vortex fluctuations responsible for the resistivity transition close to the critical temperature. (orig.)

Quenched disorder and thermopower fluctuations in high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalil, A.E.

1997-01-01

Thermopower behavior in high temperature superconductors YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ single crystals near the transition temperature was examined. An expression for the thermoelectric power containing the divergent term (1-T/T c ) -s , where s is a scaling exponent that does not appear in Maki's calculations, was derived. This divergent term is the result of contributions due to the flow of currents across disordered conduction paths in the sample. These currents are driven by the density gradients of the conductivity fluctuations as a result of the increased disorder due to the existence of amorphous regions in the two-dimensional lattice. The present calculations include the most divergent effects to the thermopower due to the conductivity fluctuations near the transition temperature. The model predictions are in good agreement with recent experimental measurements reported in the literature. (orig.)

Grain alignment in bulk YBa2Cu3Ox superconductor by a low temperature phase transformation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selvamanickam, V.; Goyal, A.; Kroeger, D.M.

1994-01-01

A quench and directional phase transformation process has been developed to achieve grain alignment in bulk YBa 2 Cu 3 O x superconductors at temperatures about 100 degree C below the peritectic temperature. Isothermal phase transformation of quenched precursors at 890 degree C for 3 min is found to result in the formation of more than 75% of YBa 2 Cu 3 O x phase without any formation of Y 2 BaCuO 5 . Phase transformation at higher temperatures leads to rapid formation of Y 2 BaCuO 5 in addition to YBa 2 Cu 3 O x . A well-aligned microstructure is achieved by directional phase transformation of the quenched compacts as a rate of 10 mm/h. The magnetic field dependence of the critical current density at 77 K of the directionally phase transformed material compares well with that of melt-textured YBCO and is superior to that of magnetically aligned and sintered YBCO

Far infrared reflectivity study of ceramic superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Memon, A.; Khan, M.N.; Al-Dallal, S.; Tanner, D.B.; Porter, C.D.

1992-01-01

In this paper, the authors report on a study of the far-infrared reflectivity of mixed rare earths and lanthnides ceramic superconductors RBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 in the normal state. The authors' results show that the strength of the phonon modes is reduced when yttrium is partially replaced by gadolinium and europium. Also the critical temperature of these mixed materials is reduced as indicated by the four probe technique

Method for preparing high transition temperature Nb.sub.3 Ge superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Newkirk, Lawrence R.; Valencia, Flavio A.

1977-01-01

Bulk coatings of Nb.sub.3 Ge superconductors having transition temperatures in excess of 20 K are readily formed by a chemical vapor deposition technique involving the coreduction of NbCl.sub.5 and GeCl.sub.4 in the presence of hydrogen. The NbCl.sub.5 vapor may advantageously be formed quantitatively in the temperature range of about 250.degree. to 260.degree. C by the chlorination of Nb metal provided the partial pressure of the product NbCl.sub.5 vapor is maintained at or below about 0.1 atm.

Melt-processed LRE-Ba-Cu-O superconductors and prospects for their applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, S.I.; Fujimoto, H.; Sakai, N.; Murakami, M.

1997-01-01

We have recently found that control of the oxygen partial pressure (PO 2 ) during melt processing, named the oxygen-controlled melt-growth (OCMG) process, is critical for obtaining a high superconducting transition temperature (T c ) in the light rare earth (LRE)-Ba-Cu-O (LREBCO) superconductors particularly for Nd, Sm and Eu. Further, compared to a good melt-processed Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) bulk superconductor, LREBCO bulks exhibit larger critical current density (J c ) in high magnetic field and a much improved irreversibility field (H irr ) at 77 K, implying that more effective flux pinning can be realized in a commercially feasible way. In this paper, properties and characteristic flux pinning of OCMG-processed LREBCO (LRE: Nd,Sm,Eu) superconductors are described on the basis of our study during the last several years. We also present the prospects for bulk-type applications, such as the magnetic bearings, flywheels and magnetically levitated (MAGLEV) trains. (orig.)

Common phase diagram for low-dimensional superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michalak, Rudi

2003-01-01

A phenomenological phase diagram which has been derived for high-temperature superconductors from NMR Knight-shift measurements of the pseudogap is compared to the phase diagram that is obtained for organic superconductors and spin-ladder superconductors, both low-dimensional systems. This is contrasted to the phase diagram of some Heavy Fermion superconductors, i.e. superconductors not constrained to a low dimensionality

Effect of axial strain on the critical current of Ag-sheathed Bi-based superconductors in magnetic fields up to 25 T

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ekin, J.W.; Finnemore, D.K.; Li, Q.; Tenbrink, J.; Carter, W.

1992-01-01

The irreversible strain limit ε irrev for the onset of permanent axial strain damage to Ag-sheathed Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8+x and Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+x superconductors has been measured to be in the range of 0.2%--0.35%. This strain damage onset is about an order of magnitude higher than for bulk sintered Y-, Bi-, or Tl-based superconductors and is approaching practical values for magnet design. The measurements show that the value of ε irrev is not dependent on magnetic field, nor does the critical current depend on strain below ε irrev at least up to 25 T at 4.2 K. Both of these factors indicate that the observed strain effect in Ag-sheathed Bi-based superconductors is not intrinsic to the superconductor material. Rather, the effect is extrinsic and arises from superconductor fracture. Thus, the damage onset is amenable to further enhancement. Indeed, the data suggest that subdividing the superconductor into fine filaments or adding Ag to the superconductor powder prior to processing significantly enhances the damage threshold ε irrev to above 0.6%

Microstructure and critical current density in high-Tc metal oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, S.M.; Gusman, M.I.

1992-03-01

Superconductor powders in the U-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) and Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (BSCCO) systems were synthesized by freeze-drying. Powders were characterized, and processed into samples for evaluation of superconducting behavior. Freeze-drying is attractive because the powders have high purity, are homogeneous, have a small size and are active. YBCO powders can be sintered to high density at 890 degrees C. Many compositions, processing approaches and heat treatments were explored in an effort to understand relations between microstructure and critical density, and to improve the critical current density. Powders were also formed into sputtering targets for coating preparation at Stanford University. The highest critical current density achieved with the YBCO powders was ∼15,000 A/cm 2 at 4.2K and 0.5T using powders treated to prevent carbon contamination. The BSCCO materials with the highest critical current density, ∼30,000 A/cm 2 at the same conditions were formed by heat treating melted and quenched samples. All critical current density measurements were made by Stanford University, a subcontractor to this effort. Stanford University also prepared coatings by off-axis magnetron sputtering

Magnetization studies in high temperature and conventional superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grover, A.K.; Chaddah, P.

1991-01-01

In this paper, the authors state the contemporary view of the physical basis of a celebrated phenomenological model for hard superconductors. The authors highlight the qualitative and general predictions of this model relevant to various magnetic measurements. The authors give prescriptions to correlate data of different experiments with the predictions of the model with the intention of extracting information on material parameters, like J c (H), pinning potential, etc. These prescriptions will be illustrated with the data on both conventional and HTSC superconductors. The correlation of these data with the predictions of the model underscores the similarity in behaviour between the two classes of hard superconductors

Method of fabricating a (1223) Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Tkaczyk, J.E.; Lay, K.W.; He, Q.

1997-07-08

A method is disclosed for fabricating a polycrystalline thallium-containing superconductor having high critical current at elevated temperatures and in the presence of a magnetic field. A powder precursor containing compounds other than thallium is compressed on a substrate. Thallium is incorporated in the densified powder precursor at a high temperature in the presence of a partial pressure of a thallium-containing vapor. 2 figs.

Theoretical studies of unconventional superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Groensleth, Martin Sigurd

2008-07-01

This thesis presents four research papers. In the first three papers we have derived analytical results for the transport properties in unconventional superconductors and ferromagnetic systems with multiple broken symmetries. In Paper I and parts of Paper II we have studied tunneling transport between two non-unitary ferromagnetic spin-triplet superconductors, and found a novel interplay between ferromagnetism and superconductivity manifested in the Josephson effect as a spin- and charge-current in the absence of an applied voltage across the junction. The critical amplitudes of these currents can be adjusted by the relative magnetization direction on each side of the junction. Furthermore, in Paper II, we have found a way of controlling a spin-current between two ferromagnets with spin-orbit coupling. Paper III considers a junction consisting of a ferromagnet and a non-unitary ferromagnetic superconductor, and we show that the conductance spectra contains detailed information about the superconducting gaps and pairing symmetry of the Cooper-pairs. In the last paper we present a Monte Carlo study of an effective Hamiltonian describing orbital currents in the CuO2 layers of high-temperature superconductive cuprates. The model features two intrinsically anisotropic Ising models, coupled through an anisotropic next-nearest neighbor interaction, and an Ashkin-Teller nearest neighbor fourth order coupling. We have studied the specific heat anomaly, as well as the anomaly in the staggered magnetization associated with the orbital currents and its susceptibility. We have found that in a limited parameter regime, the specific heat anomaly is substantially suppressed, while the susceptibility has a non-analytical peak across the order-disorder transition. The model is therefore a candidate for describing the breakup of hidden order when crossing the pseudo-gap line on the under-doped side in the phase diagram of high-temperature superconductors. (Author) 64 refs., figs

The influence of atomic disordering on the critical currents in A15 superconductors near Hsub(c1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faehnle, M.; Kronmueller, H.

1976-01-01

By a model calculation based on the Labbe-Friedel-van-Reuth model of A15 superconductors it is shown that atomic disordering in Nb 3 Sn reduces significantly the critical current densities, jsub(c), in materials with large pinning effects. (author)

Contact spectroscopy of high-temperature superconductors (Review). I - Physical and methodological principles of the contact spectroscopy of high-temperature superconductors. Experimental results for La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO4 and their discussion

Science.gov (United States)

Ianson, I. K.

1991-03-01

Research in the field of high-temperature superconductors based on methods of tunneling and microcontact spectroscopy is reviewed in a systematic manner. The theoretical principles of the methods are presented, and various types of contacts are described and classified. Attention is given to deviations of the measured volt-ampere characteristics from those predicted by simple theoretical models and those observed for conventional superconductors. Results of measurements of the energy gap and fine structure of volt ampere characteristic derivatives are presented for La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO4.

Kohn anomalies in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flatte, M.E.

1994-01-01

The detailed behavior of phonon dispersion curves near momenta which span the electronic Fermi sea in a superconductor is presented. An anomaly, similar to the metallic Kohn anomaly, exists in a superconductor's dispersion curves when the frequency of the photon spanning the Fermi sea exceeds twice the superconducting energy gap. This anomaly occurs at approximately the same momentum but is stronger than the normal-state Kohn anomaly. It also survives at finite temperature, unlike the metallic anomaly. Determination of Fermi-surface diameters from the location of these anomalies, therefore, may be more successful in the superconducting phase than in the normal state. However, the superconductor's anomaly fades rapidly with increased phonon frequency and becomes unobservable when the phonon frequency greatly exceeds the gap. This constraint makes these anomalies useful only in high-temperature superconductors such as La 1.85 Sr 0.15 CuO 4

Superconductores de alta Temperatura Crítica a base de Hierro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O Rodríguez León

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The discovery in early 2008 of a new family of superconductors with a Tc~26K in an iron compound and fluorine doped, LaO1-xFxFeAs, has revived interest in the search for superconducting materials with high critical temperature. The discovery has led to an accelerated study of superconducting properties and many other physical properties, resulting in obtaining new compounds with critical temperatures between 26 - 55 K. In this article it is intended to summarize the main physical and chemist characteristics of this family and related compounds.

Materials process and applications of single grain (RE)-Ba-Cu-O bulk high-temperature superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Beizhan; Zhou Difan; Xu Kun; Hara, Shogo; Tsuzuki, Keita; Miki, Motohiro; Felder, Brice; Deng Zigang [Laboratory of Applied Physics, Department of Marine Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT), 2-1-6, Etchu-jima, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8533 (Japan); Izumi, Mitsuru, E-mail: izumi@kaiyodai.ac.jp [Laboratory of Applied Physics, Department of Marine Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT), 2-1-6, Etchu-jima, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8533 (Japan)

2012-11-20

This paper reviews recent advances in the melt process of (RE)-Ba-Cu-O [(RE)BCO, where RE represents a rare earth element] single grain high-temperature superconductors (HTSs), bulks and its applications. The efforts on the improvement of the magnetic flux pinning with employing the top-seeded melt-growth process technique and using a seeded infiltration and growth process are discussed. Which including various chemical doping strategies and controlled pushing effect based on the peritectic reaction of (RE)BCO. The typical experiment results, such as the largest single domain bulk, the clear TEM observations and the significant critical current density, are summarized together with the magnetization techniques. Finally, we highlight the recent prominent progress of HTS bulk applications, including Maglev, flywheel, power device, magnetic drug delivery system and magnetic resonance devices.

Materials process and applications of single grain (RE)-Ba-Cu-O bulk high-temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Beizhan; Zhou, Difan; Xu, Kun; Hara, Shogo; Tsuzuki, Keita; Miki, Motohiro; Felder, Brice; Deng, Zigang; Izumi, Mitsuru

2012-11-01

This paper reviews recent advances in the melt process of (RE)-Ba-Cu-O [(RE)BCO, where RE represents a rare earth element] single grain high-temperature superconductors (HTSs), bulks and its applications. The efforts on the improvement of the magnetic flux pinning with employing the top-seeded melt-growth process technique and using a seeded infiltration and growth process are discussed. Which including various chemical doping strategies and controlled pushing effect based on the peritectic reaction of (RE)BCO. The typical experiment results, such as the largest single domain bulk, the clear TEM observations and the significant critical current density, are summarized together with the magnetization techniques. Finally, we highlight the recent prominent progress of HTS bulk applications, including Maglev, flywheel, power device, magnetic drug delivery system and magnetic resonance devices.

The nature of twin boundaries in the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Y.; Welch, D.O.

1999-01-01

Twin boundaries are the most commonly observed lattice defect in the high-temperature superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . Furthermore, the region around a twin boundary for which the structure and composition are seriously affected is of a scale comparable to the coherence length for the superconducting order parameter. Thus, twin boundaries can be important in the behavior of magnetic vortices and the critical current density in this material. In this paper the authors review the results of a wide range of investigations of twin boundary structure and composition by advanced transmission electron microscopy methods, both imaging and analytical in nature. A simple Landau model of twin boundary energy and width is proposed

Validation of the Wiedemann–Franz law in a granular s-wave superconductor in the nanometer scale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yousefvand, A; Salehi, H; Shoushtari, M Zargar

2017-01-01

The present study tries to evaluate the validity of the Wiedemann–Franz law in a granular s-wave superconductor in the presence of concentrated impurities. By using Green’s function method and the Kubo formula technique, three distinct contributions of the Aslamazov–Larkin, the Maki–Thompson and, the density of states are calculated for both the electrical conductivity and the thermal conductivity in a granular s-wave superconductor. It is demonstrated that these different contributions to the fluctuation conductivity depend differently on the tunneling because of their different natures. This study examines the transport in a granular superconductor system in three dimensions in the limit of large tunneling conductance, which makes it possible to ignore all localization effects and the Coulomb interaction. We find that the tunneling is efficient near the critical temperature and that there is a crossover to the characteristic behavior of a homogeneous system. When it is far from the critical temperature, the tunneling is not effective and the system behaves as an ensemble of real zero-dimensional grains. The results show that the Wiedemann–Franz law is violated in both temperature regions. (paper)

The evidence of unconventional pairing in heavy fermion superconductors and high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tien, C.; Wur, C.S.; Jiang, I.M.

1989-01-01

Recently there has been a great deal of interest in two classes of superconductors, heavy fermion superconductors and high T c copper oxide superconductors. The behavior and nature of superconductivity in these two classes of materials are very similar. The temperature dependences of spin-lattice relaxation time (T 1 ) and spin-spin relaxation time (T 2 ) of 9 Be in UBe 13 are quite similar to those of 63 Cu and 89 Y in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . The Knight shift of UBe 13 is unchanged during the superconducting phase transition. The Knight shift of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ changes from the value in the normal state K n /K s = 1 at T ≥ T c to K n /K s = 0.5 at T = 6 K. Both do not approach zero as expected in BCS theory. The acoustic attenuation is enhanced just below T c instead of rapid drop near T c for these two superconducting system. Neither the enhancement, the temperature variation, nor any other anomalous behaviors appear to be mirrored in EPR data for heavy Fermion superconductors and high T c superconductors. This strongly suggests that the unconventional pairing mechanism which induces superconductivity in heavy fermion materials might also involve in high T c superconductors

Response of hard superconductors to crossed magnetic fields: elliptic critical-state model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romero-Salazar, C.; Perez-Rodriguez, F

2004-05-01

The behavior of hard superconductors subjected to crossed magnetic fields is theoretically investigated by employing an elliptic critical-state model. Here the anisotropy is induced by flux-line cutting. The model reproduces successfully the collapse of the magnetic moment under the action of a sweeping magnetic field, applied perpendicularly to a dc field, for diamagnetic and paramagnetic initial states. Besides, it explains the transition from the diamagnetic state to the paramagnetic one when the magnitudes of the crossed magnetic fields are of the same order.

Comparison study of cable geometries and superconducting tape layouts for high-temperature superconductor cables

Science.gov (United States)

Ta, Wurui; Shao, Tianchong; Gao, Yuanwen

2018-04-01

High-temperature superconductor (HTS) rare-earth-barium-copper-oxide (REBCO) tapes are very promising for use in high-current cables. The cable geometry and the layout of the superconducting tapes are directly related to the performance of the HTS cable. In this paper, we use numerical methods to perform a comparison study of multiple-stage twisted stacked-tape cable (TSTC) conductors to find better cable structures that can both improve the critical current and minimize the alternating current (AC) losses of the cable. The sub-cable geometry is designed to have a stair-step shape. Three superconducting tape layouts are chosen and their transport performance and AC losses are evaluated. The magnetic field and current density profiles of the cables are obtained. The results show that arrangement of the superconducting tapes from the interior towards the exterior of the cable based on their critical current values in descending order can enhance the cable's transport capacity while significantly reducing the AC losses. These results imply that cable transport capacity improvements can be achieved by arranging the superconducting tapes in a manner consistent with the electromagnetic field distribution. Through comparison of the critical currents and AC losses of four types of HTS cables, we determine the best structural choice among these cables.

Applications of high-temperature superconductors in power technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hull, John R

2003-01-01

Since the discovery of the first high-temperature superconductors (HTSs) in the late 1980s, many materials and families of materials have been discovered that exhibit superconductivity at temperatures well above 20 K. Of these, several families of HTSs have been developed for use in electrical power applications. Demonstration of devices such as motors, generators, transmission lines, transformers, fault-current limiters, and flywheels in which HTSs and bulk HTSs have been used has proceeded to ever larger scales. First-generation wire, made from bismuth-based copper oxides, was used in many demonstrations. The rapid development of second-generation wire, made by depositing thin films of yttrium-based copper oxide on metallic substrates, is expected to further accelerate commercial applications. Bulk HTSs, in which large single-grain crystals are used as basic magnetic components, have also been developed and have potential for electrical power applications

P-wave holographic superconductor/insulator phase transitions affected by dark matter sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogatko, Marek; Wysokinski, Karol I.

2016-01-01

The holographic approach to building the p-wave superconductors results in three different models: the Maxwell-vector, the SU(2) Yang-Mills and the helical. In the probe limit approximation, we analytically examine the properties of the first two models in the theory with dark matter sector. It turns out that the effect of dark matter on the Maxwell-vector p-wave model is the same as on the s-wave superconductor studied earlier. For the non-Abelian model we study the phase transitions between p-wave holographic insulator/superconductor and metal/superconductor. Studies of marginally stable modes in the theory under consideration allow us to determine features of p-wave holographic droplet in a constant magnetic field. The dependence of the superconducting transition temperature on the coupling constant α to the dark matter sector is affected by the dark matter density ρ_D. For ρ_D>ρ the transition temperature is a decreasing function of α. The critical chemical potential μ_c for the quantum phase transition between insulator and metal depends on the chemical potential of dark matter μ_D and for μ_D=0 is a decreasing function of α.

Power-law temperature dependence of the inelastic-scattering rate in disordered superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devereaux, T.P.; Belitz, D.

1991-01-01

We present a theory of the quasiparticle inelastic lifetime τ in in disordered superconducting films. We find that both the Coulomb and the electron-phonon contribution to τ in -1 are enhanced by disorder, and that for reasonably strong electron-phonon coupling the latter is dominant. In contrast to clean superconductors, the scattering rate is larger than the recombination rate at all temperatures. This leads to a power-law temperature dependence of τ in -1 , in agreement with experimental observations. The theory quantitatively accounts for the magnitude, disorder dependence, and temperature dependence of τ in measured in recent experiments

First principles simulation on the K0.8Fe2Se2 high-temperature structural superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Rui; Yang, Shizhong; Khosravi, Ebrahim; Zhao, Guang-Lin; Bagayoko, Diola

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The superconductor K 0.8 Fe 2 Se 2 super cell size, shape, and atomic positions are fully optimized using first principles density functional theory method. • Each K atom donates 0.8 |e| with K vacancies in the supercell, each Fe atom donates 0.4 |e|, while each Se atom gains 0.7 |e| ∼ 0.8 |e|. • Fe atoms show magnetic moment fluctuation and possible strong spin-orbital coupling. -- Abstract: Since the synthesis of the first ones in 2008, iron-based high temperature superconductors have been the subject of many studies. This great interest is partly due to their higher, upper magnetic field, smaller Fermi surface around the Γ point, and a larger coherence length. This work is focused on A x Fe 2 Se 2 structural superconductor (FeSe, 11 hierarchy; A = K, Cs) as recently observed. ARPES data show novel, electronic structure and a hole-free Fermi surface which is different from previously observed Fermi surface images. We use ab initio density functional theory method to simulate the electronic structure of the novel superconductor A x Fe 2 Se 2 . We compare this electronic structure with those of other Fe-based superconductors

Recent advances in high-temperature superconductor wire fabrication and applications development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hull, J.R.; Uherka, K.L.

1992-01-01

In this paper, recent advances in fabrication of high-temperature superconductor wires are summarized and detailed discussion is provided on developments in near- and intermediate-term applications. Near-term applications, using presently obtainable current densities, include liquid-nitrogen depth sensors, cryostat current leads, and magnetic bearings. Intermediate-term applications, using current densities expected to be available in the near future, include fault-current limiters and short transmission lines

Visualisation of flux distributions in high-temperature superconductors. Final report; Sichtbarmachung der Flussverteilung in Hochtemperatursupraleitern nach verschiedenen Mikrostrukturaenderungen. Abschlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuhn, H.; Kronmueller, H.

1998-05-01

Theoretical calculation models for current, magnetic and electric field distributions in thin superconductors of arbitrary shape in perpendicular magnetic field were developed. Calculations were done for inhomogeneous and anisotropic critical currents and compared with magnetooptical observations of flux penetration. Nice agreement of theory and experiment was found. Flux-line depinning and motion in superconductors with linear defects was investigated by magneto-optics. Depinning mechanisms were deduced from observations of high-temperature superconductors which are irradiated with swift heavy ions parallel and crosswisely at various angles to the surface normal. Magneto-optical investigations of flux penetration into (Bi,Pb){sub 2}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 10+{delta}} multifilament tapes showed a strong dependence of the current capability on the microstructure of single filaments. The different filament textures which are caused by the inhomogeneous deformation of the tape during thermomechanical treatment results in critical current densities varying by about one order of magnitude. (orig.) [Deutsch] Theoretische Modelle zur Berechnung von Strom-, Magnet- und elektrischen Feldverteilungen wurden fuer duenne Supraleiter beliebiger Geometrie mit inhomogener und anisotroper kritischer Stromdichte im senkrechten Magnetfeld entwickelt und mit magnetooptischen Beobachtungen des Flusseindringens verglichen, wobei eine hervorragende Uebereinstimmung zwischen Theorie und Experiment erzielt wurde. Mit Hilfe von magnetooptischen Untersuchungen des Flusseindringens in schwerionenbestrahlte Hochtemperatursupraleiter, die unter verschiedenen Winkeln zur Oberflaechennormalen parallel und kreuzweise bestrahlt wurden, konnten Bewegungs- und Entankerungsmechanismen von Flusslinien in Supraleitern mit linearen Defekten abgeleitet werden. Magnetooptische Untersuchungen des Flusseindringens in (Bi, Pb){sub 2}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 10+{delta

Study of the glass formation of high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Ethridge, Edwin C.; Kaukler, William F.; Rolin, Terry

1992-01-01

A number of compositions of ceramic oxide high T(sub c) superconductors were elevated for their glass formation ability by means of rapid thermal analysis during quenching, optical, and electron microscopy of the quenched samples, and with subsequent DSC measurements. Correlations between experimental measurements and the methodical composition changes identified the formulations of superconductors that can easily form glass. The superconducting material was first formed as a glass; then, with subsequent devitrification, it was formed into a bulk crystalline superconductor by a series of processing methods.

Dynamic phases of low-temperature low-current driven vortex matter in superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benkraouda, M; Obaidat, I M; Khawaja, U Al; Mulaa, N M J

2006-01-01

Using molecular dynamics simulations of vortices in a high-temperature superconductor with square periodic arrays of pinning sites, dynamic phases of the low-current driven vortices are studied at low temperatures. A rough vortex phase diagram of three distinct regimes of vortex flow is proposed. At zero temperature, we obtain a coupled-channel regime where rows of vortices flow coherently in the direction of the driving force. As the temperature is increased, a smooth crossover into an uncoupled-channel regime occurs where the coherence between the flowing rows of vortices becomes weaker. Increasing the temperature further leads to a plastic vortex regime, where the channels of flowing vortices completely disappear. The temperatures of the crossovers between these regimes were found to decrease with the driving force

Dynamics of superconductor bearings in a cryogenic failure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rastogi, Amit [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: Amit.Rastogi@avizatechnology.com; Campbell, A.M. [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom); Coombs, T.A. [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

2006-08-01

The dynamics of superconductor bearings in a cryogenic failure scenario have been analyzed. As the superconductor warms up, the rotor goes through multiple resonance frequencies, begins to slow down and finally touches down when the superconductor goes through its transition temperature. The bearing can be modelled as a system of springs with axial, radial and cross stiffness. These springs go through various resonant modes as the temperature of the superconductor begins to rise. We have presented possible explanations for such behaviour.

Dynamics of the vortex state in high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapitulnik, A.

1991-01-01

The large thermal energy available, the strong anisotropy, and short coherence lengths of high temperature superconductors give rise to new phenomena in the mixed state. The author discusses transport and thermodynamic measurements of high-Tc materials and of model systems. In particular, he uses experiments on two dimensional films to compare and isolate two dimensional effects in the cuprates. By using multilayer systems with similar parameters, he identifies decoupling of the superconducting planes in magnetic fields at temperatures much above the irreversibility line. He shows that if the irreversibility line is to be considered a melting transition line, it implies melting of the solid state into a liquid of three dimensional flux lines. He further uses Monte Carlo simulations to study the structure of the vortex state as well as melting

Superconductor stability 90: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dresner, L.

1990-01-01

This paper reviews some recent developments in the field of stability of superconductors. The main topics dealt with are hydrodynamic phenomena in cable-in-conduit superconductors, namely, multiple stability, quench pressure, thermal expulsion, and thermal hydraulic quenchback, traveling normal zones in large, composite conductors, such as those intended for SMES, and the stability of vapor-cooled leads made of high-temperature superconductors. 31 refs., 5 figs

Fabrication of Nb_3Al superconductor by the optimized mechanical alloying method with low temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Y.; Lin, W.J.; Xu, L.Y.; Yang, D.W.; Chen, Y.L.; Li, P.Y.; Pan, X.F.; Yan, G.; Zhao, Y.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Due to a much better strain tolerance than Nb_3Sn, Nb_3Al has been considered as an excellent candidate for making high field magnets. At present, the Nb_3Al superconducting wires were prepared mainly by the Jelly-roll method combined with a rapid heating and quenching (RHQ) heat treatment at around 2000 °C. In this study, Nb_3Al superconductor with T_c of 15.6 K is directly prepared with a mechanical alloying method followed by a low temperature annealing at 800 to 900 °C. Our results hint the possibility that Nb_3Al superconducting wire with high performance can be prepared below the melting point of Cu (1080 °C) by a conventional powder in tube (PIT) method, thus effectively avoiding high temperature heat treatment and RHQ device. - Abstract: Mechanical alloying was used to synthesize Nb_3Al superconductor successfully, and the process was optimization under various preparation conditions. In the current study, Nb_3Al superconductor with T_c of 15.6 K was directly prepared from high quality Nb (Al) solid solution by mechanical alloying method and heat treatment at a low temperature of 800 to 900 °C. The results showed that Nb_3Al superconducting wire with high performance could be prepared after heat treatment below the melting point of Cu (1080°C) and using Nb (Al) solid solution and conventional powder in tube (PIT) method, thus effectively avoiding ultra-high temperature heat treatment and special rapid heating and quenching(RHQ) device.

Current-carrying capacity dependence of composite Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 superconductors on the liquid coolant conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanovskii, V R; Watanabe, K; Awaji, S; Nishijima, G

2006-01-01

The thermal runaway conditions of the composite Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 superconductor cooled by liquid helium or liquid hydrogen are compared. The study based on the static analysis of thermoelectric modes was made when the volume fraction of the superconductor in a composite was varied. Some specific trends underlying the onset of thermal runaway in superconducting composites cooled by liquid coolants are discussed. It is stated that the operating modes of superconducting composites may be characterized by stable states during which the current-carrying capacity of a superconductor is not effectively used even with a high amount of superconductor in the composite. These states are possible due to the corresponding temperature variation of the resistivities of the matrix and the superconductor in the high operating temperature range. They have to be considered in experiments when the critical current of a superconductor is determined or when the optimal stable operating modes of the current-carrying elements based on the Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 superconductor, which is cooled by liquid coolant, are defined

Glass precursor approach to high-temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Bansal, Narottam P.

1992-01-01

The available studies on the synthesis of high T sub c superconductors (HTS) via the glass precursor approach were reviewed. Melts of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system as well as those doped with oxides of some other elements (Pb, Al, V, Te, Nb, etc.) could be quenched into glasses which, on further heat treatments under appropriate conditions, crystallized into the superconducting phase(s). The nature of the HTS phase(s) formed depends on the annealing temperature, time, atmosphere, and the cooling rate and also on the glass composition. Long term annealing was needed to obtain a large fraction of the 110 K phase. The high T sub c phase did not crystallize out directly from the glass matrix, but was preceded by the precipitation of other phases. The 110 K HTS was produced at high temperatures by reaction between the phases formed at lower temperatures resulting in multiphase material. The presence of a glass former such as B2O3 was necessary for the Y-Ba-Cu-O melt to form a glass on fast cooling. A discontinuous YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) HTS phase crystallized out on heat treatment of this glass. Attempts to prepare Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O system in the glassy state were not successful.

Energy gap and upper critical field of the new magnetic superconductor Mo3Sb7 found by the Andreev reflection method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dmitriev, V M; Rybaltchenko, L F; Ishchenko, L A; Khristenko, E V; Bukowski, Z; Troc, R

2006-01-01

We present the data of the point contact (PC) Andreev-reflection measurements on the new paramagnetic superconductor Mo 3 Sb 7 , which were used for finding the energy gap Δ and upper critical field H c2 for this compound. The maximum gap value, reduced to the zero temperature via the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory, turned out to be Δ (0) ≅ 0.32 meV, which is slightly smaller than that expected from the BCS theory, Δ BCS (0) ≅ 0.35 meV. The temperature dependence of the gap obeys the BCS theory approximately. The H c2 (0) value of about 16.5 kOe was obtained from fitting the experimental data to the conventional H(T) dependence, which is quadratic in temperature. This value is in close agreement with the result from magnetization measurements of 17.2 kOe

Engineered flux-pinning centers in BSCCO TBCCO and YBCO superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Goretta, K.C.; Lanagan, M.T.; Miller, D.J.; Sengupta, S.; Parker, J.C.; Hu, J.; Balachandran, U.; Siegel, R.W.; Shi, D.

1999-07-27

A method of preparing a high temperature superconductor is disclosed. A method of preparing a superconductor includes providing a powdered high temperature superconductor and a nanophase material. These components are combined to form a solid compacted mass with the material disposed in the polycrystalline high temperature superconductor. This combined mixture is rapidly heated, forming a dispersion of nanophase size particles without a eutectic reaction. These nanophase particles can have a flat plate or columnar type morphology. 4 figs.

Operating modes of high-Tc composite superconductors and thermal runaway conditions under current charging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanovskii, V R; Watanabe, K

2006-01-01

The operating thermal and electric modes of a high-T c superconducting composite in partially and fully penetrated states induced by the charging current are investigated. They were studied under conditions in which the current charging rate, the volume fraction of the superconductor in a composite or the temperature of the cooling bath were changed. The transient behaviour of the voltage-current dependence, which is characteristic during stable and unstable increases in electric field inside the composite under a continuous current charging, is discussed. Simulations were done using zero- and one-dimensional steady and unsteady thermoelectric models with a power equation describing the virgin voltage-current characteristic of a superconductor. It is found that some thermoelectric trends underlie the shape of the voltage-current characteristic of the high-T c superconducting composite. These have to be considered during experiments in which the critical or quench currents are defined. First, in the initial stage of the fully penetrated regime (in the low voltage range), the electric field distribution does not have a uniform character. These states depend on the volume fraction of the superconductor and the current charging rate: the higher these quantities, the higher the heterogeneity of the electric field. Second, during the stable over-critical regime (in the high voltage range) occurring in complete penetration modes, the evolution of the electric field may depend on the relevant temperature increase of a composite according to the corresponding increase in its temperature-dependent heat capacity. Consequently, the shape of the voltage-current characteristic of a composite high-T c superconductor during continuous current charging, both before and after thermal runaway, has only a positive slope. Moreover, it is proved that the growth of the fully penetrated part of the voltage-current characteristic becomes less intensive when the current charging rate or the

High-frequency applications of high-temperature superconductor thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, N.

2002-10-01

High-temperature superconducting thin films offer unique properties which can be utilized for a variety of high-frequency device applications in many areas related to the strongly progressing market of information technology. One important property is an exceptionally low level of microwave absorption at temperatures attainable with low power cryocoolers. This unique property has initiated the development of various novel type of microwave devices and commercialized subsystems with special emphasis on application in advanced microwave communication systems. The second important achievement related to efforts in oxide thin and multilayer technology was the reproducible fabrication of low-noise Josephson junctions in high-temperature superconducting thin films. As a consequence of this achievement, several novel nonlinear high-frequency devices, most of them exploiting the unique features of the ac Josephson effect, have been developed and found to exhibit challenging properties to be utilized in basic metrology and Terahertz technology. On the longer timescale, the achievements in integrated high-temperature superconductor circuit technology may offer a strong potential for the development of digital devices with possible clock frequencies in the range of 100 GHz.

High-frequency applications of high-temperature superconductor thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, N.

2002-01-01

High-temperature superconducting thin films offer unique properties which can be utilized for a variety of high-frequency device applications in many areas related to the strongly progressing market of information technology. One important property is an exceptionally low level of microwave absorption at temperatures attainable with low power cryocoolers. This unique property has initiated the development of various novel type of microwave devices and commercialized subsystems with special emphasis on application in advanced microwave communication systems. The second important achievement related to efforts in oxide thin and multilayer technology was the reproducible fabrication of low-noise Josephson junctions in high-temperature superconducting thin films. As a consequence of this achievement, several novel nonlinear high-frequency devices, most of them exploiting the unique features of the ac Josephson effect, have been developed and found to exhibit challenging properties to be utilized in basic metrology and Terahertz technology. On the longer timescale, the achievements in integrated high-temperature superconductor circuit technology may offer a strong potential for the development of digital devices with possible clock frequencies in the range of 100 GHz. (author)

Charge transport in junctions between d-wave superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barash, Y.S.; Galaktionov, A.V.; Zaikin, A.D.

1995-01-01

We develop a microscopic analysis of superconducting and dissipative currents in junctions between superconductors with d-wave symmetry of the order parameter. We study the proximity effect in such superconductors and show that for certain crystal orientations the superconducting order parameter can be essentially suppressed in the vicinity of a nontransparent specularly reflecting boundary. This effect strongly influences the value and the angular dependence of the dc Josephson current j S . At T∼T c it leads to a crossover between j S ∝T c -T and j S ∝(T c -T) 2 respectively for homogeneous and nonhomogeneous distribution of the order parameter in the vicinity of a tunnel junction. We show that at low temperatures the current-phase relation j S (cphi) for superconductor--normal-metal--superconductor junctions and short weak links between d-wave superconductors is essentially nonharmonic and contains a discontinuity at cphi=0. This leads to further interesting features of such systems which can be used for pairing symmetry tests in high-temperature superconductors (HTSC). We also investigated the low-temperature I-V curves of normal-metal--superconductor and superconductor-superconductor tunnel junctions and demonstrated that depending on the junction type and crystal orientation these curves show zero-bias anomalies I∝V 2 , I∝V 2 ln(1/V), and I∝V 3 caused by the gapless behavior of the order parameter in d-wave superconductors. Many of our results agree well with recent experimental findings for HTSC compounds

High temperature superconductor bulk materials. Fundamentals - processing - properties control - application aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krabbes, G.; Fuchs, G.; Canders, W.R.; May, H.; Palka, R.

2006-01-01

This book presents all the features of bulk high temperature superconducting materials. Starting from physical and chemical fundamentals, the authors move on to portray methods and problems of materials processing, thoroughly working out the characteristic properties of bulk superconductors in contrast to long conductors and films. The authors provide a wide range of specific materials characteristics with respect to the latest developments and future applications guiding from fundamentals to practical engineering examples. This book contains the following chapters: 1. Fundamentals 2. Growth and melt processing of YBCO 3. Pinning-relevant defects in bulk YBCO 4. Properties of bulk YBCO 5. Trapped fields 6. Improved YBCO based bulk superconductors and functional elements 7. Alternative systems 8. Peak effect 9. Very high trapped fields in YBCO permanent magnets 10. Engineering aspects: Field distribution in bulk HTSC 11. Inherently stable superconducting magnetic bearings 12. Application of bulk HTSCs in electromagnetic energy converters 13. Applications in magnet technologies and power supplies

Thermally activated flux creep in strongly layered high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakravarty, S.; Ivlev, B.I.; Ovchinnikov, Y.N.

1990-01-01

Thermal activation energies for single vortices and vortex bundles in the presence of a magnetic field parallel to the layers are calculated. The pinning considered is intrinsic and is due to the strongly layered structure of high-temperature superconductors. The magnetic field and the current dependence of the activation energy are studied in detail. The calculation of the activation energy is used to determine the current-voltage characteristic. It may be possible to observe the effects discussed in this paper in a pure enough sample

Effect of impurity scattering on the low temperature magnetic penetration depth of a nonlocal and nonlinear d-wave superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yavary, H.

2006-01-01

The magnetic penetration depth of a quasi-two dimensional d-wave superconductor in the presence of nonlineary, nonlocality, and impurity effects is investigated by using Green's function method. It is shown that a d-wave superconductor would inevitably avoid the violation of the Nernst theorem by creating a T 2 term in its penetration depth through a competition of nonlinear, nonlocal, and impurity effects and this system may be stable at low temperatures. I also show that in the impure sample at low temperatures, T < T * ∝ γ the impurity effect determines the temperature dependence of the penetration depth, i.e., nonlocal and nonlinear effects are completely masked by impurities

Holographic complexity in gauge/string superconductors

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