What is strange about high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates?

Science.gov (United States)

Božović, I.; He, X.; Wu, J.; Bollinger, A. T.

2017-10-01

Cuprate superconductors exhibit many features, but the ultimate question is why the critical temperature (Tc) is so high. The fundamental dichotomy is between the weak-pairing, Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) scenario, and Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of strongly-bound pairs. While for underdoped cuprates it is hotly debated which of these pictures is appropriate, it is commonly believed that on the overdoped side strongly-correlated fermion physics evolves smoothly into the conventional BCS behavior. Here, we test this dogma by studying the dependence of key superconducting parameters on doping, temperature, and external fields, in thousands of cuprate samples. The findings do not conform to BCS predictions anywhere in the phase diagram.

Electronic Raman response in electron-doped cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geng Zhihao; Feng Shiping

2012-01-01

The electronic Raman response in the electron-doped cuprate superconductors is studied based on the t-t'-J model. It is shown that although the domelike shape of the doping dependent peak energy in the B 2g symmetry is a common feature for both electron-doped and hole-doped cuprate superconductors, there are pronounced deviations from a cubic response in the B 2g channel and a linear response in the B 2g channel for the electron-doped case in the low energy limit. It is also shown that these pronounced deviations are mainly caused by a nonmonotonic d-wave gap in the electron-doped cuprate superconductors.

The Goettingen high-Tc superconductivity research pool: the effects of structure and structural defects on the performance of high-Tc superconductors. Final reports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-02-01

The compilation presents the final reports prepared by the various teams of the Goettingen research pool for high-Tc superconductivity. The reports are entitled: Structure and phase transition in high-Tc superconductors (Krebs/Freyhardt). Preparation and critical properties of high-Tc superconductors (Freyhardt/Heinemann/Zimmermann). EMC measurements in high-Tc superconductors (Bormann/Noelting). Phase analysis of the various phases observed in the preparation of high-Tc superconductors (Faupel/Hehenkamp). Positron annihilation in high-Tc superconductors (Hehenkamp). Preparation and characterization of thin films consisting of superconducting oxide ceramics (v. Minnigerode/Samwer). High-Tc superconductivity in monocrystals (Winzer/Beuermann). Microwave conductivity in high-Tc superconductors (Helberg). High-resolution structural analyses in high-Tc superconductors (Kupcik/Bente). Synthesis, structural analyses and spectroscopy of high-Tc superconductors (Bente). Synthesis, monocrystal growing, crystal structure of high-Tc superconductors (Schwarzmann). Ion-beam-aided studies in high-Tc superconductors (Uhrmacher). (orig./MM) [de

Angle-resolved photoemission in high Tc cuprates from theoretical viewpoints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tohyama, T.; Maekawa, S.

2000-01-01

The angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) technique has been developed rapidly over the last decade, accompanied by the improvement of energy and momentum resolutions. This technique has been established as the most powerful tool to investigate the high T c cuprate superconductors. We review recent ARPES data on the cuprates from a theoretical point of view, with emphasis on the systematic evolution of the spectral weight near the momentum (π, 0) from insulator to overdoped systems. The effects of charge stripes on the ARPES spectra are also reviewed. Some recent experimental and theoretical efforts to understand the superconducting state and the pseudogap phenomenon are discussed. (author)

What is the role of Pb(II) in high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raveau, B.; Hervieu, M.; Michel, C.; Groult, D.; Provost, J.

1990-01-01

An overview of the layered lead cuprates is presented here. The structure of these oxides and their non-stoichiometry are studied in connection with their superconducting properties. The phenomena involving a modulation of the structure, characterized by the presence of satellites on E.D. patterns are described and the particular role of the 6s 2 lone pair of Pb(II) is discussed. Divalent lead is, owing to its size intermediate between that of strontium and barium, a potential cation for superconductive cuprates. Moreover, this interest for Pb(II), is supported by its electronic structure which involves an electronic 6s 2 lone pair well known for its ability to form layered structures. In spite of these characteristics, few superconductive layered suprates were isolated at the beginning of the rush to high Tc superconductors. This is probably due to the possibility of existence of redox reactions involving the couple Pb(II)/Pb(IV), which require very particular experimental conditions. The authors report here on the recent development of the crystal chemistry of those materials and on their corresponding superconducting properties

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

CERN Document Server

Deutscher, Guy

2018-01-01

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 interesting book aims to provide some answers to those questions, drawing particularly on similarities between the high Tc oxides and granular superconductors, which also present a short coherence length, a small superfluid density and an inhomogeneous structure.

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.

Hybrid crystals of cuprates and iron-based superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Dai; Cong-Cong, Le; Xian-Xin, Wu; Jiang-Ping, Hu

2016-07-01

We propose two possible new compounds, Ba2CuO2Fe2As2 and K2CuO2Fe2Se2, which hybridize the building blocks of two high temperature superconductors, cuprates and iron-based superconductors. These compounds consist of square CuO2 layers and antifluorite-type Fe2 X 2 (X = As, Se) layers separated by Ba/K. The calculations of binding energies and phonon spectra indicate that they are dynamically stable, which ensures that they may be experimentally synthesized. The Fermi surfaces and electronic structures of the two compounds inherit the characteristics of both cuprates and iron-based superconductors. These compounds can be superconductors with intriguing physical properties to help to determine the pairing mechanisms of high T c superconductivity. Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2015CB921300), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 1190020 and 11334012), and the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB07000000).

Diffusion of nonequilibrium quasi-particles in a cuprate superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gedik, N.; Orenstein, J.; Liang, Ruixing; Bonn, D.A.; Hardy, W.N.

2003-01-01

We report a transport study of nonequilibrium quasi-particles in a high-transition-temperature cuprate superconductor using the transient grating technique. Low-intensity laser excitation (at a photon energy of 1.5 electron volts) was used to introduce a spatially periodic density of quasi-particles into a high-quality untwinned single crystal of YBa2Cu3O6.5. Probing the evolution of the initial density through space and time yielded the quasi-particle diffusion coefficient and the inelastic and elastic scattering rates. The technique reported here is potentially applicable to precision measurements of quasi-particle dynamics not only in cuprate superconductors but in other electronic systems as well

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.

Ultra-fast pump-probe determination of electron-phonon coupling in cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Mihailovic, Dragan

2010-03-01

Fresh femtosecond spectroscopy experiments show the electron-phonon interaction strength λ to be 0.7 and 1.4 for YBCO and LSCO respectively and not around 0.2 as previously reported [1]. The revised estimates arise primarily from improved time-resolution, and also partly from improved modeling. Comparison with classical superconductors and pnictides shows non-monotonic correlation of λ with Tc. Systematic new measurements of the condensate vaporization energy (Uv) in cuprates [2] and pnictides reveals a power-law dependence on Tc with exponent 2. However, Uc is 16-18 times greater than the BCS condensation energy Uc, implying that a significant heat capacity of the ``bosonic glue.'' In contrast, charge-density wave systems with electronically driven ordering transitions have Uv˜Uc. The data suggest BCS and Eliashberg-based models to be inappropriate for describing the physics of high-temperature superconductors, and point towards polaron models which consider strong or intermediate λ.[4pt] [1] C.Gadermeier et al., arXiv:0902.1636[0pt] [2] P.Kusar et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 227001 (2008)

Comprehensive Study of the Model Mercury-Based Cuprate Superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greven, Martin [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

2017-11-13

This is the Final Report on DE-SC0006858, which opened 15 August 2011 and closed 14 August 2017. The Principal Investigator is Martin Greven, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 555455 (email: greven@umn.edu). The Administrative Point of Contact is Patricia Jondahl, phone: 612-624-5599, email: awards@umn.edu. The DOE Program is the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Program manager is Dr. P. Thiyagarajan, Neutron Scattering SC-22.2/ Germantown Bldg. (email: Thiyagarajan@science.doe.gov). The chief activity was the crystal growth, characterization, neutron and X-ray scattering study of the mercury-based cuprates, arguably the most desirable high-Tc superconductors for experimental study due to their record values of Tc and their relatively simple crystal structures. It is thought that the unusual magnetic and charge degrees of freedom of the copper-oxygen sheets that form the fundamental building block of all cuprate superconductors give rise to the high Tc and to many other unusual properties exhibited by the class of quantum materials. Neutron scattering experiments were performed to reveal the nature of the magnetic degrees of freedom of the copper-oxygen sheets, whereas X-ray scattering experiments and complementary charge-transport experiments were performed to reveal the nature of the charge degrees of freedom. In addition, collaborations were initiated with experts in the use of complementary experimental techniques. The primary products are (i) scientific articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, (ii) scientific presentations at national and international conferences, and (iii) education of postdoctoral researchers, PhD graduate students and undergraduate researchers by providing a research experience in crystal growth, characterization and scattering. Twenty scientific papers were published in peer-reviewed journals, thirty-one invited talks were presented at national or international conferences, or as

Can positron 2D-ACAR resolve the electronic structure of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chan, L.P.; Lynn, K.G.; Harshman, D.R.

1992-01-01

In this paper, the authors examine the ability of the positron Two-Dimensional Angular Correlation Annihilation Radiation (2D-ACAR) technique to resolve the electronic structures of high-T c cuprate superconductors. Following a short description of the technique, discussions of the theoretical assumptions, data analysis and experimental considerations, in relation to the high-T c superconductors, are given. The authors briefly review recent 2D-ACAR experiments on YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x , Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCuO 8+δ and La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 . The 2D-ACAR technique is useful in resolving the band crossings associated with the layers of the superconductors that are preferentially sampled by the positrons. Together with other Fermi surface measurements (namely angle-resolved photoemission), 2D-ACAR can resolve some of the electronic structures of high-T c cuprate superconductors

Boundary conditions in Ginsburg-Landau theory and critical temperature of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lykov, A.N.

2008-01-01

New mixed boundary conditions to the Ginsburg-Landau equations are found to limit the critical temperature (T c ) of high-T c superconductors. Moreover, the value of the pseudogap in these superconductors can be explained by using the method. As a result, the macroscopic approach is proposed to increase T c of cuprate superconductors

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.)

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

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.

Optical and electron microanalysis of cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoff, H.A.; Osofsky, M.S.; Toth, L.E.; Richards, L.E.; Pande, C.S.; Lechter, W.L.

1990-01-01

Individual anisotropic grains in heterogeneous and opaque cuprate materials, when viewed in a reflected-light optical microscope through crossed polarizers, often have characteristic colors, when a daylight source is used. Of the cuprate superconductors, regardless of charge carrier type, examined so far, only one characteristic color has been observed We have studied the presence of color and found a strong correlation with the existence of superconductivity. The change in color from insulator to metal to superconductor and the compositions corresponding to these changes found by quantitative energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy on superconducting Tl-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and metallic but not superconducting La-Sr-Cu-O materials is discussed

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

Phenomenological Theory for Pseudogap States in High Tc Cuprate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Fuchun

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Pseudogap phase in the underdoped region of high-Tc cuprate is one of the challenging issues in condensed matter physics. In this talk, I will describe a phenomenological theory for this phase, based on analogies to the approach to Mott localization at weak coupling in lower dimensional systems. I will make comparisons of the theory to a series of the experiments, including angle resolved photoemission spectroscope, scanning tunneling microscope.

Renormalized modes in cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Anushri; Kumari, Anita; Verma, Sanjeev K.; Indu, B. D.

2018-04-01

The renormalized mode frequencies are obtained with the help of quantum dynamical approach of many body phonon Green's function technique via a general Hamiltonian (excluding BCS Hamiltonian) including the effects of phonons and electrons, anharmonicities and electron-phonon interactions. The numerical estimates have been carried out to study the renormalized mode frequency of high temperature cuprate superconductor (HTS) YBa2Cu3O7-δ using modified Born-Mayer-Huggins interaction potential (MBMHP) best applicable to study the dynamical properties of all HTS.

Systematics of c-axis phonons in the thallium- and bismuth-based cuprate superconductors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tsvetkov, A.A.; Dulic, Diana; Marel, D. van der; Damascelli, A.; Kaljushnaia, G.A.; Gorina, J.I.; Senturina, N.N.; Kolesnikov, N.N.; Ren, Z.F.; Wang, J.H.; Menovsky, A.A.; Palstra, T.T.M.

1999-01-01

We present grazing incidence reflectivity measurements in the far-infrared region at temperatures above and below Tc for a series of thallium- (Tl2Ba2CuO6, Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8) and bismuth- (Bi2Sr2CuO6, Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8, and Bi2-xPbxSr2CaCu2O8) based cuprate superconductors. From the spectra, which are

Characteristics of the Mott transition and electronic states of high-temperature cuprate superconductors from the perspective of the Hubbard model

Science.gov (United States)

Kohno, Masanori

2018-04-01

A fundamental issue of the Mott transition is how electrons behaving as single particles carrying spin and charge in a metal change into those exhibiting separated spin and charge excitations (low-energy spin excitation and high-energy charge excitation) in a Mott insulator. This issue has attracted considerable attention particularly in relation to high-temperature cuprate superconductors, which exhibit electronic states near the Mott transition that are difficult to explain in conventional pictures. Here, from a new viewpoint of the Mott transition based on analyses of the Hubbard model, we review anomalous features observed in high-temperature cuprate superconductors near the Mott transition.

Oxygen diffusion in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Routbort, J.L.; Rothman, S.J.

1995-01-01

Superconducting properties of the cuprate superconductors depend on the oxygen content of the material; the diffusion of oxygen is thus an important process in the fabrication and application of these materials. This article reviews studies of the diffusion of oxygen in La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 , YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7- δ, YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 , and the Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca n-1 Cu n O 2+4 (n = 1, and 2) superconductors, and attempt to elucidate the atomic mechanisms responsible

Infrared properties of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlesinger, Z.; Rotter, L.D.; Collins, R.T.; Holtzberg, F.; Feild, C.

1991-01-01

Over the past several years a coherent phenomenology of the high T c cuprate superconductors has begun to emerge. Infrared measurements have contributed several important ingredients to this picture including: (1) the inference of a scattering rate that is linear in frequency for ω>T, and of order ω, (2) a characteristic energy scale in the superconducting state of 500 cm -1 (60 meV), which can be interpreted as a superconducting pair excitation threshold or energy gap, and (3) evidence for very unusual temperature dependence in the vicinity of T c . An attempt to describe these aspects of the data is presented here

Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy on Electronic Structure and Electron-Phonon Coupling in Cuprate Superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, X.J.

2010-04-30

In addition to the record high superconducting transition temperature (T{sub c}), high temperature cuprate superconductors are characterized by their unusual superconducting properties below T{sub c}, and anomalous normal state properties above T{sub c}. In the superconducting state, although it has long been realized that superconductivity still involves Cooper pairs, as in the traditional BCS theory, the experimentally determined d-wave pairing is different from the usual s-wave pairing found in conventional superconductors. The identification of the pairing mechanism in cuprate superconductors remains an outstanding issue. The normal state properties, particularly in the underdoped region, have been found to be at odd with conventional metals which is usually described by Fermi liquid theory; instead, the normal state at optimal doping fits better with the marginal Fermi liquid phenomenology. Most notable is the observation of the pseudogap state in the underdoped region above T{sub c}. As in other strongly correlated electrons systems, these unusual properties stem from the interplay between electronic, magnetic, lattice and orbital degrees of freedom. Understanding the microscopic process involved in these materials and the interaction of electrons with other entities is essential to understand the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity. Since the discovery of high-T{sub c} superconductivity in cuprates, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has provided key experimental insights in revealing the electronic structure of high temperature superconductors. These include, among others, the earliest identification of dispersion and a large Fermi surface, an anisotropic superconducting gap suggestive of a d-wave order parameter, and an observation of the pseudogap in underdoped samples. In the mean time, this technique itself has experienced a dramatic improvement in its energy and momentum resolutions, leading to a series of new discoveries not

Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy on Electronic Structure and Electron-Phonon Coupling in Cuprate Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, X.J.

2010-01-01

In addition to the record high superconducting transition temperature (T c ), high temperature cuprate superconductors are characterized by their unusual superconducting properties below T c , and anomalous normal state properties above T c . In the superconducting state, although it has long been realized that superconductivity still involves Cooper pairs, as in the traditional BCS theory, the experimentally determined d-wave pairing is different from the usual s-wave pairing found in conventional superconductors. The identification of the pairing mechanism in cuprate superconductors remains an outstanding issue. The normal state properties, particularly in the underdoped region, have been found to be at odd with conventional metals which is usually described by Fermi liquid theory; instead, the normal state at optimal doping fits better with the marginal Fermi liquid phenomenology. Most notable is the observation of the pseudogap state in the underdoped region above T c . As in other strongly correlated electrons systems, these unusual properties stem from the interplay between electronic, magnetic, lattice and orbital degrees of freedom. Understanding the microscopic process involved in these materials and the interaction of electrons with other entities is essential to understand the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity. Since the discovery of high-T c superconductivity in cuprates, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has provided key experimental insights in revealing the electronic structure of high temperature superconductors. These include, among others, the earliest identification of dispersion and a large Fermi surface, an anisotropic superconducting gap suggestive of a d-wave order parameter, and an observation of the pseudogap in underdoped samples. In the mean time, this technique itself has experienced a dramatic improvement in its energy and momentum resolutions, leading to a series of new discoveries not thought possible

Role of Coulomb repulsion in multilayer cuprate superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh Chauhan, Ekta; Singh, Vipul; Masih, Piyush

2012-01-01

Although BCS theory completely neglects coulomb repulsion; Anderson and Morel showed very early that it plays a central role in superconductivity. Since all high T c superconductors are based on the structure of closely spaced square planner CuO 2 layers and role of interlayer interaction plays important role in enhancement of T c . Therefore the work has been dealt with 'Role of Coulomb repulsion in Multilayer Cuprate Superconductors'. An expression for transition temperature T c is obtained by using simple integration technique and is numerically solved. It has found that T c decreases with electronic repulsion. (author)

Five-fold way to new high Tc superconductors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

shook the foundation of phonon-mediated pairing mechanism. In fact, certain in- ...... of superconducting Tc in doped cuprates below optimal doping. ...... ductor transition, the following are the minimal requirements for superconductivity:.

Plasma resonance and flux dynamics in layered high-Tc superconductors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Niels Falsig; Sakai, S.

2000-01-01

Flux dynamics of layered high Tc superconductors are considered with special emphasis on the small oscillation modes. In particular we find the dispersion relation for the plasma modes and discuss the spectra to be observed in microwave experiments.......Flux dynamics of layered high Tc superconductors are considered with special emphasis on the small oscillation modes. In particular we find the dispersion relation for the plasma modes and discuss the spectra to be observed in microwave experiments....

The oxygen isotope effect on the in-plane penetration depth in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khasanov, R; Shengelaya, A; Morenzoni, E; Conder, K; Savic, I M; Keller, H

2004-01-01

Muon spin rotation (μSR) studies of the oxygen isotope ( 16 O/ 18 O) effect (OIE) on the in-plane magnetic field penetration depth λ ab in cuprate high-temperature superconductors (HTS) are presented. First, the doping dependence of the OIE on the transition temperature T c in various HTS is briefly discussed. It is observed that different cuprate families show similar doping dependences of the OIE on T c . Then, bulk μSR, low-energy μSR, and magnetization studies of the total and site-selective OIE on λ ab are described in some detail. A substantial OIE on λ ab was observed in various cuprate families at all doping levels, suggesting that cuprate HTS are non-adiabatic superconductors. The experiments clearly demonstrate that the total OIE on T c and λ ab arise from the oxygen sites within the superconducting CuO 2 planes, demonstrating that the phonon modes involving the movement of planar oxygen are dominantly coupled to the supercarriers. Finally, it is shown that the OIE on T c and λ ab exhibit a relation that appears to be generic for different families of cuprate HTS. The observation of these unusual isotope effects implies that lattice effects play an essential role in cuprate HTS and have to be considered in any realistic model of high-temperature superconductivity

Nernst effect in the electron-doped cuprate superconductor L a2 -xC exCu O4

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, P. R.; Sarkar, Tarapada; Higgins, J. S.; Greene, Richard L.

2018-01-01

We report a systematic study of the Nernst effect in films of the electron-doped cuprate superconductor L a2 -xC exCu O4 as a function of temperature and magnetic field (up to 14 T) over a range of doping from underdoped (x =0.08 ) to overdoped (x =0.16 ). We have determined the characteristic field scale HC2 * of superconducting fluctuation which is found to track the domelike dependence of superconductivity (TC). The fall of HC2 * and TC with underdoping is most likely due to the onset of long-range antiferromagnetic order. We also report the temperature onset, Tonset, of superconducting fluctuations above TC. For optimally doped x =0.11 Tonset (≅39 K ) is high compared to TC (26 K). For higher doping Tonset decreases and tends to zero along with the critical temperature at the end of the superconducting dome. The superconducting gap closely tracks HC2 * measured from the temperature- and field-dependent Nernst signal.

Oxygen diffusion in cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Routbort, J.L.; Rothman, S.J.

1995-01-01

Superconducting properties of the cuprate superconductors depend on the oxygen content of the material; the diffusion of oxygen is thus an important process in the fabrication and application of these materials. This article reviews studies of the diffusion of oxygen in La{sub 2}{sub {minus}}{sub {times}}Sr{sub {times}}CuO{sub 4}, YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7}{sub {minus}}{delta}, YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 4}O{sub 8}, and the Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub n}{sub {minus}}{sub 1}Cu{sub n}O{sub 2}{sub +}{sub 4} (n = 1, and 2) superconductors, and attempt to elucidate the atomic mechanisms responsible.

Isotope and multiband effects in layered superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Bussmann-Holder, Annette; Keller, Hugo

2012-06-13

In this review we consider three classes of superconductors, namely cuprate superconductors, MgB(2) and the new Fe based superconductors. All of these three systems are layered materials and multiband compounds. Their pairing mechanisms are under discussion with the exception of MgB(2), which is widely accepted to be a 'conventional' electron-phonon interaction mediated superconductor, but extending the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory to account for multiband effects. Cuprates and Fe based superconductors have higher superconducting transition temperatures and more complex structures. Superconductivity is doping dependent in these material classes unlike in MgB(2) which, as a pure compound, has the highest values of T(c) and a rapid suppression of superconductivity with doping takes place. In all three material classes isotope effects have been observed, including exotic ones in the cuprates, and controversial ones in the Fe based materials. Before the area of high-temperature superconductivity, isotope effects on T(c) were the signature for phonon mediated superconductivity-even when deviations from the BCS value to smaller values were observed. Since the discovery of high T(c) materials this is no longer evident since competing mechanisms might exist and other mediating pairing interactions are discussed which are of purely electronic origin. In this work we will compare the three different material classes and especially discuss the experimentally observed isotope effects of all three systems and present a rather general analysis of them. Furthermore, we will concentrate on multiband signatures which are not generally accepted in cuprates even though they are manifest in various experiments, the evidence for those in MgB(2), and indications for them in the Fe based compounds. Mostly we will consider experimental data, but when possible also discuss theoretical models which are suited to explain the data.

The oxygen isotope effect on the in-plane penetration depth in cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khasanov, R [Physik-Institut der Universitaet Zuerich, CH-8057 Zurich (Switzerland); Shengelaya, A [Physik-Institut der Universitaet Zuerich, CH-8057 Zurich (Switzerland); Morenzoni, E [Laboratory for Muon Spin Spectroscopy, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Conder, K [Laboratory for Neutron Scattering, ETH Zuerich and PSI Villigen, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Savic, I M [Faculty of Physics, University of Belgrade, 11001 Belgrade (Serbia and Montenegro); Keller, H [Physik-Institut der Universitaet Zuerich, CH-8057 Zurich (Switzerland)

2004-10-13

Muon spin rotation ({mu}SR) studies of the oxygen isotope ({sup 16}O/{sup 18}O) effect (OIE) on the in-plane magnetic field penetration depth {lambda}{sub ab} in cuprate high-temperature superconductors (HTS) are presented. First, the doping dependence of the OIE on the transition temperature T{sub c} in various HTS is briefly discussed. It is observed that different cuprate families show similar doping dependences of the OIE on T{sub c}. Then, bulk {mu}SR, low-energy {mu}SR, and magnetization studies of the total and site-selective OIE on {lambda}{sub ab} are described in some detail. A substantial OIE on {lambda}{sub ab} was observed in various cuprate families at all doping levels, suggesting that cuprate HTS are non-adiabatic superconductors. The experiments clearly demonstrate that the total OIE on T{sub c} and {lambda}{sub ab} arise from the oxygen sites within the superconducting CuO{sub 2} planes, demonstrating that the phonon modes involving the movement of planar oxygen are dominantly coupled to the supercarriers. Finally, it is shown that the OIE on T{sub c} and {lambda}{sub ab} exhibit a relation that appears to be generic for different families of cuprate HTS. The observation of these unusual isotope effects implies that lattice effects play an essential role in cuprate HTS and have to be considered in any realistic model of high-temperature superconductivity.

Tl Cuprate Superconductors Studied by XPS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasquez, R. P. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 (United States); Siegal, M. P. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185-1421 (United States); Overmyer, D. L. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185-1421 (United States); Ren, Z. F. [Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260-3000 (United States); Lao, J. Y. [Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260-3000 (United States); Wang, J. H. [Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260-3000 (United States)

1999-07-01

XPS measurements on epitaxial thin films of the Tl cuprate superconductors Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8, Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O10, and Tl0.78Bi0.22Ba0.4Sr1.6Ca2Cu3O9-{delta} are presented. These data, together with previous measurements in this lab on Tl2Ba2CuO6-{delta} and TlBa2CaCu2O7-{delta}, comprise a comprehensive data set for comparison of Tl cuprates in which the number of Tl-O and Cu-O layers, and hence the chemical and electronic properties, vary. (c) 2000 American Vacuum Society.

Tl Cuprate Superconductors Studied by XPS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasquez, R. P.; Siegal, M. P.; Overmyer, D. L.; Ren, Z. F.; Lao, J. Y.; Wang, J. H.

1999-01-01

XPS measurements on epitaxial thin films of the Tl cuprate superconductors Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8, Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O10, and Tl0.78Bi0.22Ba0.4Sr1.6Ca2Cu3O9-δ are presented. These data, together with previous measurements in this lab on Tl2Ba2CuO6-δ and TlBa2CaCu2O7-δ, comprise a comprehensive data set for comparison of Tl cuprates in which the number of Tl-O and Cu-O layers, and hence the chemical and electronic properties, vary. (c) 2000 American Vacuum Society

Theory of high-Tc superconducting cuprates based on experimental evidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abrikosov, A. A.

1999-01-01

A model of superconductivity in layered high-temperature superconducting cuprates is proposed, based on the extended saddle point singularities in the electron spectrum, weak screening of the Coulomb interaction and phonon-mediated interaction between electrons plus a small short-range repulsion of Hund's, or spin-fluctuation, origin. This permits to explain the large values of Tc, features of the isotope effect on oxygen and copper, the existence of two types of the order parameter, the peak in the inelastic neutron scattering, the positive curvature of the upper critical field, as function of temperature etc

Non-equilibrium spectroscopy of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krasnov, V M

2009-01-01

In superconductors, recombination of two non-equilibrium quasiparticles into a Cooper pair results in emission of excitation that mediates superconductivity. This is the basis of the proposed new type of 'non-equilibrium' spectroscopy of high T c superconductors, which may open a possibility for direct and unambiguous determination of the coupling mechanism of high T c superconductivity. In case of low T c superconductors, the feasibility of such the non-equilibrium spectroscopy was demonstrated in classical phonon generation-detection experiments almost four decades ago. Recently it was demonstrated that a similar technique can be used for high T c superconductors, using natural intrinsic Josephson junctions both for injection of non-equilibrium quasiparticles and for detection of the non-equilibrium radiation. Here I analyze theoretically non-equilibrium phenomena in intrinsic Josephson junctions. It is shown that extreme non-equilibrium state can be achieved at bias equal to integer number of the gap voltage, which can lead to laser-like emission from the stack. I argue that identification of the boson type, constituting this non-equilibrium radiation would unambiguously reveal the coupling mechanism of high Tc superconductors.

High-Tc copper oxide superconductors and related novel materials dedicated to prof K. A. Müller on the occasion of his 90th birthday

CERN Document Server

Keller, Hugo; Bianconi, Antonio

2017-01-01

Authored by many of the world's leading experts on high-Tc superconductivity, this volume presents a panorama of ongoing research in the field, as well as insights into related multifunctional materials. The contributions cover many different and complementary aspects of the physics and materials challenges, with an emphasis on superconducting materials that have emerged since the discovery of the cuprate superconductors, for example pnictides, MgB2, H2S and other hydrides. Special attention is also paid to interface superconductivity. In addition to superconductors, the volume also addresses materials related to polar and multifunctional ground states, another class of materials that owes its discovery to Prof. Müller's ground-breaking research on SrTiO3.

Quantum Monte Carlo simulations for high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muramatsu, A.; Dopf, G.; Wagner, J.; Dieterich, P.; Hanke, W.

1992-01-01

Quantum Monte Carlo simulations for a multi-band model of high-Tc superconductors are reviewed with special emphasis on the comparison of different observabels with experiments. It is shown that a give parameter set of the three-band Hubbard model leads to a consistent description of normal-state propteries as well as pairing correlation function for the copper-oxide superconductors as a function of doping and temperature. (orig.)

Rugged Low-Resistance Contacts To High-Tc Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Caton, Randall; Selim, Raouf; Byvik, Charles E.; Buoncristiani, A. Martin

1992-01-01

Newly developed technique involving use of gold makes possible to fabricate low-resistance contacts with rugged connections to high-Tc superconductors. Gold diffused into specimen of superconducting material by melting gold beads onto surface of specimen, making strong mechanical contacts. Shear strength of gold bead contacts greater than epoxy or silver paste. Practical use in high-current-carrying applications of new high-Tc materials, including superconducting magnets, long-wavelength sensors, electrical ground planes at low temperatures, and efficient transmission of power.

Determination of Retardation Effects in the High Tc Cuprates from Sharvin Contact Measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deutscher, G.

1995-01-01

It is well known that retardation effects are essential to allow the attractive part of the electron-electron interaction (for instance, phonon mediated) to overcome the Coulomb repulsion. In new superconductors such as the cuprates for which the interaction is a priori unknown, it is therefore essential to determine the retarded and non retarded parts of the interaction. We show how this can be achieved by an analysis of Sharvin contact measurements between a noble metal tip and a cuprate. It turns out that both the retarded and non retarded parts are large, the former being however larger than the later

Fermi-surface reconstruction by stripe order in cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Laliberté, Francis

2012-02-01

The origin of pairing in a superconductor resides in the underlying normal state. In the cuprate high-temperature superconductor YBCO, application of a magnetic field to suppress superconductivity reveals a ground state that appears to break the translational symmetry of the lattice, pointing to some density-wave order [1,2,3]. In another cuprate, Eu-LSCO, the onset of stripe order - a modulation of spin and charge densities - at low temperature is well established [4]. By a comparative study of thermoelectric transport in the cuprates YBCO and Eu-LSCO, we show that the two materials exhibit a very similar process of Fermi-surface reconstruction as a function of temperature and doping [5,6]. This strongly suggests that Fermi-surface reconstruction is caused by stripe order in both cases, compelling evidence that stripe order is a generic tendency of hole-doped cuprates.[4pt] Work done in collaboration with J. Chang, N. Doiron-Leyraud, E. Hassinger, R. Daou, D. LeBoeuf, M. Rondeau, B. J. Ramshaw, R. Liang, D. A. Bonn, W. N. Hardy, S. Pyon, T. Takayama, H. Takagi, I. Sheikin, L. Malone, C. Proust, K. Behnia and L. Taillefer.[4pt] [1] N. Doiron-Leyraud et al., Nature 447, 565 (2007).[0pt] [2] D. LeBoeuf et al., Nature 450, 533 (2007).[0pt] [3] D. LeBoeuf et al., Phys. Rev. B 83, 054506 (2011).[0pt] [4] J. Fink et al., Phys. Rev. B 83, 092503 (2011).[0pt] [5] J. Chang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 057005 (2010).[0pt] [6] F. Lalibert'e et al., Nat. Commun. 2, 432 (2011).

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.

Oxygen diffusion in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rothman, S.J.; Routbort, J.L.

1992-07-01

The cuprate superconductors are fascinating not only because of their technical promise, but also because of their structures, especially the anisotropy of the crystal lattice. There are some structural similarities among these compounds, but also significant differences. Measurements of the oxygen tracer diffusion coefficients have been carried out as a function of temperature, oxygen partial pressure, crystal orientation, and doping in the La-Sr-Cu-0, Y-Ba-Cu-0, and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-0 systems. These measurements have revealed a variety of defect mechanisms operating in these compounds; the exact nature of the mechanism depends on the details of the structure

On the superconducting phase diagram of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

de la Cruz, F.

1990-01-01

The tendency of oxide superconductors to show granularity has been pointed out since the beginning of research on superconductivity in this type of materials. Nevertheless, only very recently the full phase diagram and characteristics of the grains have been determined. In this paper, the authors review and discuss the different critical fields and their relation to the transport of superconducting current. The superconducting response of single crystals of High Tc superconductors is discussed. Special attention is devoted to the behavior of the vortex lattice and, in particular, to the recent discovery of the quenching of H c1 in YBaCuO, several degrees below Tc

Plasma resonance in anisotropic layered high-Tc superconductors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sakai, Shigeki; Pedersen, Niels Falsig

1999-01-01

The plasma resonance is described theoretically by the inductive coupling model for a large stacked Josephson-junction system such as the intrinsic Josephson-junction array in anisotropic high- T-c superconductors. Eigenmodes of the plasma oscillation are analytically described and a numerical...

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.

Coherence factors in a high-tc cuprate probed by quasi-particle scattering off vortices.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanaguri, T; Kohsaka, Y; Ono, M; Maltseva, M; Coleman, P; Yamada, I; Azuma, M; Takano, M; Ohishi, K; Takagi, H

2009-02-13

When electrons pair in a superconductor, quasi-particles develop an acute sensitivity to different types of scattering potential that is described by the appearance of coherence factors in the scattering amplitudes. Although the effects of coherence factors are well established in isotropic superconductors, they are much harder to detect in their anisotropic counterparts, such as high-superconducting-transition-temperature cuprates. We demonstrate an approach that highlights the momentum-dependent coherence factors in Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2. We used Fourier-transform scanning tunneling spectroscopy to reveal a magnetic-field dependence in quasi-particle scattering interference patterns that is sensitive to the sign of the anisotropic gap. This result is associated with the d-wave coherence factors and quasi-particle scattering off vortices. Our technique thus provides insights into the nature of electron pairing as well as quasi-particle scattering processes in unconventional superconductors.

Mechanisms of conventional and high Tc superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kresin, V.L.; Morawitz, H.; Wolf, S.A.

1993-01-01

This book gives a careful and objective review of theories of superconductivity in traditional superconductors, organics, and high Tc cuprates. Of course, the authors do still present their own theories of cuprate superconductivity, but only in the final chapter after other possibilities have been discussed. The book should be especially useful for researchers entering the field of high Tc superconductivity. The reviews of photon mediated pairing and strong coupling theory are very welcome, since much of this material has not been reviewed since the classic 1969 volume edited by Parks. In particular the authors dispel the various myths that phonon mediated pairing leads to upper bounds on Tc. In addition to phonon mediated pairing the book discussed in detail pairing due to exchange of acoustic (demon) plasmons, excitons, or magnetic fluctuations. There have been so many diverse mechanisms based on strong correlation and large U Hubbard models that a book like this can only discuss a limited selection of the main contenders. In particular here the emphasis on Fermi liquid based models no doubt reflects the authors' own point of view. A whole chapter discusses the concepts of induced superconductivity, in the proximity effect, and its application to materials with several different electronic subsystems

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.

Simulation of ion-beam induced defects in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dineva, M.; Marksteiner, M.; Lang, W.

2005-01-01

Full text: Heavy-ion irradiation of cuprate superconductors is well known to produce columnar defect tracks along which magnetic vortices can be pinned. Hence, this effect has a large potential for practical applications and can enhance the critical current of the high-temperature superconducting materials. On the other hand, little work has been devoted to light-ion irradiation of the new superconductors. Our previous experimental results have indicated a systematic change of electric transport properties when irradiating YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (YBCO) with 75 KEXV He + ions. The purpose of the present study is the investigation of the ion-target interactions with computer simulation programs based on the binary collision approximation. The program package SRIM (Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter) is widely used to simulate the impact of energetic ions (10 eV to 2 GeV) on a solid target using a quantum mechanical treatment of ion-atom collisions under the assumption of an unstructured target material. A similar program, MARLOWE, includes the exact crystalline structure of the target and, thus, is able to calculate ion channeling effects and angle dependences. Detailed results of the penetration range of ions into YBCO, scattering cascades, creation of vacancies and interstitials, are reported for various kinds of ions. One of the central results is that light ions with energy of about 80 KEXV can penetrate through thin films of the cuprate superconductors and create point defects, mainly by oxygen displacement. (author)

Josephson junction between two high Tc superconductors with arbitrary transparency of interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GhR Rashedi

2010-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a dc Josephson junction between two singlet superconductors (d-wave and s-wave with arbitrary reflection coefficient has been investigated theoretically. For the case of high Tc superconductors, the c-axes are parallel to an interface with finite transparency and their ab-planes have a mis-orientation. The physics of potential barrier will be demonstrated by a transparency coefficient via which the tunneling will occur. We have solved the nonlocal Eilenberger equations and obtained the corresponding and suitable Green functions analytically. Then, using the obtained Green functions, the current-phase diagrams have been calculated. The effect of the potential barrier and mis-orientation on the currents is studied analytically and numerically. It is observed that, the current phase relations are totally different from the case of ideal transparent Josephson junctions between d-wave superconductors and two s-wave superconductors. This apparatus can be used to demonstrate d-wave order parameter in high Tc superconductors.

Strong correlations and the search for high-Tc superconductivity in chromium pnictides and chalcogenides

Science.gov (United States)

Pizarro, J. M.; Calderón, M. J.; Liu, J.; Muñoz, M. C.; Bascones, E.

2017-02-01

Undoped iron superconductors accommodate n =6 electrons in five d orbitals. Experimental and theoretical evidence shows that the strength of correlations increases with hole doping, as the electronic filling approaches half filling with n =5 electrons. This evidence delineates a scenario in which the parent compound of iron superconductors is the half-filled system, in analogy to cuprate superconductors. In cuprates the superconductivity can be induced upon electron or hole doping. In this work we propose to search for high-Tc superconductivity and strong correlations in chromium pnictides and chalcogenides with n slave-spin and multiorbital random-phase-approximation calculations we analyze the strength of the correlations and the superconducting and magnetic instabilities in these systems with the main focus on LaCrAsO. We find that electron-doped LaCrAsO is a strongly correlated system with competing magnetic interactions, with (π ,π ) antiferromagnetism and nodal d -wave pairing being the most plausible magnetic and superconducting instabilities, respectively.

On the application of High-Tc superconductors in power coils and transformers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chevtchenko, O.A.

2002-01-01

In this study, the electro-magnetic properties of high-Tc tapes and coils are investigated. The focus is on Bi-2223/Ag tapes with non-twisted superconducting filaments as these are the only high-Tc superconductors at present available in sufficient length for practical applications. The study is

Effect of strong correlations on the high energy anomaly in hole- and electron-doped high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moritz, B; Johnston, S; Greven, M; Shen, Z-X; Devereaux, T P; Schmitt, F; Meevasana, W; Motoyama, E M; Lu, D H; Kim, C; Scalettar, R T

2009-01-01

Recently, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has been used to highlight an anomalously large band renormalization at high binding energies in cuprate superconductors: the high energy 'waterfall' or high energy anomaly (HEA). This paper demonstrates, using a combination of new ARPES measurements and quantum Monte Carlo simulations, that the HEA is not simply the by-product of matrix element effects, but rather represents a cross-over from a quasi-particle band at low binding energies near the Fermi level to valence bands at higher binding energy, assumed to be of strong oxygen character, in both hole- and electron-doped cuprates. While photoemission matrix elements clearly play a role in changing the aesthetic appearance of the band dispersion, i.e. the 'waterfall'-like behavior, they provide an inadequate description for the physics that underlies the strong band renormalization giving rise to the HEA. Model calculations of the single-band Hubbard Hamiltonian showcase the role played by correlations in the formation of the HEA and uncover significant differences in the HEA energy scale for hole- and electron-doped cuprates. In addition, this approach properly captures the transfer of spectral weight accompanying both hole and electron doping in a correlated material and provides a unifying description of the HEA across both sides of the cuprate phase diagram.

Spin dynamics in high-TC superconducting cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourges, Ph.

2003-07-01

This work is dedicated to the detailed investigations of the magnetic resonance peak in the superconducting state of cuprates. The existence of such a peak could be the signature of a mechanism linked to magnetism that could explain high critical temperature superconductivity. Inelastic neutron scattering is an adequate tool for the understanding of cuprate properties because it reveals magnetic fluctuations whose behaviour and variety depend strongly on temperature and on the level of doping. The last part of this work is dedicated to the study of spin dynamics in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x system

Epitaxial effects in thin films of high-Tc cuprates with the K2NiF4 structure

Science.gov (United States)

Naito, Michio; Sato, Hisashi; Tsukada, Akio; Yamamoto, Hideki

2018-03-01

La2-xSrxCuO4 (LSCO) and La2-xBaxCuO4 (LBCO) have been recognized as the archetype materials of "hole-doped" high-Tc superconductors. Their crystal structures are relatively simple with a small number of constituent cation elements. In addition, the doping level can be varied by the chemical substitution over a wide range enough to obtain the full spectrum of doping-dependent electronic and magnetic properties. These attractive features have dedicated many researchers to thin-film growth of LSCO and LBCO. The critical temperature (Tc) of LSCO and LBCO is sensitive to strain as manifested by a positive pressure coefficient of Tc in bulk samples. In general, films are strained if they are grown on lattice-mismatched substrates (epitaxial strain). Early attempts (before 1997) at the growth of LSCO and LBCO films resulted in depressed Tc below 30 K as they were grown on a commonly used SrTiO3 substrate (in-plane lattice parameter asub = 3.905 Å): the in-plane lattice parameters of LSCO and LBCO are ≤3.80 Å, and hence tensile epitaxial strain is introduced. The situation was changed by the use of LaSrAlO4 substrates with a slightly shorter in-plane lattice constant (asub = 3.756 Å). On LaSrAlO4 substrates, the Tc reaches 45 K in La1.85Sr0.15CuO4, 47 K in La1.85Ba0.15CuO4, and 56 K in ozone-oxidized La2CuO4+δ films, substantially higher than the Tc's of the bulk compounds. The Tc increase in La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 films on LaSrAlO4 and decrease on SrTiO3 are semi-quantitatively in accord with the phenomenological estimations based on the anisotropic strain coefficients of Tc (dTc/dεi). In this review article, we describe the growth and properties of films of cuprates having the K2NiF4 structure, mainly focusing on the increase/decrease of Tc by epitaxial strain and quasi-stable phase formation by epitaxial stabilization. We further extract the structural and/or physical parameters controlling Tc toward microscopic understanding of the variation of Tc by epitaxial strain.

Amperean Pairing and the Pseudogap Phase of Cuprate Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Patrick A.

2014-07-01

The enigmatic pseudogap phase in underdoped cuprate high-Tc superconductors has long been recognized as a central puzzle of the Tc problem. Recent data show that the pseudogap is likely a distinct phase, characterized by a medium range and quasistatic charge ordering. However, the origin of the ordering wave vector and the mechanism of the charge order is unknown. At the same time, earlier data show that precursive superconducting fluctuations are also associated with this phase. We propose that the pseudogap phase is a novel pairing state where electrons on the same side of the Fermi surface are paired, in strong contrast with conventional Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory which pairs electrons on opposite sides of the Fermi surface. In this state the Cooper pair carries a net momentum and belongs to a general class called pair density wave. The microscopic pairing mechanism comes from a gauge theory formulation of the resonating valence bond (RVB) picture, where spinons traveling in the same direction feel an attractive force in analogy with Ampere's effects in electromagnetism. We call this Amperean pairing. Charge order automatically appears as a subsidiary order parameter even when long-range pair order is destroyed by phase fluctuations. Our theory gives a prediction of the ordering wave vector which is in good agreement with experiment. Furthermore, the quasiparticle spectrum from our model explains many of the unusual features reported in photoemission experiments. The Fermi arc, the unusual way the tip of the arc terminates, and the relation of the spanning vector of the arc tips to the charge ordering wave vector also come out naturally. Finally, we propose an experiment that can directly test the notion of Amperean pairing.

Transport measurements in superconductors: critical current of granular high TC ceramic superconductor samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Passos, W.A.C.

2016-01-01

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_2Cu_3O_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_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)

Phonon characteristics of high Tc superconductors from neutron Doppler broadening measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trela, W.J.; Kwei, G.H.; Lynn, J.E.; Meggers, K.

1994-01-01

Statistical information on the phonon frequency spectrum of materials can be measured by neutron transmission techniques if they contain nuclei with low energy resonances, narrow enough to be Doppler-broadened, in their neutron cross sections. The authors have carried out some measurements using this technique for materials of the lanthanum barium cuprate class, La 2-x Ba x CuO 4 . Two samples with slightly different concentrations of oxygen, one being superconductive, the other not, were examined. Pure lanthanum cuprate was also measured. Lanthanum, barium and copper all have relatively low energy narrow resonances. Thus it should be possible to detect differences in the phonons carried by different kinds of atom in the lattice. Neutron cross section measurements have been made with high energy resolution and statistical precision on the 59m flight path of LANSCE, the pulsed spallation neutron source at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Measurements on all three materials were made over a range of temperatures from 15K to 300K, with small steps through the critical temperature region near 27K. No significant changes in the mean phonon energy of the lanthanum atoms were observed near the critical temperature of the super-conducting material. It appears however that the mean phonon energy of lanthanum in the superconductor is considerably higher than that in the non-superconductors. The samples used in this series of experiments were too thin in barium and copper to determine anything significant about their phonon spectra

Phonon characteristics of high {Tc} superconductors from neutron Doppler broadening measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trela, W.J.; Kwei, G.H.; Lynn, J.E. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States); Meggers, K. [Univ. of Kiel (Germany)

1994-12-01

Statistical information on the phonon frequency spectrum of materials can be measured by neutron transmission techniques if they contain nuclei with low energy resonances, narrow enough to be Doppler-broadened, in their neutron cross sections. The authors have carried out some measurements using this technique for materials of the lanthanum barium cuprate class, La{sub 2{minus}x}Ba{sub x}CuO{sub 4}. Two samples with slightly different concentrations of oxygen, one being superconductive, the other not, were examined. Pure lanthanum cuprate was also measured. Lanthanum, barium and copper all have relatively low energy narrow resonances. Thus it should be possible to detect differences in the phonons carried by different kinds of atom in the lattice. Neutron cross section measurements have been made with high energy resolution and statistical precision on the 59m flight path of LANSCE, the pulsed spallation neutron source at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Measurements on all three materials were made over a range of temperatures from 15K to 300K, with small steps through the critical temperature region near 27K. No significant changes in the mean phonon energy of the lanthanum atoms were observed near the critical temperature of the super-conducting material. It appears however that the mean phonon energy of lanthanum in the superconductor is considerably higher than that in the non-superconductors. The samples used in this series of experiments were too thin in barium and copper to determine anything significant about their phonon spectra.

Electronic components with yttrium- and bismuth-based high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daginnus, M.; Guettler, B.

1992-01-01

This project investigates the fabrication of microwave components by use of high-Tc superconductors. Detailed descriptions are given of the manufacturing and use of active Y-Ba-Cu-O components. The surface resistance of thin films used in high-quality passive microwave components such as resonators and filters is measured and optimized. (orig./MM) [de

Temperature and carrier density dependence of anisotropy in supercurrent density in layered cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, M.P.; Tewari, B.S.; Ajay

2006-01-01

In the present work, we have studied the effect of temperature and carrier density on anisotropy in supercurrent density in bilayer cuprate superconductors. Here, we have considered a tight binding bilayered Hubbard Hamiltonian containing intra and interlayer attractive interactions. The situation considered here is similar to a SIS junction. We have got the expressions for the superconducting order parameters, carrier density and anisotropy in superconducting density (I ab /I c ) for such SIS junction. The numerical analysis show that the anisotropy in the supercurrent density depends on temperature and carrier density in layered high T c cuprates. (author)

Inverse correlation between quasiparticle mass and T c in a cuprate high-T c superconductor.

Science.gov (United States)

Putzke, Carsten; Malone, Liam; Badoux, Sven; Vignolle, Baptiste; Vignolles, David; Tabis, Wojciech; Walmsley, Philip; Bird, Matthew; Hussey, Nigel E; Proust, Cyril; Carrington, Antony

2016-03-01

Close to a zero-temperature transition between ordered and disordered electronic phases, quantum fluctuations can lead to a strong enhancement of electron mass and to the emergence of competing phases such as superconductivity. A correlation between the existence of such a quantum phase transition and superconductivity is quite well established in some heavy fermion and iron-based superconductors, and there have been suggestions that high-temperature superconductivity in copper-oxide materials (cuprates) may also be driven by the same mechanism. Close to optimal doping, where the superconducting transition temperature T c is maximal in cuprates, two different phases are known to compete with superconductivity: a poorly understood pseudogap phase and a charge-ordered phase. Recent experiments have shown a strong increase in quasiparticle mass m* in the cuprate YBa2Cu3O7-δ as optimal doping is approached, suggesting that quantum fluctuations of the charge-ordered phase may be responsible for the high-T c superconductivity. We have tested the robustness of this correlation between m* and T c by performing quantum oscillation studies on the stoichiometric compound YBa2Cu4O8 under hydrostatic pressure. In contrast to the results for YBa2Cu3O7-δ, we find that in YBa2Cu4O8, the mass decreases as T c increases under pressure. This inverse correlation between m* and T c suggests that quantum fluctuations of the charge order enhance m* but do not enhance T c.

The disordered Bose condensate in two dimensions: application to high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gold, A.

1992-01-01

We calculate the dynamical conductivity for a weakly disordered Bose condensate in two dimensions. The disorder is due to neutral impurities. We compare the asymptotic laws (for small and large frequencies) for neutral impurities with the ones for charged impurities. Universal functions for the dynamical transport properties are derived. The plasmon density of states shows a linear increase with energy for intermediate energies and a peak structure at larger energies. Our theoretical results are compared with experimental results (far-infrared, electron-energy-loss and Raman spectroscopy) found in the high-Tc superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . The occurrence of a quasi-gap in a disordered Bose condensate is described and discussed in connection with experiments on high-Tc superconductors. (orig.)

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.

Preparation and properties of high-Tc Bi-oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeda, H.

1989-01-01

Bulk superconductors of Pb-doped Bi-oxide system (BSCCO) dominated with the high-Tc phase have the critical transition temperature, Tc of 110 K, and the upper critical fields, H c2 of 140 T at OK and 60 T at 77 K. A highly dense and a highly oriented microstructure is obtained by inserting an intermediate uniaxial pressing process. The critical current density, Jc at 77 K in zero field, Jc (77K,OT) of some 5000 A/cm 2 can be easily obtained by this process, and the field dependence of Jc is also improved. Flexible high-Tc BSCCO ribbons with a Jc (77K,Ot) of 1850 A/cm 2 have been successfully prepared by the combined process of doctor blade casting, cold rolling and sintering. Aq-sheeted multifilamentary wires with 1330 filaments and tapes with 30 filaments have also been successfully fabricated and the 36-filament tape shows a Jc(77K,OT) of 1050 A/cm 2 . (Auth.). 7 refs.; 7 figs

High pressure study of high temperatures superconductors: Material base, universal Tc-behavior, and charge transfer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, C.W.; Hor, P.H.; Lin, J.G.; Xiong, Q.; Huang, Z.J.; Meng, R.L.; Xue, Y.Y.; Jean, Y.C.

1991-01-01

The superconducting transition temperature (T c ) has been measured in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.7 , YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 , Y 2 Ba 4 Cu 7 O 15 , YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 , Tl 2 Ba 2 Ca n-1 Cu n O n+4-δ , La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 , and La 2-x Ba x CuO 4 under high pressures. The pressure effect on the positron lifetime (τ) has also been determined in the first four compounds. Based on these and other high pressure data, the authors suggest that (1) all known cuprate high temperature superconductors (HTS's) may be no more than mere modifications of either 214-T, 214-T', 123, or a combination of 214-T' and 123, (2) a nonmonotonic T c -behavior may govern the T c -variation of all hole cuprate HTS's and (3) pressure can induce charge transfer leading to a T c -change. The implications of these suggestions will also be discussed

Considerations for improved polycrystalline cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinde, S.L.; Shaw, T.M.

1990-01-01

Polycrystalline cuprate superconductors exhibit two-stage superconducting transitions, that are characteristic of granular systems. This behaviour suggests approaches involving improvements in intra and inter-grain properties in order to improve the technologically important superconducting properties such as the magnetic remanent moment and transport critical current density. This paper reports results of our studies on oxygenation, twin density control through grain size and changes in flux pinning within the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ matrix with Ag substitution under the heading of intra-grain properties and the detrimental effect of grain boundary phases and the effect of Ag substitution on grain boundary pinning under the heading of inter-grain properties

Doping dependence of charge order in electron-doped cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Mou, Yingping; Feng, Shiping

2017-12-01

In the recent studies of the unconventional physics in cuprate superconductors, one of the central issues is the interplay between charge order and superconductivity. Here the mechanism of the charge-order formation in the electron-doped cuprate superconductors is investigated based on the t-J model. The experimentally observed momentum dependence of the electron quasiparticle scattering rate is qualitatively reproduced, where the scattering rate is highly anisotropic in momentum space, and is intriguingly related to the charge-order gap. Although the scattering strength appears to be weakest at the hot spots, the scattering in the antinodal region is stronger than that in the nodal region, which leads to the original electron Fermi surface is broken up into the Fermi pockets and their coexistence with the Fermi arcs located around the nodal region. In particular, this electron Fermi surface instability drives the charge-order correlation, with the charge-order wave vector that matches well with the wave vector connecting the hot spots, as the charge-order correlation in the hole-doped counterparts. However, in a striking contrast to the hole-doped case, the charge-order wave vector in the electron-doped side increases in magnitude with the electron doping. The theory also shows the existence of a quantitative link between the single-electron fermiology and the collective response of the electron density.

Experimental Set-Up for Evaluation of Electro-Magnetic Characteristics of High-Tc Superconductors Cooled by Liquid Hydrogen

OpenAIRE

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

2013-01-01

Liquid hydrogen (LH2) has excellent properties as a coolant, such as large latent heat, low viscosity coefficient, etc. Not only MgB2 but also other high-Tc superconductors are expected to have excellent properties when cooled by LH2. It is necessary for a stability design of a high-Tc superconductor cooled by LH2 to make an electro-magnetic characteristic clear. However, due to the handling difficulties of LH2, there are only few papers on the properties of LH2-cooled superconductors, especi...

Half-integer flux quantum effect in cuprate superconductors - a probe of pairing symmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuei, C.C.; Kirtley, J.R.; Gupta, A.; Sun, J.Z.; Moler, K.A.; Wang, J.H.

1996-01-01

Based on macroscopic quantum coherence effects arising from pair tunneling and flux quantization, a series of tricrystal experiments have been designed and carried out to test the order parameter symmetry in high-T c cuprate superconductors. By using a scanning SQUID microscope, we have directly and non-invasively observed the spontaneously generated half-integer flux quantum effect in controlled-orientation tricrystal cuprate superconducting systems. The presence or absence of the half-integer flux quantum effect as a function of the tricrystal geometry allows us to prove that the order parameter symmetry in the YBCO and Tl2201 systems is consistent with that of the d x 2 -y 2 pair state. (orig.)

AC losses in high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, A.M.

1998-01-01

Full text: Although in principle the AC losses in high Tc superconductors can be calculated from the critical current density, a number of complications make this difficult. The Jc is very field dependent, there are intergranular and intragranular critical currents, the material is anisotropic and there is usually a large demagnetising factor. Care must be taken in interpreting electrical measurements since the voltage depends on the position of the contacts. In spite of these complications the simple theory of Norris has proved surprisingly successful and arguments will be presented as to why this is the case. Results on a range of tapes will be compared with theory and numerical methods for predicting losses discussed. Finally a theory for coupling losses will be given for a composite conductor with high resistance barriers round the filaments

Transport phenomena in high Tc superconductors. Resume of Ph.D thesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crisan, I.A.

1994-01-01

This is an extended abstract of the Ph. D. thesis devoted to the transport phenomena in high-Tc superconductors. There are three chapters. The first chapter presents an overview of the essential theoretical aspects concerning the vortex dynamics particularly in ceramic superconductors. The chapter two gives a description of the preparation methods of superconductor samples used by the author as well as the measurement devices for volt-ampere characteristics and the associated electronic circuitry. In the third chapter there are presented the experimental data obtained from different samples prepared in different temperature and magnetic field conditions. The obtained results are finally interpreted in the frame of existent or original models. (M.I.C.). 31 Refs

Magnetically-related properties of bismuth containing high Tc superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Vezzoli, Gary C.; Chen, M. F.; Craver, F.; Safari, A.; Moon, B. M.; Lalevic, B.; Burke, Terence; Shoga, M.

1990-08-01

The effect of magnetic fields to 15 T on electrical resistance has been measured for the BiSrCaCuO superconductor at precise temperatures during the transition to the superconducting state from pre-onset conditions to essentially zero resistance conditions. The results show that the temperature at which the magnetic field causes a divergence in the resistance versus 1000/ T curve is approximately the same temperature as the value at which, during cooling, the positive Hall coefficient begins its abrupt descent to zero. This temperature gives the best measure of Tc. It is also shown that small oscillations of low frequency start near onset conditions, the amplitude of which at a given temperature is B-field dependent. Additionally, Hall effect studies as a function of temperature at 4 T in three separate experiments (including high Tc BiSrCaCu PbO of > 90% theoretical density) show that sharp delta-function-like peaks in + RH are observed near Tc and are superimposed on a broader maximum. The Hall data are explicable in terms of exciton formation and ionization. The bound holes associated with these excitons are believed to be the mediators producing Cooper-pairing, and scale very well with Tc for all the known high Tc oxides.

Evidence for phononic pairing in extremely overdoped ``pure'' d-wave superconductor Bi2212

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yu; Hishimoto, Makoto; Song, Dongjoon; Eisaki, Hiroshi; Shen, Zhi-Xun

2015-03-01

Recent advancement in High Tc cuprate superconductor research has elucidated strong interaction between superconductivity and competing orders. Therefore, the mechanism behind the 'pure' d-wave superconducting behavior becomes the next stepping stone to further the understanding. We have performed photoemission study on extremely overdoped Bi2212 single crystal synthesized via high pressure method. In this regime, we demonstrate the much reduced superconducting gap and the absence of pseudogap. Clear gap shifted bosonic mode coupling is observed throughout the entire Brillouin zone. Via full Eliashberg treatment, we find the electron-phonon coupling strength capable of producing a transition temperature very close to Tc. This strongly implies bosonic contribution to cuprate superconductivity's pairing glue.

Quasi-particles ultrafastly releasing kink bosons to form Fermi arcs in a cuprate superconductor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishida, Y; Saitoh, T; Mochiku, T; Nakane, T; Hirata, K; Shin, S

2016-01-05

In a conventional framework, superconductivity is lost at a critical temperature (Tc) because, at higher temperatures, gluing bosons can no longer bind two electrons into a Cooper pair. In high-Tc cuprates, it is still unknown how superconductivity vanishes at Tc. We provide evidence that the so-called ≲ 70-meV kink bosons that dress the quasi-particle excitations are playing a key role in the loss of superconductivity in a cuprate. We irradiated a 170-fs laser pulse on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+δ) and monitored the responses of the superconducting gap and dressed quasi-particles by time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We observe an ultrafast loss of superconducting gap near the d-wave node, or light-induced Fermi arcs, which is accompanied by spectral broadenings and weight redistributions occurring within the kink binding energy. We discuss that the underlying mechanism of the spectral broadening that induce the Fermi arc is the undressing of quasi-particles from the kink bosons. The loss mechanism is beyond the conventional framework, and can accept the unconventional phenomena such as the signatures of Cooper pairs remaining at temperatures above Tc.

Fe-vacancy and superconductivity in FeSe-based superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, C. H.; Chen, T. K.; Chang, C. C.; Lee, Y. C.; Wang, M. J.; Huang, K. C.; Wu, P. M.; Wu, M. K.

2018-06-01

This review summarizes recent advancements in FeSe and related systems. The FeSe and related superconductors are currently receiving considerable attention for the high Tcs observed and for many similar features to the high Tc cuprate superconductors. These similarities suggest that understanding the FeSe based compounds could potentially help our understanding of the cuprates. We shall first review the common features observed in the FeSe-based system. It was found that with a careful control of material synthesizing processes, numerous rich phases have been observed in the FeSe-based system. Detailed studies show that the Fe-vacancy ordered phases found in the FeSe based compounds, which are non-superconducting Mott insulators, are the parent compounds of the superconductors. Superconductivity emerges from the parent phases by disordering the Fe vacancy order, often by a simple annealing treatment. Recent high temperature X-ray diffraction experiments show that the degree of structural distortion associated with the disorder of Fe-vacancy is closely related to volume fraction of the superconductivity observed. These results suggest the strong lattice to spin coupling are important for the occurrence of superconductivity in FeSe based superconductors.

Magnetic field induced incommensurate resonance in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jingge; Cheng Li; Guo Huaiming; Feng Shiping

2009-01-01

The influence of a uniform external magnetic field on the dynamical spin response of cuprate superconductors in the superconducting state is studied based on the kinetic energy driven superconducting mechanism. It is shown that the magnetic scattering around low and intermediate energies is dramatically changed with a modest external magnetic field. With increasing the external magnetic field, although the incommensurate magnetic scattering from both low and high energies is rather robust, the commensurate magnetic resonance scattering peak is broadened. The part of the spin excitation dispersion seems to be an hourglass-like dispersion, which breaks down at the heavily low energy regime. The theory also predicts that the commensurate resonance scattering at zero external magnetic field is induced into the incommensurate resonance scattering by applying an external magnetic field large enough

Pair-density waves, charge-density waves, and vortices in high-Tc cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Zhehao; Zhang, Ya-Hui; Senthil, T.; Lee, Patrick A.

2018-05-01

A recent scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiment reports the observation of a charge-density wave (CDW) with a period of approximately 8a in the halo region surrounding the vortex core, in striking contrast to the approximately 4a period CDWs that are commonly observed in the cuprates. Inspired by this work, we study a model where a bidirectional pair-density wave (PDW) with period 8 is at play. This further divides into two classes: (1) where the PDW is a competing state of the d -wave superconductor and can exist only near the vortex core where the d -wave order is suppressed and (2) where the PDW is the primary order, the so-called "mother state" that persists with strong phase fluctuations to high temperature and high magnetic field and lies behind the pseudogap phenomenology. We study the charge-density wave structures near the vortex core in these models. We emphasize the importance of the phase winding of the d -wave order parameter. The PDW can be pinned by the vortex core due to this winding and become static. Furthermore, the period-8 CDW inherits the properties of this winding, which gives rise to a special feature of the Fourier transform peak, namely, it is split in certain directions. There is also a line of zeros in the inverse Fourier transform of filtered data. We propose that these are key experimental signatures that can distinguish between the PDW-driven scenario from the more mundane option that the period-8 CDW is primary. We discuss the pro's and con's of the options considered above. Finally, we attempt to place the STM experiment in the broader context of pseudogap physics of underdoped cuprates and relate this observation to the unusual properties of x-ray scattering data on CDW carried out to very high magnetic field.

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

Iron-based superconductors, discovered just a few years ago, are members of a diverse family of pnictides and chalcogenides which may potentially contain hundreds of superconducting compounds. The unconventional, multiband superconductivity in these materials most likely emerges from the quintessential magnetic Fe ions. Along with many similarities to the high-Tc cuprates, the proximity of antiferromagnetism to superconductivity in these semi-metallic materials has attracted much attention. The massive effort aimed at understanding superconductivity in the high-Tc cuprates has stimulated the development of numerous state-of-the-art experimental techniques, improved crystal growth methods and a variety of new theoretical insights. These tools and models were already available and readily applied to the new iron-based superconductors for which lots of high quality new results are being reported literally every day. The current special section represents only a snapshot of these extensive studies performed in the second half of 2009, less than two years after the discovery of 26 K superconductivity in the LaFeAsO compound. The range of various experiments is impressive and this issue is mostly focused on the electromagnetic properties of these iron-based materials. The electromagnetic response is sensitive to the microscopic electronic behavior and therefore can be used to probe the mechanism of superconductivity. On the other hand, it is the electromagnetic response that determines many possible applications of these superconductors, particularly given their extremely high upper critical fields. At this point it is already quite clear that the iron-based superconductors cannot unambiguously fit into any known type of superconductor class and have been placed in one of their own. The metallic ground state of the parent compounds is different from the insulating state of the cuprates and generally exhibits a lower electromagnetic anisotropy. However, similar to the

Electronic bound states in parity-preserving QED{sub 3} applied to high-T{sub c} cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christiansen, H.R. [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CBPF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao de Teoria de Campos e Particulas]. E-mail: hugo@cbpf.br; Cima, O.M. Del [Universidade Catolica de Petropolis, RJ (Brazil). Grupo de Fisica Teorica]. E-mail: delcima@gft.ucp.br; Ferreira Junior, M.M. [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CBPF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao de Teoria de Campos e Particulas]|[Maranhao Univ., Sao Luis, MA (Brazil). Dept. de Fisica]. E-mail: manojr@cbpf.br; Helayel-Neto, J.A. [Universidade Catolica de Petropolis, RJ (Brazil). Grupo de Fisica Teorica]|[Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CBPF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao de Teoria de Campos e Particulas]. E-mail: helayel@gft.ucp.br

2001-08-01

We consider a parity-preserving QED{sub 3} model with spontaneous breaking of the gauge symmetry as a framework for the evaluation of the electron-electron interaction potential underlying high-T{sub e} superconductivity. The fact that resulting potential, - C{sub s} K{sub o} (Mr), is non-confining and weak (in the sense of Kato) strongly suggests the mechanism of pair-condensation. This potential, compatible with an s-wave order parameters, is then applied to the Schrodinger equation for the sake of numerical calculations, thereby enforcing the existence of bound states. The results worked out by means of our theoretical framework are checked by considering a number of phenomenological data extracted from different copper oxide superconductors. The agreement may motivate a deeper analysis of our model viewing an application to quasi-planar cuprate superconductors. The data analyzed here suggest an energy scale of 1-10 meV for the breaking of the U(1)-symmetry. (author)

High-Tc cuprate superconductivity in a nutshell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Won, Hyekyung; Haas, Stephan; Parker, David; Maki, Kazumi

2005-01-01

Since the discovery of high-T c cuprate superconductivity in 1986 many new experimental techniques and theoretical concepts have been developed. In particular it was shown that the BCS theory of d-wave superconductivity describes semi-quantitatively the high-T c superconductivity. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that Volovik's approach is extremely useful for finding the quasiparticle properties in the vortex state. Here we survey these developments and forecast future directions. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Aspects of electron correlations in the cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brenig, W.

1995-01-01

We review concepts and effects of electron correlations in the copper-oxide superconductors. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, we provide an overview of results of various electron spectroscopies, Raman scattering and optical conductivity studies with a particular emphasis on experiments which identify the charge and spin correlations relevant to the cuprates. Second, we focus on microscopic theories of the single-particle excitations, and the charge and spin dynamics in the normal state of cuprates considering those models which incorporate strong electron correlations. The single-particle spectrum of the three-band Hubbard model is reviewed and related to results of electron spectroscopy. The carrier dynamics in the t-J model and the one-band Hubbard model at low doping is discussed in detail. We examine approaches which describe the single-particle excitations of correlated electron systems at finite doping. Theories of the static and dynamic magnetic correlations are considered and we speculate on the consequences of the spin dynamics for Raman scattering and the optical conductivity. Finally, selected phenomenological ideas are reviewed. ((orig.))

Large and high-quality single-crystal growth of cuprate superconductor Bi-2223 using the traveling-solvent floating-zone (TSFZ) method

Science.gov (United States)

Adachi, Shintaro; Usui, Tomohiro; Kosugi, Kenta; Sasaki, Nae; Sato, Kentaro; Fujita, Masaki; Yamada, Kazuyoshi; Fujii, Takenori; Watanabe, Takao

In high superconducting transition temperature (high-Tc) cuprates, it is empirically known that Tc increases on increasing the number of CuO2 planes in a unit cell n from 1 to 3. Bi-family cuprates are ideal for investigating the microscopic mechanism involved. However, it is difficult to grow tri-layered Bi-2223, probably owing to its narrow crystallization field. Here, we report improved crystal growth of this compound using the TSFZ method under conditions slightly different from those in an earlier report [J. Cryst. Growth 223, 175 (2001)]. A Bi-rich feed-rod composition of Bi2.2Sr1.9Ca2Cu3Oy and a slightly oxygen-reduced atmosphere (mixed gas flow of O2 (10%) and Ar (90%)) were adopted for the crystal growth. In addition, to increase the supersaturation of the melts, we applied a large temperature gradient along the solid-liquid interface by shielding a high-angle light beam using Al foil around the quartz tube. In this way, we succeeded in preparing large (2 × 2 × 0 . 05 mm3) and high-quality (almost 100% pure) Bi-2223 single crystals. Hirosaki University Grant for Exploratory Research by Young Scientists and Newly-appointed Scientists.

Electronic properites of electron-doped cuprate superconductors probed by high-field magnetotransport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helm, Toni

2013-01-01

In the present work the normal-state properties of the electron-doped cuprate superconductor Nd 2-x Ce x CuO 4 (NCCO) are investigated for a broad doping range, covering almost the whole phase diagram of this material. Magnetotransport measurements in the world's highest non-destructive magnetic fields were used as a spectroscopic tool for probing the electronic structure of single-crystalline NCCO as a function of the carrier concentration x. Quantum and semiclassical oscillations in the magnetoresistance provided new insights into various properties of the Fermi surface and the nature of the ground state in the system. The detailed investigations of the field- and temperature-dependent transport and its dependence on the field orientation have revealed a close correlation between symmetry-breaking ordering instabilities and the superconducting state.

Electronic properites of electron-doped cuprate superconductors probed by high-field magnetotransport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Helm, Toni

2013-09-18

In the present work the normal-state properties of the electron-doped cuprate superconductor Nd{sub 2-x}Ce{sub x}CuO{sub 4} (NCCO) are investigated for a broad doping range, covering almost the whole phase diagram of this material. Magnetotransport measurements in the world's highest non-destructive magnetic fields were used as a spectroscopic tool for probing the electronic structure of single-crystalline NCCO as a function of the carrier concentration x. Quantum and semiclassical oscillations in the magnetoresistance provided new insights into various properties of the Fermi surface and the nature of the ground state in the system. The detailed investigations of the field- and temperature-dependent transport and its dependence on the field orientation have revealed a close correlation between symmetry-breaking ordering instabilities and the superconducting state.

Electronic properites of electron-doped cuprate superconductors probed by high-field magnetotransport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Helm, Toni

2013-09-18

In the present work the normal-state properties of the electron-doped cuprate superconductor Nd{sub 2-x}Ce{sub x}CuO{sub 4} (NCCO) are investigated for a broad doping range, covering almost the whole phase diagram of this material. Magnetotransport measurements in the world's highest non-destructive magnetic fields were used as a spectroscopic tool for probing the electronic structure of single-crystalline NCCO as a function of the carrier concentration x. Quantum and semiclassical oscillations in the magnetoresistance provided new insights into various properties of the Fermi surface and the nature of the ground state in the system. The detailed investigations of the field- and temperature-dependent transport and its dependence on the field orientation have revealed a close correlation between symmetry-breaking ordering instabilities and the superconducting state.

Electromagnetic wave absorption in high-Tc superconductors and its application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porjesz, T.; Khatiashvili, N.; Kovacs, Gy.; Leppavuori, S.; Uusimaki, A.; Kokkomaki, T.; Hagberg, J.

1995-08-01

The experimental study of the electromagnetic wave absorption of high-Tc superconductors subjected to small magnetic fields has been extended to a wide frequency range. The results obtained show an almost frequency independent behaviour in the 4 MHz - 20 GHz region. The measurement technique for the high frequency regime was developed in such a way that the sensitivity increased so much that the sample under investigation could be used as a very sensitive magnetic field detector, too. (author). 4 refs, 8 figs, 1 tab

Flop transitions in cuprate and color superconductors: From SO(5) to SO(10) unification?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chandrasekharan, S.; Chudnovsky, V.; Schlittgen, B.; Wiese, U.-J

2001-03-01

The phase diagrams of cuprate superconductors and of QCD at non-zero baryon chemical potential are qualitatively similar. The Neel phase of the cuprates corresponds to the chirally broken phase of QCD, and the high-temperature superconducting phase corresponds to the color superconducting phase. In the SO(5) theory for the cuprates the SO(3){sub s} spin rotational symmetry and the U(1){sub em} gauge symmetry of electromagnetism are dynamically unified. This suggests that the SU(2){sub L} x SU(2){sub R} x U(1){sub B} chiral symmetry of QCD and the SU(3){sub c} color gauge symmetry may get unified to SO(10). Dynamical enhancement of symmetry from SO(2){sub s} x Z(2) to SO(3){sub s} is known to occur in anisotropic antiferromagnets. In these systems the staggered magnetization flops from an easy 3-axis into the 12-plane at a critical value of the external magnetic field. Similarly, the phase transitions in the SO(5) and SO(10) models are flop transitions of a 'superspin'. Despite this fact, a renormalization group flow analysis in 4 -- {epsilon} dimensions indicates that a point with full SO(5) or SO(10) symmetry exists neither in the cuprates nor in QCD.

Flop transitions in cuprate and color superconductors: From SO(5) to SO(10) unification?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandrasekharan, S.; Chudnovsky, V.; Schlittgen, B.; Wiese, U.-J.

2001-01-01

The phase diagrams of cuprate superconductors and of QCD at non-zero baryon chemical potential are qualitatively similar. The Neel phase of the cuprates corresponds to the chirally broken phase of QCD, and the high-temperature superconducting phase corresponds to the color superconducting phase. In the SO(5) theory for the cuprates the SO(3) s spin rotational symmetry and the U(1) em gauge symmetry of electromagnetism are dynamically unified. This suggests that the SU(2) L x SU(2) R x U(1) B chiral symmetry of QCD and the SU(3) c color gauge symmetry may get unified to SO(10). Dynamical enhancement of symmetry from SO(2) s x Z(2) to SO(3) s is known to occur in anisotropic antiferromagnets. In these systems the staggered magnetization flops from an easy 3-axis into the 12-plane at a critical value of the external magnetic field. Similarly, the phase transitions in the SO(5) and SO(10) models are flop transitions of a 'superspin'. Despite this fact, a renormalization group flow analysis in 4 -- ε dimensions indicates that a point with full SO(5) or SO(10) symmetry exists neither in the cuprates nor in QCD

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

Multilayered cuprate superconductor Ba2Ca5Cu6O12(O1-x,Fx) 2 studied by temperature-dependent scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Sugimoto, Akira; Ekino, Toshikazu; Gabovich, Alexander M.; Sekine, Ryotaro; Tanabe, Kenji; Tokiwa, Kazuyasu

2017-05-01

Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements were carried out on a multilayered cuprate superconductor Ba2Ca5Cu6O12 (O1 -x,Fx )2. STM topography revealed random spot structures with the characteristic length ≤0.5 nm. The conductance spectra d I /d V (V ) show the coexistence of smaller gaps ΔS and large gaps (pseudogaps) ΔL. The pseudogap-related features in the superconducting state were traced with the spatial resolution of ˜0.07 nm. Here, I and V are the tunnel current and bias voltage, respectively. The temperature, T , dependence of ΔS follows the reduced Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) dependence. The hallmark ratio 2 ΔS(T =0 ) /kBTc equals to 4.9, which is smaller than those of other cuprate superconductors. Here, Tc is the superconducting critical temperature and kB is the Boltzmann constant. The larger gap ΔL survives in the normal state and even increases with T above Tc. The T dependencies of the spatial distributions for both relevant gaps (Δ map), as well as for each gap separately (ΔS and ΔL), were obtained. From the histogram of Δ map, the averaged gap values were found to be Δ¯S=˜24 meV and Δ¯L=˜79 meV. The smaller gap ΔS shows a spatially homogeneous distribution while the larger gap ΔL is quite inhomogeneous, indicating that rather homogeneous superconductivity coexists with the patchy distributed pseudogap. The spatial variation length ξΔ L of ΔL correlates with the scale of the topography spot structures, being approximately 0.4 nm. This value is considerably smaller than the coherence length of this class of superconductors, suggesting that ΔL is strongly affected by the disorder of the apical O/F.

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

Superconductivity. Quasiparticle mass enhancement approaching optimal doping in a high-T(c) superconductor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramshaw, B J; Sebastian, S E; McDonald, R D; Day, James; Tan, B S; Zhu, Z; Betts, J B; Liang, Ruixing; Bonn, D A; Hardy, W N; Harrison, N

2015-04-17

In the quest for superconductors with higher transition temperatures (T(c)), one emerging motif is that electronic interactions favorable for superconductivity can be enhanced by fluctuations of a broken-symmetry phase. Recent experiments have suggested the existence of the requisite broken-symmetry phase in the high-T(c) cuprates, but the impact of such a phase on the ground-state electronic interactions has remained unclear. We used magnetic fields exceeding 90 tesla to access the underlying metallic state of the cuprate YBa2Cu3O(6+δ) over a wide range of doping, and observed magnetic quantum oscillations that reveal a strong enhancement of the quasiparticle effective mass toward optimal doping. This mass enhancement results from increasing electronic interactions approaching optimal doping, and suggests a quantum critical point at a hole doping of p(crit) ≈ 0.18. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Stabilization of high T(sub c) phase in bismuth cuprate superconductor by lead doping

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Ram. P.; Pachauri, J. P.; Khokle, W. S.; Nagpal, K. C.; Date, S. K.

1990-01-01

It has widely been ascertained that doping of lead in Bi:Sr:Ca:Cu:O systems promotes the growth of high T(sub c) (110 K) phase, improves critical current density, and lowers processing temperature. A systematic investigation is undertaken to determine optimum lead content and processing conditions to achieve these. A large number of samples with cationic compositions of Bi(2-x)Pb(x)Sr2Ca2Cu3 (x = 0.2 to 2.0) were prepared by conventional solid state reaction technique. Samples of all compositions were annealed together at a temperature and characterized through resistance-temperature (R-T) measurements and x ray diffraction (XRD) to determine the zero resistance temperature, T(sub c)(0) and to identify presence of phases, respectively. The annealing temperature was varied between 790 C to optimize processing parameters. Results are given. In brief, an optimum process is reported along with composition of leaded bismuth cuprate superconductor which yields nearly a high T(sub c) single phase with highly stable superconducting properties.

Oxygen stoichiometry and the high Tc superconducting oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarascon, J.M.; Bagley, B.G.

1989-01-01

Methods for determining the oxygen content in high Tc materials, such as thermogravimetric analysis and chemical analysis, are discussed. Consideration is given to La-based cuprates, Y-based cuprates, and Bi-based cuprates. Superconducting transition temperatures are analyzed as a function of the Cu(1)-O(4) bond lengths for several different compositions in the Y-based system. 28 references

Nonequilibrium states of high tc YBCO superconductors under tunnel injection of quasiparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iguchi, I.; Wang, Q.; Lee, K.; Yoshida, K.

1995-01-01

The nonequilibrium states of high Tc superconductors are investigated by means of tunnel injection of quasiparticles using Pb(or Au)/MgO/YBCO tunnel junctions. The effective critical-current reduction due to tunnel injection is observed, whose behaviour is different from simple heating. The observed results suggest that the resultant nonequilibrium states may also differ from those described by conventional nonequilibrium models

Comparative Review on Thin Film Growth of Iron-Based Superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshinori Imai

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Since the discovery of the novel iron-based superconductors, both theoretical and experimental studies have been performed intensively. Because iron-based superconductors have a smaller anisotropy than high-Tc cuprates and a high superconducting transition temperature, there have been a lot of researchers working on the film fabrication of iron-based superconductors and their application. Accordingly, many novel features have been reported in the films of iron-based superconductors, for example, the fabrication of the epitaxial film with a higher Tc than bulk samples, the extraction of the metastable phase which cannot be obtained by the conventional solid state reaction, and so on. In this paper, we review the progress of research on thin film fabrications of iron-based superconductors, especially the four categories: LnFeAs(O,F (Ln = Lanthanide, AEFe2As2 (AE = Alkaline-earth metal, FeCh (Ch = Chalcogen, and FeSe monolayer. Furthermore, we focus on two important topics in thin films of iron-based superconductors; one is the substrate material for thin film growth on the iron-based superconductors, and the other is the whole phase diagram in FeSe1-xTex which can be obtained only by using film-fabrication technique.

The Effect of Twins on Critical Currents of High Tc Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

1989-01-01

particles to stick together due to electrostatic forces. To overcome this we have formed a slurry of the material in liquid nitrogen and flash...can use and the liquid convection tends to counteract the separation process. We have-now designed a magnetic track which particles will slide down with...Currents of High Tc Superconductors" - A.M. Campbell and M.F. Ashby The initial work on levitation forces and separation of superconducting powders has

Device-quality tunnel junctions on the high Tc superconductor HgBa2CuO4+δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zasadzinski, J.; Chen, J.; Romano, P.; Gray, K.E.; Wagner, J.L.; Hinks, D.G.

1995-01-01

SIN and SIS tunnel junction devices (e.g. photon detectors, logic elements) require quasiparticle characteristics that exhibit sharp current onsets at the gap voltage and very low sub-gap conductances. Progress is reported on the development of such junctions on High Tc cuprates using mechanical point contacts. In general, these contacts display the optimum characteristics that can be obtained from HTS native-surface tunnel barriers. Most cuprates display a sub-gap conductance which monotonically increases with voltage about the minimum value at zero bias. However, tunneling data of unusually high quality have been obtained for the recently discovered Hg-based cuprate, HgBa 2 CuO 4 (T c =96K). SIS' tunneling data using a Nb tip are presented which exhibit very low and flat sub-gap conductances and sharp conductance peaks as expected from a BCS density of states. These results are slightly improved over earlier published results with SIN junctions. Use of the experimental data to simulate the performance of a quasiparticle mixer demonstrates that noise temperatures approaching the quantum limit are possible for SIS and SIN mixers in the range 1-5 THz

International Discussion Meeting on High-Tc Superconductors

CERN Document Server

1988-01-01

In the past two years conferences on superconductivity have been characterized by the attendance of hundreds of scientists. Consequently, the organizers were forced to schedule numerous parallel sessions and poster presentations with an almost unsurveyable amount of information. It was, therefore, felt that a more informal get-together, providing ample time for a thourough discussion of some topics of current interest in high-temperature superconductivity, was timely and benefitial for leading scientists as well as for newcomers in the field. The present volume contains the majority of papers presented at the International Discussion Meeting on High-Tc Superconductors held at the Mauterndorf Castle in the Austrian Alps from February 7 to 11, 1988. Each subject was introduced in review form by a few invited speakers and then discussed together with the contributed poster presentations. These discussion sessions chaired by selected scientists turned out to be the highlights of the meeting, not only because all ...

Normal state Raman spectra of high-Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishoyi, K.C.; Rout, G.C.; Behera, S.N.

2003-01-01

We present a microscopic theory to explain Raman spectra of high-T c cuprates R 2-x M x CuO 4 in the normal state. We used electronic Hamiltonian prescribed by Fulde in presence of anti-ferromagnetism. Phonon interaction to the hybridization between the conduction electrons of the system and the f-electrons has been incorporated in the calculation. The phonon spectral density is calculated by the Green function technique of Zubarev at zero wave vector and finite (room) temperature limit. Parameter dependence of Raman active phonon frequencies are studied by varying model parameters of the system i.e. the position of f-level (ε f ), the effective electron-phonon coupling strength (g), the staggered magnetic field (h 1 ), and the hybridization parameter (v). The four Raman active peaks (P 1 to P 4 ) represent the electronic states of the atomic sub-systems of the cuprate systems. They show up as phonon excitations due to the coupling of the phonon to the electrons and the anti-ferromagnetic gap. (author)

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies of cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palczewski, Ari Deibert [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2010-01-01

This dissertation is comprised of three different angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies on cuprate superconductors. The first study compares the band structure from two different single layer cuprates Tl₂Ba₂CuO_6+δ (Tl2201) T_{c, max} ≈ 95 K and (Bi _1.35Pb_0.85)(Sr_1.47La_0.38)CuO_6+δ (Bi2201) T_{c, max} ≈ 35 K. The aim of the study was to provide some insight into the reasons why single layer cuprate's maximum transition temperatures are so different. The study found two major differences in the band structure. First, the Fermi surface segments close to (π,0) are more parallel in Tl2201 than in Bi2201. Second, the shadow band usually related to crystal structure is only present in Bi2201, but absent in higher T_c Tl2201. The second study looks at the different ways of doping Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ (Bi2212) in-situ by only changing the post bake-out vacuum conditions and temperature. The aim of the study is to systematically look into the generally overlooked experimental conditions that change the doping of a cleaved sample in ultra high vacuum (UHV) experiments. The study found two major experimental facts. First, in inadequate UHV conditions the carrier concentration of Bi2212 increases with time, due to the absorption of oxygen from CO₂/CO molecules, prime contaminants present in UHV systems. Second, in a very clean UHV system at elevated temperatures (above about 200 K), the carrier concentration decreases due to the loss of oxygen atoms from the Bi-O layer. The final study probed the particle-hole symmetry of the pseudogap phase in high temperature superconducting cuprates by looking at the thermally excited bands above the Fermi level. The data showed a particle-hole symmetric pseudogap which symmetrically closes away from the nested FS before the node. The data is

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies of cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palczewski, Ari Deibert [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2010-01-01

This dissertation is comprised of three different angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies on cuprate superconductors. The first study compares the band structure from two different single layer cuprates Tl₂Ba₂CuO_6+δ (Tl2201) T_c,max ~95 K and (Bi_1.35Pb_0.85)(Sr_1.47La_0.38)CuO_6+δ (Bi2201) T_c,max 35 K. The aim of the study was to provide some insight into the reasons why single layer cuprate's maximum transition temperatures are so different. The study found two major di erences in the band structure. First, the Fermi surface segments close to ( π,0) are more parallel in Tl2201 than in Bi2201. Second, the shadow band usually related to crystal structure is only present in Bi2201, but absent in higher T_c Tl2201. The second study looks at the different ways of doping Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ (Bi2212) in-situ by only changing the post bake-out vacuum conditions and temperature. The aim of the study is to systematically look into the generally overlooked experimental conditions that change the doping of a cleaved sample in ultra high vacuum (UHV) experiments. The study found two major experimental facts. First, in inadequate UHV conditions the carrier concentration of Bi2212 increases with time, due to the absorption of oxygen from CO₂/CO molecules, prime contaminants present in UHV systems. Second, in a very clean UHV system at elevated temperatures (above about 200 K), the carrier concentration decreases due to the loss of oxygen atoms from the Bi-O layer. The final study probed the particle-hole symmetry of the pseudogap phase in high temperature superconducting cuprates by looking at the thermally excited bands above the Fermi level. The data showed a particle-hole symmetric pseudogap which symmetrically closes away from the nested FS before the node. The data is consistent with

Magnetization and flux pinning in high-Tc cuprates: Irradiated and oxygen deficient materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, J.R.; Civale, L.; Marwick, A.D.; Holtzberg, F.

1992-11-01

This work surveys recent studies of the intragrain current density J and vortex pinning in high Tc superconductors. Materials include Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ and Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8 single crystals and aligned polycrystals. To probe the flux pinning, we modified the strength, number, and morphology of defects. Varying the oxygen content (7-δ) in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ or irradiating the materials with ions, having either light or heavy masses, gives systematic changes in the character of the all-important defects

Studies of High-T$_{c}$ Superconductors Doped with Radioactive Isotopes

CERN Multimedia

Alves, E J; Goncalves marques, J; Cardoso, S; Lourenco, A A; Sousa, J B

2002-01-01

%title\\\\ \\\\We propose to study High T$_{c} $ Superconductors~(HTSc) doped with radioactive elements at ISOLDE, in order to investigate some of the problems that persist after use of conventional characterization techniques. Three main topics are proposed: \\begin{enumerate} \\item Characterization of the order/disorder of Hg in the Hg-planes of the HTSc family Hg$_{1}$Ba$_{2}$R$_{(n-1)}$Cu$_{n}$O$_{(2n+2+\\delta)}$ (T$_{c}$ > 130 K) due to defects or impurities such as C and Au. \\item Studies of the doping of Infinite Layers Cuprates (RCuO$_{2}$)$_{n}$, R=Ca, Sr or Ba, using unstable nuclei of the alkaline-earth (IIA) group which decay to the alkaline nuclei (IA) group. The purpose is to introduce charge carriers in these materials by changing the valence of the cations during the nuclear transmutation. The possibility of using ion implantation to introduce directly an alkaline dopant will also be studied. \\item Studies of the Hg/Au doping of high quality YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{6+x}$ thin films. We intend to chara...

Boundary conditions in Ginsburg Landau theory and critical temperature of high-T superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Lykov, A. N.

2008-06-01

New mixed boundary conditions to the Ginsburg-Landau equations are found to limit the critical temperature ( T) of high- T superconductors. Moreover, the value of the pseudogap in these superconductors can be explained by using the method. As a result, the macroscopic approach is proposed to increase T of cuprate superconductors.

Bosonic excitations and electron pairing in an electron-doped cuprate superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, M. C.; Yu, H. S.; Xiong, J.; Yang, Y.-F.; Luo, S. N.; Jin, K.; Qi, J.

2018-04-01

By applying ultrafast optical spectroscopy to electron-doped La1.9Ce0.1CuO4 ±δ , we discern a bosonic mode of electronic origin and provide the evolution of its coupling with the charge carriers as a function of temperature. Our results show that it has the strongest coupling strength near Tc and can fully account for the superconducting pairing. This mode can be associated with the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic spin correlations emerging below a critical temperature T† larger than Tc. Our work may help to establish a quantitative relation between bosonic excitations and superconducting pairing in electron-doped cuprates.

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.)

Insights on the cuprate high energy anomaly observed in ARPES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moritz, B.; Johnston, S.; Devereaux, T.P.

2010-01-01

Recently, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy has been used to highlight an anomalously large band renormalization at high binding energies in cuprate superconductors: the high energy 'waterfall' or high energy anomaly (HEA). The anomaly is present for both hole- and electron-doped cuprates as well as the half-filled parent insulators with different energy scales arising on either side of the phase diagram. While photoemission matrix elements clearly play a role in changing the aesthetic appearance of the band dispersion, i.e. creating a 'waterfall'-like appearance, they provide an inadequate description for the physics that underlies the strong band renormalization giving rise to the HEA. Model calculations of the single-band Hubbard Hamiltonian showcase the role played by correlations in the formation of the HEA and uncover significant differences in the HEA energy scale for hole- and electron-doped cuprates. In addition, this approach properly captures the transfer of spectral weight accompanying doping in a correlated material and provides a unifying description of the HEA across both sides of the cuprate phase diagram. We find that the anomaly demarcates a transition, or cross-over, from a quasiparticle band at low binding energies near the Fermi level to valence bands at higher binding energy, assumed to be of strong oxygen character.

Insights on the cuprate high energy anomaly observed in ARPES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moritz, B., E-mail: moritzb@slac.stanford.ed [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202 (United States); Johnston, S. [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 (Canada); Devereaux, T.P. [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)

2010-07-15

Recently, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy has been used to highlight an anomalously large band renormalization at high binding energies in cuprate superconductors: the high energy 'waterfall' or high energy anomaly (HEA). The anomaly is present for both hole- and electron-doped cuprates as well as the half-filled parent insulators with different energy scales arising on either side of the phase diagram. While photoemission matrix elements clearly play a role in changing the aesthetic appearance of the band dispersion, i.e. creating a 'waterfall'-like appearance, they provide an inadequate description for the physics that underlies the strong band renormalization giving rise to the HEA. Model calculations of the single-band Hubbard Hamiltonian showcase the role played by correlations in the formation of the HEA and uncover significant differences in the HEA energy scale for hole- and electron-doped cuprates. In addition, this approach properly captures the transfer of spectral weight accompanying doping in a correlated material and provides a unifying description of the HEA across both sides of the cuprate phase diagram. We find that the anomaly demarcates a transition, or cross-over, from a quasiparticle band at low binding energies near the Fermi level to valence bands at higher binding energy, assumed to be of strong oxygen character.

Magnetic levitation systems using a high-Tc superconducting bulk magnet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ohsaki, Hiroyuki [Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Univ. of Tokyo (Japan); Kitahara, Hirotaka [Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Univ. of Tokyo (Japan); Masada, Eisuke [Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Univ. of Tokyo (Japan)

1996-12-31

Recent development of high-performance high-Tc bulk superconductors is making their application for electromagnetic force use feasible. We have studied electromagnetic levitation systems using high-Tc bulk superconducting material. In this paper, after an overview of superconducting magnetic levitation systems, with an emphasis on high-Tc bulk superconductor applications, experimental results of a high-Tc bulk EMS levitation and FEM analysis results of magnetic gradient levitation using bulk superconductor are described. Problems to be solved for their application are also discussed. (orig.)

Characteristics of YBa2Cu3O7 high-Tc superconductor with KCl

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Ki Hyun; Chang, Sung Sik

1990-03-01

The lattice parameters, microstructural change, transition temperature, and electrical properties of the YBa2-xKxCu3O7 high-Tc superconductor in the range from x=0 to x=0.25 have been investigated. The high-Tc orthorhombic phase increases with increasing KCl up to x=0.20, above which it decreases. The lattice parameters decrease with increasing KCl up to x=0.10, and then become nearly uniform. The grain size increases with increasing KCl up to x=0.20 due to its role as sintering agent. The specimens with x=0.2 have transition temperatures of 96 K and high magnetic susceptibility due to the contraction of lattice parameters a and b and the increase of orthorhombic distortion.

Superconducting fluctuations and pseudogap in high-Tc cuprates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alloul H.

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Large pulsed magnetic fields up to 60 Tesla are used to suppress the contribution of superconducting fluctuations (SCF to the ab-plane conductivity above Tc in a series of YBa2Cu3O6+x. These experiments allow us to determine the field Hc’(T and the temperature Tc’ above which the SCFs are fully suppressed. A careful investigation near optimal doping shows that Tc’ is higher than the pseudogap temperature T*, which is an unambiguous evidence that the pseudogap cannot be assigned to preformed pairs. Accurate determinations of the SCF contribution to the conductivity versus temperature and magnetic field have been achieved. They can be accounted for by thermal fluctuations following the Ginzburg-Landau scheme for nearly optimally doped samples. A phase fluctuation contribution might be invoked for the most underdoped samples in a T range which increases when controlled disorder is introduced by electron irradiation. Quantitative analysis of the fluctuating magnetoconductance allows us to determine the critical field Hc2(0 which is found to be be quite similar to Hc’ (0 and to increase with hole doping. Studies of the incidence of disorder on both Tc’ and T* allow us to to propose a three dimensional phase diagram including a disorder axis, which allows to explain most observations done in other cuprate families.

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.

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.)

Relationship between Magnetic Anisotropy below Pseudogap Temperature and Short-Range Antiferromagnetic Order in High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Morinari, Takao

2018-06-01

The central issue in high-temperature cuprate superconductors is the pseudogap state appearing below the pseudogap temperature T*, which is well above the superconducting transition temperature. In this study, we theoretically investigate the rapid increase of the magnetic anisotropy below the pseudogap temperature detected by the recent torque-magnetometry measurements on YBa2Cu3Oy [Y. Sato et al., 10.1038/nphys4205" xlink:type="simple">Nat. Phys. 13, 1074 (2017)]. Applying the spin Green's function formalism including the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction arising from the buckling of the CuO2 plane, we obtain results that are in good agreement with the experiment and find a scaling relationship. Our analysis suggests that the characteristic temperature associated with the magnetic anisotropy, which coincides with T*, is not a phase transition temperature but a crossover temperature associated with the short-range antiferromagnetic order.

Superconductivity and ceramic superconductors II; Proceedings of the Symposium, Orlando, FL, Nov. 12-15, 1990. Ceramic transactions. Vol. 18

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nair, K.M.; Balachandran, U.; Chiang, Y.-M.; Bhalla, A.S.

1991-01-01

The present symposium on superconductivity and ceramic superconductors discusses fundamentals and general principles, powder processing and properties, fabrication and properties, and device reliability and applications. Attention is given to phase formation in the Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O system, comparative defect studies in La2CuO4 and La2NiO4, solid solution and defect behavior in high Tc oxides, oxygen ion transport and disorder in cuprates, and Sr-free Bi-Ln-Ca-Cu-O superconductors. Topics addressed include the preparation of superconductor Y-Ba-Cu-O powder by single-step calcining in air, low-temperature synthesis of YBa2Cu3O(7-x), synthesis of high-phase purity ceramic oxide superconductors by the xerogel method, and the preparation and characterization of the BYa2Cu4O8 superconductor. Also discussed are optical studies of humidity-based corrosion effects on thin film and bulk ceramic YBa2Cu3O(7-delta), thermomechanical processing of YBa2Cu3O(x)/Ag sheathed wires, and the expansion of high-Tc superconducting ceramics

First-principles study on the creation of holes in high Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ambrosch-Draxl, C.; Sherman, E.Ya.; Auer, H.; Thonhauser, T.

2004-01-01

We investigate the charge redistribution in high T c cuprates as a function of pressure, composition, and doping. To this extent we have performed first-principles calculations based on density functional theory for several representatives of the Hg based cuprates. In particular, we focus on the creation of holes in the copper-oxygen planes. Conclusions are drawn about the similarities and differences between the three parameters influencing the superconducting transition temperature. (copyright 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Internal friction of flux motion in Hg-system high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian, W.; Zhu, J.S.; Shao, H.M.; Li, J.; Wang, Y.N.

1996-01-01

The internal friction(IF) and modulus as functions of temperature were measured for several Hg-system high-Tc superconductors(Hg1201, Hg1223, Hg1223 doped with Fe and Pb), under the applied magnetic field, with vibrating reed technique. An IF peak associated with flux motion can be found below Tc for all samples. The temperature of the IF peak increases with reducing vibrating amplitude. This amplitude dependence of IF indicates that the flux motion is characterized by nonlinear behavior. No apparent shift of IF peak position can be detected by varying the frequency in the range from 10 2 Hz to 10 3 Hz. Furthermore, the IF peak height satisfies a scaling law Q -1 ∝ω -n . This may be originated from phase transition of flux line lattice(FLL) rather than a thermally activated diffusion process. (orig.)

Metal–insulator crossover in high Tc cuprates: A gauge field approach

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

plane resistivity of underdoped cuprates and a range of superconducting cuprates in the presence of a strong magnetic field suppressing superconductivity. We propose an explanation for this phenomenon based on a gauge field theory approach ...

Positron Annihilation Studies of the Electronic Structure of Selected High-Temperature Cuprate and Organic Superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Lie Ping

The understanding of the electronic structure of the high-T_{c} superconductors could be important for a full theoretical description of the mechanism behind superconductivity in these materials. In this thesis, we present our measurements of the positron -electron momentum distributions of the cuprate superconductors Bi_2Sr_2CaCu _2O_8, Tl _2Ba_2Ca _2Cu_3O_ {10}, and the organic superconductor kappa-(BEDT)_2Cu(NCS) _2. We use the positron Two-dimensional Angular Correlation of Annihilation Radiation technique to make the measurements on single crystals and compare our high-statistics data with band structure calculations to determine the existence and nature of the respective Fermi surfaces. The spectra from unannealed Bi _2Sr_2CaCu _2O_8 exhibit effects of the superlattice modulation in the BiO_2 layers, and a theoretical understanding of the modulation effects on the electronic band structure is required to interpret these spectra. Since the present theory does not consider the modulation, we have developed a technique to remove the modulation effects from our spectra, and the resultant data when compared with the positron -electron momentum distribution calculation, yield features consistent with the predicted CuO_2 and BiO_2 Fermi surfaces. In the data from unannealed Tl_2Ba _2Ca_2Cu_3 O_{10}, we only observe indications of the TlO Fermi surfaces, and attribute the absence of the predicted CuO_2 Fermi surfaces to the poor sample quality. In the absence of positron-electron momentum calculations for kappa-(BEDT)_2Cu(NCS) _2, we compare our data to electronic band structure calculations, and observed features suggestive of the predicted Fermi surface contributions from the BEDT cation layers. A complete positron-electron calculation for kappa-(BEDT)_2 Cu(NCS)_2 is required to understand the positron wavefunction effects in this material.

17O knight shifts of the various types of CuO2 planes in Bi-cuprates high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Noc, L.; Trokiner, A.; Schneck, J.; Pougnet, A.M.; Mellet, R.; Primot, J.; Savary, H.

1992-01-01

A 17 O NMR study has been performed on a 17 O enriched powder sample of (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O y , also called n=3 phase (with Tc=110K) which belongs to the Bi-based superconductors family (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca n-1 Cu n O 2n+4 . The n=3 compound which contains in its unit cell two types of CuO 2 planes (labelled type I and II), is compared to the n=2 compound where only one type of CuO 2 planes (type I) is present. 17 O Knight shift measurements versus temperature, in the normal phase, have allowed us to evidence the distinct behaviours of the two types of planes present in the n=3 compound. The results are consistent with the existence of stronger electron correlations, or smaller charge carrier density in the type II planes. 14 refs., 3 figs

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

Structure, stoichiometry and spectroscopy of oxide superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, C. N. R.

In the new oxide superconductors, structure and oxygen stoichiometry play the most crucial role. Thus, all the high-temperature oxide superconductors are orthorhombic perovskites with low-dimensional features. Oxygen stoichiometry in YBa2Cu3O7-δ has an important bearing on the structure as well as superconductivity. This is equally true in the La3-xBa3+xCu 6O14+δ system of which only the 123 oxide (x = 1) with the orthorhombic structure shows high Tc. Orthorhombicity though not essential, is generally found ; it is necessary for the formation of twins. The nature of oxygen and copper in the cuprates has been examined by electron spectroscopy. Copper in these cuprates is only in 1 + and 2 + states. It seems likely that oxygen holes are responsible for superconductivity of the cuprates as well as Ba(Bi, Pb)O3. High Tc superconductivity is also found in oxides of the Bi-(Ca, Sr)-Cu-O and related oxides possessing Cu-O sheets. Dans les nouveaux oxydes supraconducteurs, la structure et la stoechiométrie de l'oxygène jouent un rôle absolument crucial. Ainsi, tous les oxydes supraconducteurs à haute température critique sont des pérovskites orthorhombiques possédant des propriétés de basse dimensionnalité. La stoechiométrie de l'oxygène dans YBa2Cu3O7- δ a une influence importante tant sur la structure que sur la supraconductibilité. Ceci est également valable pour les composés du type La3 -xBa3 + xCu 6O14 + δ parmi lesquels seul l'oxyde 123 (x = 1) à structure orthorhombique présente un grand T. Bien que ce ne soit pas essentiel, cette orthorhombicité est fréquente ; elle est nécessaire à la formation de macles. La nature de l'oxygène et du cuivre a été observée par spectroscopie électronique... Dans ces cuprates, le cuivre est dans les seuls états de valence + 1 et + 2. Vraisemblablement, les trous logés sur l'oxygène sont responsables de la supraconductibilité des cuprates comme de Ba(Bi, Pb)O3. La supraconductibilité existe aussi

The electronic structure of the high-TC cuprates within the hidden rotating order

Science.gov (United States)

Azzouz, M.; Ramakko, B. W.; Presenza-Pitman, G.

2010-09-01

The doping dependence of the Fermi surface and energy distribution curves of the high-TC cuprate materials La2 - xSrxCuO4 and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 + δ are analyzed within the rotating antiferromagnetism theory. Using three different quantities; the k-dependent occupation probability, the spectral function, and the chemical potential (energy spectra), the Fermi surface is calculated and compared to experimental data for La2 - xSrxCuO4. The Fermi surface we calculate evolves from hole-like pockets in the underdoped regime to large electron-like contours in the overdoped regime. This is in agreement with recent findings by Sebastian et al for the α-pocket of Y Ba2Cu3O6 + x (2010 Phys. Rev. B 81 214524). In addition, the full width at half maximum of the energy distribution curves is found to behave linearly with their peak position in agreement with experiment for Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 + δ. The effect of scattering on both the Fermi surface and energy distribution curves is examined.

Mechanochemical effects on high-Tc superconductor powders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, Taichi; Nagai, Ryoji; Takeuchi, Manabu; Minehara, Eisuke.

1991-03-01

We have investigated the mechanochemical effects on high-Tc superconductor (YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 -δ) powders. The powder was mechanically ground in air using an agate mortar with a pestle. The grinding time was varied from 2 to 100 min. The mean particle sizes of the powders were measured by a sedimentation method. The degradation of superconductivity was evaluated by the measurements of the crystallinity and volume fraction of the superconducting phase. The crystallinity was estimated from X-ray diffraction patterns. The volume fraction of the superconducting phase was estimated from the diamagnetization. The results of these changes of 2 min. and 100 min. grinding are respectively as follows; 1) mean particle size: 10.8 μm and 7.2 μm, 2) crystallinity: 40.0 % and 24.8 %, 3) volume fraction of superconducting phase: 91.5 % and 30.0 %. Recovery of the crystallinity and superconductivity of the ground specimens by re-sintering and re-annealing was also studied. It was found that the recovery of both of the characteristics was not complete. (author)

Pseudogap-generated a coexistence of Fermi arcs and Fermi pockets in cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Huaisong; Gao, Deheng; Feng, Shiping

2017-03-01

One of the most intriguing puzzle is why there is a coexistence of Fermi arcs and Fermi pockets in the pseudogap phase of cuprate superconductors? This puzzle is calling for an explanation. Based on the t - J model in the fermion-spin representation, the coexistence of the Fermi arcs and Fermi pockets in cuprate superconductors is studied by taking into account the pseudogap effect. It is shown that the pseudogap induces an energy band splitting, and then the poles of the electron Green's function at zero energy form two contours in momentum space, however, the electron spectral weight on these two contours around the antinodal region is gapped out by the pseudogap, leaving behind the low-energy electron spectral weight only located at the disconnected segments around the nodal region. In particular, the tips of these disconnected segments converge on the hot spots to form the closed Fermi pockets, generating a coexistence of the Fermi arcs and Fermi pockets. Moreover, the single-particle coherent weight is directly related to the pseudogap, and grows linearly with doping. The calculated result of the overall dispersion of the electron excitations is in qualitative agreement with the experimental data. The theory also predicts that the pseudogap-induced peak-dip-hump structure in the electron spectrum is absent from the hot-spot directions.

Two-particle self-consistent analysis for the electron-hole asymmetry of superconductivity in cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ogura, Daisuke; Kuroki, Kazuhiko [Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka (Japan)

2017-06-15

In the hole-doped type cuprate superconductors, it is well-known that the superconducting transition temperature T{sub c} exhibits a dome-like structure against doping. On the other hand, recent experiments unveil that T{sub c} in the electron-doped compounds shows a monotonic increase with decreasing the doping, at least down to a very small doping rate. Our recent study for the three-band d-p model has unveiled that this asymmetric behavior can be explained as a combined effect of the intrinsic electron-hole asymmetry in systems comprising Cu3 d and O2 p orbitals and the band-filling-dependent vertex correction. In the present study, we study another compound Tl{sub 2} Ba{sub 2} CuO{sub 6} to show that this explanation can be applied to other cuprate superconductors with the small d{sub z{sup 2}} orbital mixture. By varying the d-p offset, we also study how the strength of the d-p hybridization controls the spin fluctuation and hence the pairing interaction. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Redistribution of phase fluctuations in a periodically driven cuprate superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoeppner, Robert; Zhu, Beilei; Rexin, Tobias [Zentrum fuer Optische Quantentechnologien und Institut fuer Laserphysik, Hamburg (Germany); Mathey, Ludwig [Zentrum fuer Optische Quantentechnologien und Institut fuer Laserphysik, Hamburg (Germany); The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Hamburg (Germany); Cavalleri, Andrea [Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Hamburg (Germany); Department of Physics, Oxford University, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford (United Kingdom)

2015-07-01

We study the thermally fluctuating state of a bi-layer cuprate superconductor under the periodic action of a staggered field oscillating at optical frequencies. This analysis distills essential elements of the recently discovered phenomenon of light enhanced coherence in YBCO, which was achieved by periodically driving infrared active apical oxygen distortions. The effect of a staggered periodic perturbation is studied using a Langevin description of driven, coupled Josephson junctions, which represent two neighboring pairs of layers and their two plasmons. We demonstrate that the external driving leads to a suppression of phase fluctuations of the low-energy plasmon, an effect which is amplified via the resonance of the high energy plasmon, with a striking suppression of the low-energy fluctuations, as visible in the power spectrum. We also find that this effect acts onto the in-plane fluctuations, which are reduced on long length scales and we discuss the behavior of vortices in the ab-planes and across the weakly coupled junctions.

Critical temperatures Tc estimated by Josephson-junction array model of layered high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawabata, C.; Shenoy, S.R.; Bishop, A.R.

1994-11-01

We model high T c superconductors (HTS) by quantum capacitive Josephson junction arrays (JJA), with Angstrom-scale parameters, to obtain an estimate of Tc trends. The basic idea is as follows. Number (or change) and phase are conjugate variables, with the uncertainty products obeying ΔN · Δ Θ > 1. Thus, in HTS, global phase coherence is opposed by charging-energy induced quantum phase fluctuations, especially across Josephson-coupled CuO 2 planes. These have separation d 1 and effective interplanar dielectric constant ε, e.g. from Y atoms in YBaCuO. Decreasing the interplane charging energy E 0 perpendicular to ∼ d 1 /ε, raises Tc. In Section 1, we motivate a modelling of HTS phase excitations by a quantum capacitive 3D JJA model, with XY planar phases. Section 2 gives a physical picture of the HTS transition, relating the complex layered HTS structure to a simpler ''intermediate level'' quantum 3D JJA/XY model. Section 3 sets up a path integral (3+1)D model that reduces to a previously studied anisotropic 3D XY/JJA model, with constants renormalized in some way, by the capacitance. Postponing a detailed analysis to elsewhere, we make a heuristic estimate for the reduction of the previous Tc, by the charging energy. (author). 30 refs, 8 figs

Extended abstracts of the 12th JAERI workshop on high-Tc superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hojou, Kiichi; Okayasu, Satoru; Sasase, Masato [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Ishida, Takekazu [Osaka Prefectual Univ., Sakai (JP)] (eds.)

2001-03-01

This workshop was held on December 7-8, 2000 at JAERI (Tokai). The research group at JAERI shares a responsibility for material modification of high-Tc superconductors by irradiation in 'the multi-core project II of the high temperature superconducting material research' organized by STA (Science and Technology Agency) of Japan. This report contains the extended abstracts of workshop presentations covering basic theories, various experimental results and material improvement studies of the superconductivity by high energy ion irradiation. The twelve presentations of the workshop were devoted to a mini symposium where the direct observations of vortices were discussed in view of the various sophisticated techniques. (author)

Extended abstracts of the 12th JAERI workshop on high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hojou, Kiichi; Okayasu, Satoru; Sasase, Masato

2001-03-01

This workshop was held on December 7-8, 2000 at JAERI (Tokai). The research group at JAERI shares a responsibility for material modification of high-Tc superconductors by irradiation in 'the multi-core project II of the high temperature superconducting material research' organized by STA (Science and Technology Agency) of Japan. This report contains the extended abstracts of workshop presentations covering basic theories, various experimental results and material improvement studies of the superconductivity by high energy ion irradiation. The twelve presentations of the workshop were devoted to a mini symposium where the direct observations of vortices were discussed in view of the various sophisticated techniques. (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

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.

High-Tc Superconductors Based on FeAs Compounds

CERN Document Server

Izyumov, Yuri

2010-01-01

Physical properties and models of electronic structure are analyzed for a new class of high-TC superconductors which belong to iron-based layered compounds. Despite their variable chemical composition and differences in the crystal structure, these compounds possess similar physical characteristics, due to electron carriers in the FeAs layers and the interaction of these carriers with fluctuations of the magnetic order. A tremendous interest towards these materials is explained by the prospects of their practical use. In this monograph, a full picture of the formation of physical properties of these materials, in the context of existing theory models and electron structure studies, is given. The book is aimed at a broad circle of readers: physicists who study electronic properties of the FeAs compounds, chemists who synthesize them and specialists in the field of electronic structure calculations in solids. It is helpful not only to researchers active in the fields of superconductivity and magnetism, but also...

High-Tc ferroelectrics and superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muller, K.A.

1990-01-01

The meaning of the title refers to transition temperatures T c in ferroelectrics (FE) and superconductors (S). The highest T c 's in either field are observed in oxides: 1770 K in the ferroelectric La 2 TiO 7 and 125 K in the superconductor Tl 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10 . Therefore, the question can be asked whether the observed high T c 's in oxide FE and S are a pure coincidence or whether there may be an underlying reason for it. This question is addressed first by recalling recent advances concerning anharmonic FE-properties and then by reviewing S-findings in the new compounds related to these properties

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

Spatial distribution of superconducting and charge-density-wave order parameters in cuprates and its influence on the quasiparticle tunnel current (Review Article)

Science.gov (United States)

Gabovich, Alexander M.; Voitenko, Alexander I.

2016-10-01

The state of the art concerning tunnel measurements of energy gaps in cuprate oxides has been analyzed. A detailed review of the relevant literature is made, and original results calculated for the quasiparticle tunnel current J(V) between a metallic tip and a disordered d-wave superconductor partially gapped by charge density waves (CDWs) are reported, because it is this model of high-temperature superconductors that becomes popular owing to recent experiments in which CDWs were observed directly. The current was calculated suggesting the scatter of both the superconducting and CDW order parameters due to the samples' intrinsic inhomogeneity. It was shown that peculiarities in the current-voltage characteristics inherent to the case of homogeneous superconducting material are severely smeared, and the CDW-related features transform into experimentally observed peak-dip-hump structures. Theoretical results were used to fit data measured for YBa2Cu3O7-δ and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ. The fitting demonstrated a good qualitative agreement between the experiment and model calculations. The analysis of the energy gaps in high-Tc superconductors is important both per se and as a tool to uncover the nature of superconductivity in cuprates not elucidated so far despite of much theoretical effort and experimental progress.

Investigation of renormalization effects in high temperature cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zabolotnyy, Volodymyr B.

2008-01-01

It has been found that the self-energy of high-T C cuprates indeed exhibits a well pronounced structure, which is currently attributed to coupling of the electrons either to lattice vibrations or to collective magnetic excitations in the system. To clarify this issue, the renormalization effects and the electronic structure of two cuprate families Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ were chosen as the main subject for this thesis. With a simple example of an electronic system coupled to a collective mode unusual renormalization features observed in the photoemission spectra are introduced. It is shown that impurity substitution in general leads to suppression of the unusual renormalization. Finally an alternative possibility to obtain a purely superconducting surface of Y-123 via partial substitution of Y atoms with Ca is introduced. It is shown that renormalization in the superconducting Y-123 has similar strong momentum dependence as in the Bi-2212 family. It is also shown that in analogy to Bi-2212 the renormalization appears to have strong dependence on the doping level (no kinks for the overdoped component) and practically vanishes above T C suggesting that coupling to magnetic excitations fits much better than competing scenarios, according to which the unusual renormalization in ARPES spectra is caused by the coupling to single or multiple phononic modes. (orig.)

An Angle Resolved Photoemission Study of a Mott Insulator and Its Evolution to a High Temperature Superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ronning, Filip

2002-03-19

One of the most remarkable facts about the high temperature superconductors is their close proximity to an antiferromagnetically ordered Mott insulating phase. This fact suggests that to understand superconductivity in the cuprates we must first understand the insulating regime. Due to material properties the technique of angle resolved photoemission is ideally suited to study the electronic structure in the cuprates. Thus, a natural starting place to unlocking the secrets of high Tc would appears to be with a photoemission investigation of insulating cuprates. This dissertation presents the results of precisely such a study. In particular, we have focused on the compound Ca{sub 2-x}Na{sub x}CuO{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}. With increasing Na content this system goes from an antiferromagnetic Mott insulator with a Neel transition of 256K to a superconductor with an optimal transition temperature of 28K. At half filling we have found an asymmetry in the integrated spectral weight, which can be related to the occupation probability, n(k). This has led us to identify a d-wave-like dispersion in the insulator, which in turn implies that the high energy pseudogap as seen by photoemission is a remnant property of the insulator. These results are robust features of the insulator which we found in many different compounds and experimental conditions. By adding Na we were able to study the evolution of the electronic structure across the insulator to metal transition. We found that the chemical potential shifts as holes are doped into the system. This picture is in sharp contrast to the case of La{sub 2-x}Sr{sub x}CuO{sub 4} where the chemical potential remains fixed and states are created inside the gap. Furthermore, the low energy excitations (ie the Fermi surface) in metallic Ca{sub 1.9}Na{sub 0.1}CuO{sub 2}Cl{sub 2} is most well described as a Fermi arc, although the high binding energy features reveal the presence of shadow bands. Thus, the results in this dissertation provide a

High pressure effect for high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Hiroki; Tomita, Takahiro

2011-01-01

A number of experimental and theoretical studies have been performed to understand the mechanism of high-T c superconductivity and to enhance T c . High-pressure techniques have played a very important role for these studies. In this paper, the high-pressure techniques and physical properties of high-T c superconductor under high pressure are presented. (author)

The study on a new superconductor (oxide Ba-Y-Cu) with high critical temperature Tc by positron annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Caigu; Yu Zhuxing; Wang Zhu; Huang Zhe; Zhou Jun

1987-01-01

The study on a new superconductor oxide Ba-Y-Cu with high critical temperature Tc is described. The experimental results show that positron lifetime reducing reflects variable curve of resistance with temperature. A peak of positron lifetime is appeared at critical temperature

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

Ceramic superconductors II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, M.F.

1988-01-01

This volume compiles papers on ceramic superconductors. Topics include: structural patterns in High-Tc superconductors, phase equilibria of barium oxide superconductors, localized electrons in tetragonal YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-δ/, lattice and defect structure and properties of rare earth/alkaline earth-copper-oxide superconductors, alternate candidates for High-Tc superconductors, perovskite-structure superconductors; superconductive thin film fabrication, and superconductor/polymer composites

Raman scattering in cuprate superconductors : an analysis in the spin bag model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behera, S.N.; Gaitonde, D.M.

1992-01-01

The spin bag model for the high temperature superconductivity (SC) in the cuprates is reformulated, so that the spin density wave (SDW) collective mode mediated pairing interaction between the doped charge carriers, has a formal similarity to the usual phonon mediated BCS mechanism. The collective modes of the spin bag superconductor are calculated and the spectral density function for the amplitude mode is plotted. The self energy and the spectral density function of an optic phonon are calculated in the spin bag superconducting state. The spectral density function does not couple to the SDW-amplitude mode. A low frequency is shown to harden while the high frequency (greater than the SC-gap) one softens; which are features in qualitative agreement with the behaviour seen in the Raman data. When the phonon frequency is larger than the SC-gap, its spectral function shows a low frequency weak peak, attributed to the SC-gap excitation which is not observed experimentally. (author). 21 refs., 3 figs

Transport anomalies and quantum criticality in electron-doped cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xu; Yu, Heshan; He, Ge; Hu, Wei; Yuan, Jie; Zhu, Beiyi [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Jin, Kui, E-mail: kuijin@iphy.ac.cn [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100190 (China)

2016-06-15

Highlights: • Electrical transport and its complementary thermal transport on electron-doped cuprates are reviewed. • The common features of electron-doped cuprates are sorted out and shown in the last figure. • The complex superconducting fluctuations and quantum fluctuations are distinguished. - Abstract: Superconductivity research is like running a marathon. Three decades after the discovery of high-T{sub c} cuprates, there have been mass data generated from transport measurements, which bring fruitful information. In this review, we give a brief summary of the intriguing phenomena reported in electron-doped cuprates from the aspect of electrical transport as well as the complementary thermal transport. We attempt to sort out common features of the electron-doped family, e.g. the strange metal, negative magnetoresistance, multiple sign reversals of Hall in mixed state, abnormal Nernst signal, complex quantum criticality. Most of them have been challenging the existing theories, nevertheless, a unified diagram certainly helps to approach the nature of electron-doped cuprates.

Investigation of renormalization effects in high temperature cuprate superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zabolotnyy, Volodymyr B.

2008-04-16

It has been found that the self-energy of high-T{sub C} cuprates indeed exhibits a well pronounced structure, which is currently attributed to coupling of the electrons either to lattice vibrations or to collective magnetic excitations in the system. To clarify this issue, the renormalization effects and the electronic structure of two cuprate families Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+{delta}} and YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-{delta}} were chosen as the main subject for this thesis. With a simple example of an electronic system coupled to a collective mode unusual renormalization features observed in the photoemission spectra are introduced. It is shown that impurity substitution in general leads to suppression of the unusual renormalization. Finally an alternative possibility to obtain a purely superconducting surface of Y-123 via partial substitution of Y atoms with Ca is introduced. It is shown that renormalization in the superconducting Y-123 has similar strong momentum dependence as in the Bi-2212 family. It is also shown that in analogy to Bi-2212 the renormalization appears to have strong dependence on the doping level (no kinks for the overdoped component) and practically vanishes above T{sub C} suggesting that coupling to magnetic excitations fits much better than competing scenarios, according to which the unusual renormalization in ARPES spectra is caused by the coupling to single or multiple phononic modes. (orig.)

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...

Positron annihilation studies of the electronic structure and fermiology of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smedskjaer, L.C.; Bansil, A.

1993-01-01

We discuss the application of the positron annihilation angular correlation (ACAR) spectroscopy for investigating the electronic structure and Fermiology of high-Tc superconductors, with focus on the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 system where most of the experimental and theoretical work has to date been concentrated. Detailed comparisons between the measured 2D-ACAR positron spectra and the corresponding band theory predictions show a remarkable agreement (for the normal state), indicating that the electronic structure and Fermi surface of this material is described reasonably by the conventional picture. (orig.)

Superconductive properties, interaction mechanisms, materials preparation and electronic transport in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saemann-Ischenko, G.

1993-01-01

The final report is composed of eight chapters dealing with the following aspects: I. Mixed state, critical currents, anisotropy, intrinsic and extrinsic pinning. II. Microwave properties and far-infrared reflectivity of epitactic HTSC films. III. Hall effect at the states of normal conductivity and superconductivity, magnetoresistance, superconducting fluctuation phenomena. IV. Effects of the nuclear and the electronic energy loss. V. Scanning electron microscopy. VI. p- and n-doped high-Tc superconductors: Charge symmetry and magnetism. VII. Preparation methods. VIII. Electrochemical examinations of HTSC films and HTSC monocrystals at low temperatures. (orig./MM) [de

Report on neutron beam utilization and study of high Tc superconductors at NRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tan, Vuong Huu [Nuclear Physics Dept., Nuclear Research Inst. (NRI), Dalat (Viet Nam)

1998-10-01

Utilization of reactor neutron beams at NRI for research and applications up to November 1996 had been presented at the last Workshop in Jakarta (25-28 Nov., 1996). This paper describes new research and applications carried out at Nuclear Physics Department of NRI after that time. They consist of neutron beam developments, neutron activation cross section measurements for waste disposal assessment and in-vivo prompt gamma neutron activation analysis for Cd determination in organs. After the last Sub-Workshop on Neutron Scattering in Serpong (21-23 Nov., 1996), we were accepted to participate in the Regional Program on Study of High Tc Superconductors with the topic `The mechanism of Pb and Sb dopant role on superconductivity of 2223 phase of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system`. Indeed, this study has begun at NRI only since August, 1997 due to the problem of materials. The study has been carried out in collaboration with the Hanoi State University (Superconductors Department) where experts and equipment for superconductors research have been considered as the best ones in Vietnam. Primary results in this study are presented in this workshop. (author)

Charged domain-wall dynamics in doped antiferromagnets and spin fluctuations in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaanen, J.; Horbach, M.L.; van Saarloos, W.

1996-01-01

Evidence is accumulating that the electron liquid in the cuprate superconductors is characterized by many-hole correlations of the charged magnetic domain-wall type. Here we focus on the strong-coupling limit where all holes are bound to domain walls. We assert that at high temperatures a classical domain-wall fluid is realized and show that the dynamics of such a fluid is characterized by spatial and temporal crossover scales set by temperature itself. The fundamental parameters of this fluid are such that the domain-wall motions dominate the low-frequency spin fluctuations and we derive predictions for the behavior of the dynamical magnetic susceptibility. We argue that a crossover occurs from a high-temperature classical to a low-temperature quantum regime, in direct analogy with helium. We discuss some general characteristics of the domain-wall quantum liquid, realized at low temperatures. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Microscopic Superconductivity and Room Temperature Electronics of High-Tc Cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Fusui; Chen Wanfang

2008-01-01

This paper points out that the Landau criterion for macroscopic superfluidity of He II is only a criterion for microscopic superfluidity of 4 He, extends the Landau criterion to microscopic superconductivity in fermions (electron and hole) system and system with Cooper pairs without long-range phase coherence. This paper gives another three non-superconductive systems that are of microscopic superconductivity. This paper demonstrates that one application of microscopic superconductivity is to establish room temperature electronics of the high-T c cuprates

Mechanical considerations in the processing of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wright, R.N.; German, R.M.; Knorr, D.B.; Maccrone, R.K.; Rajan, K.

1990-01-01

This paper presents a brief review of deformation processing concepts germane to high-Tc superconductor processing, and illustrates some available techniques with results from recent work. It is noted that YBa2Cu3O(7-x) powder/binder cold extrusion technique is quite sensitive to binder formulation and processing conditions. With appropriate technique, indefinite lengths of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) powder/binder composite can be extruded with sufficient workability to allow coiling and other forming operations. With heat treatment, the resulting prototype wire is electrically continuous and manifests critical current densities of a few hundred A/sq cm. The hot extrusion of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) powder results in a modest, but favorable, development of a texture involving preferential rotation of the c-axis toward the radial direction. Billet designs involving larger powder charge diameters, and thinner container walls, produce the favorable texture. Unfortunately, such billet designs reduce workability. 29 refs

Electronic properties of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rojo, A.G.

1989-01-01

Using analytical and numerical methods, the electronic properties of the copper-oxygen plane in the normal phase of high Tc superconductors are described. Using the slave-boson technique in the saddle point, a theory of the metal insulator transition which generalizes the notions of a Mott insulator to the case of more than a single band for those planes is presented. A phase-diagram is obtained in the parameter space and effective masses, optical gaps and metallization are calculated as a function of the number of carriers. Based on the experimental evidence, the theory permits classification of superconducting compounds as charge transfer insulators in the stoichiometric case. The insulator state is characterized by a non-zero optical gap and a divergent effective mass which corresponds to the breakage of a Fermi-liquid scheme. The results obtained are applicable to metal-transition-oxides whose behaviour has been traditionally controversial and it is concluded that it is necessary to broaden the meaning of a Mott insulator to the case of more than a single band to better understand them. Based on the ideas of group renormalization in a real space, a lattice approximation is presented, which allows: a) To complement the treatment of slave-bosons in phase diagrams and optical gaps; b) Identification of an attraction mechanism between carriers originating from purely repulsive interactions. Numerical calculations in small clusters show the existence of a pairing mechanism showing a superconducting instability from a charge transfer insulator. (Author) [es

Quasiparticle density of states, localization, and distributed disorder in the cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Sulangi, Miguel Antonio; Zaanen, Jan

2018-04-01

We explore the effects of various kinds of random disorder on the quasiparticle density of states of two-dimensional d -wave superconductors using an exact real-space method, incorporating realistic details known about the cuprates. Random on-site energy and pointlike unitary impurity models are found to give rise to a vanishing DOS at the Fermi energy for narrow distributions and low concentrations, respectively, and lead to a finite, but suppressed, DOS at unrealistically large levels of disorder. Smooth disorder arising from impurities located away from the copper-oxide planes meanwhile gives rise to a finite DOS at realistic impurity concentrations. For the case of smooth disorder whose average potential is zero, a resonance is found at zero energy for the quasiparticle DOS at large impurity concentrations. We discuss the implications of these results on the computed low-temperature specific heat, the behavior of which we find is strongly affected by the amount of disorder present in the system. We also compute the localization length as a function of disorder strength for various types of disorder and find that intermediate- and high-energy states are quasiextended for low disorder, and that states near the Fermi energy are strongly localized and have a localization length that exhibits an unusual dependence on the amount of disorder. We comment on the origin of disorder in the cuprates and provide constraints on these based on known results from scanning tunneling spectroscopy and specific heat experiments.

Mottness in high-temperature copper-oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, Philip; Choy, T.-P.; Leigh, Robert G

2009-01-01

The standard theory of metals, Fermi liquid theory, hinges on the key assumption that although the electrons interact, the low-energy excitation spectrum stands in a one-to-one correspondence with that of a non-interacting system. In the normal state of the copper-oxide high-temperature superconductors, drastic deviations from the Fermi liquid picture are obtained, highlighted by a pseudogap, broad spectral features and T-linear resistivity. A successful theory in this context must confront the highly constraining scaling argument which establishes that all 4-Fermi interactions are irrelevant (except for pairing) at a Fermi surface. This argument lays plain that new low-energy degrees of freedom are necessary. This paper focuses on the series of experiments on copper-oxide superconductors which reveal that the number of low-energy addition states per electron per spin exceeds unity, in direct violation of the key Fermi liquid tenet. These experiments point to new degrees of freedom, not made out of the elemental excitations, as the key mechanism by which Fermi liquid theory breaks down in the cuprates. A recent theoretical advance which permits an explicit integration of the high-energy scale in the standard model for the cuprates reveals the source of the new dynamical degrees of freedom at low energies, a charge 2e bosonic field which has nothing to do with pairing but rather represents the mixing with the high-energy scales. We demonstrate explicitly that at half-filling, this new degree of freedom provides a dynamical mechanism for the generation of the charge gap and antiferromagnetism in the insulating phase. At finite doping, many of the anomalies of the normal state of the cuprates including the pseudogap, T-linear resistivity and the mid-infrared band are reproduced. A possible route to superconductivity is explored

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

Filters for mobile radio from high Tc ceramic superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, G.E.; Wong, E.; Alford, N.McN.

1990-01-01

Mobile radio frequencies lie between 30 MHz and 1,000 MHz. This frequency range is ideal for ceramic high T c superconductors. We have designed Chebyshev, Butterworth and interdigital filters that can employ high T c superconductors in the form of rods, tubes and helices. In general, the performance of these filters at milliwatt power levels is excellent. We will describe fabrication of the superconductors and filter design

Inequivalence of single-particle and population lifetimes in a cuprate superconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Shuolong [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); Sobota, J. A. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Leuenberger, D. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); He, Y. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); Hashimoto, M. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Lu, D. H. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Eisaki, H. [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Ibaraki (Japan); Kirchmann, P. S. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Shen, Z. -X. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States)

2015-06-15

We study optimally doped Bi-2212 (T_c=96 K) using femtosecond time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. Energy-resolved population lifetimes are extracted and compared with single-particle lifetimes measured by equilibrium photoemission. The population lifetimes deviate from the single-particle lifetimes in the low excitation limit by 1–2 orders of magnitude. Fundamental considerations of electron scattering unveil that these two lifetimes are in general distinct, yet for systems with only electron-phonon scattering they should converge in the low-temperature, low-fluence limit. As a result, the qualitative disparity in our data, even in this limit, suggests that scattering channels beyond electron-phonon interactions play a significant role in the electron dynamics of cuprate superconductors.

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

Nodal quasiparticle dynamics in the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn₅ revealed by precision microwave spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Truncik, C J S; Huttema, W A; Turner, P J; Ozcan, S; Murphy, N C; Carrière, P R; Thewalt, E; Morse, K J; Koenig, A J; Sarrao, J L; Broun, D M

2013-01-01

CeCoIn₅ is a heavy fermion superconductor with strong similarities to the high-Tc cuprates, including quasi-two-dimensionality, proximity to antiferromagnetism and probable d-wave pairing arising from a non-Fermi-liquid normal state. Experiments allowing detailed comparisons of their electronic properties are of particular interest, but in most cases are difficult to realize, due to their very different transition temperatures. Here we use low-temperature microwave spectroscopy to study the charge dynamics of the CeCoIn₅ superconducting state. The similarities to cuprates, in particular to ultra-clean YBa₂Cu₃O(y), are striking: the frequency and temperature dependence of the quasiparticle conductivity are instantly recognizable, a consequence of rapid suppression of quasiparticle scattering below T(c); and penetration-depth data, when properly treated, reveal a clean, linear temperature dependence of the quasiparticle contribution to superfluid density. The measurements also expose key differences, including prominent multiband effects and a temperature-dependent renormalization of the quasiparticle mass.

Internal friction and ultrasonic attenuation in solids, including high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magalas, L.B.; Gorczyca, S.

1993-01-01

This volume contains seven invited papers and about eighty refereed contributions from the main sessions of the Sixth European Conference on Internal Friction and Ultrasonic Attenuation in Solids (ECIFUAS-6) held at the Academy of Mining and Metallurgy (Akademia Gorniczo-Hutnicza, AGH) in Krakow, Poland, 5-7 September, 1991. In addition, this volume contains six invited lectures and eight contributed papers presented at the Workshop on High Tc Superconductors on 5 September, 1991. Together these documents constitute the Proceedings of the ECIFUAS-6 Conference. A total of 140 scientists from 20 countries participated in the Conference. The programme of the Conference and the Workshop consisted of 16 invidet papers and 119 contributed papers. 107 papers were presented during 8 poster sessions. (orig.)

Spatial distribution of superconducting and charge-density-wave order parameters in cuprates and its influence on the quasiparticle tunnel current (Review Article)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabovich, Alexander M.; Voitenko, Alexander I.

2016-01-01

The state of the art concerning tunnel measurements of energy gaps in cuprate oxides has been analyzed. A detailed review of the relevant literature is made, and original results calculated for the quasiparticle tunnel current J(V) between a metallic tip and a disordered d-wave superconductor partially gapped by charge density waves (CDWs) are reported, because it is this model of high-temperature superconductors that becomes popular owing to recent experiments in which CDWs were observed directly. The current was calculated suggesting the scatter of both the superconducting and CDW order parameters due to the samples intrinsic inhomogeneity. It was shown that peculiarities in the current-voltage characteristics inherent to the case of homogeneous super-conducting material are severely smeared, and the CDW-related features transform into experimentally observed peak-dip-hump structures. Theoretical results were used to fit data measured for YBa_2Cu_3O_7_-_d_e_l_t_a and Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8_+_d_e_l_t_a. The fitting demonstrated a good qualitative agreement between the experiment and model calculations. The analysis of the energy gaps in high-Tc superconductors is important both per se and as a tool to uncover the nature of superconductivity in cuprates not elucidated so far despite of much theoretical effort and experimental progress.

Phonon-induced anomalous Raman spectra in undoped high-Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.D.; Min, B.I.

1997-01-01

In order to describe a shoulder peak structure near 4J in the magnon Raman spectra of undoped high-T c cuprates, we have explored the phonon contribution to the Raman spectra. Incorporating the magnon-phonon Hamiltonian in the spin-wave theory, we have evaluated the two-magnon Raman spectral function originating from the lowest-order magnon-phonon-magnon scattering. It is found that phonons induce a shoulder peak near 4J besides the dominant two-magnon peak near 3J, in agreement with experiments. (orig.)

Fundamental studies of superconductors using scanning magnetic imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Kirtley, J. R.

2010-12-01

In this review I discuss the application of scanning magnetic imaging to fundamental studies of superconductors, concentrating on three scanning magnetic microscopies—scanning SQUID microscopy (SSM), scanning Hall bar microscopy (SHM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). I briefly discuss the history, sensitivity, spatial resolution, invasiveness and potential future developments of each technique. I then discuss a selection of applications of these microscopies. I start with static imaging of magnetic flux: an SSM study provides deeper understanding of vortex trapping in narrow strips, which are used to reduce noise in superconducting circuitry. Studies of vortex trapping in wire lattices, clusters and arrays of rings and nanoholes show fascinating ordering effects. The cuprate high-Tc superconductors are shown to have predominantly d-wave pairing symmetry by magnetic imaging of the half-integer flux quantum effect. Arrays of superconducting rings act as a physical analog for the Ising spin model, with the half-integer flux quantum effect helping to eliminate one source of disorder in antiferromagnetic arrangements of the ring moments. Tests of the interlayer tunneling model show that the condensation energy available from this mechanism cannot account for the high critical temperatures observed in the cuprates. The strong divergence in the magnetic fields of Pearl vortices allows them to be imaged using SSM, even for penetration depths of a millimeter. Unusual vortex arrangements occur in samples comparable in size to the coherence length. Spontaneous magnetization is not observed in Sr2RuO4, which is believed to have px ± ipy pairing symmetry, although effects hundreds of times bigger than the sensitivity limits had been predicted. However, unusual flux trapping is observed in this superconductor. Finally, unusual flux arrangements are also observed in magnetic superconductors. I then turn to vortex dynamics: imaging of vortices in rings of highly underdoped

The Superconductors that Magnets Really Want: What Stands in the Way? (Superconductors for Accelerator Use: What Next and How Close is the Ideal Conductor?)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larbalestier, David

2009-01-01

There are over 5000 superconducting materials but only about 5 have ever been useful for applications in magnets, while HEP, which has been so vital for the development of superconducting magnet technology has made virtually every magnet out of just one, the simple bcc alloy Nb-Ti with Tc of 9 K and upper critical field ∼ 14T (at 2K). Significant demonstrations of the capability of the brittle intermetallic Nb3Sn have shown that fields of more than 15 T can be generated in dipole form. But Nb-Ti and Nb3Sn are staid, conventional superconductors, far from the cutting edge of superconducting science research where cuprates like YBa2Cu3O7-x and Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox remain at the scientific forefront and in 2008 were joined by the recently discovered Fe-As pnictide superconductors. What could it mean to have materials for magnets with 10 times the Tc of Nb-Ti (90-120 K) and 3 or more times the critical field (100-240 T)? One enormous barrier is that higher Tc so far always means more complexity and a more localized superconducting interaction which is sensitive to local loss of superconductivity. The issue that has made the cuprate high temperature superconductors so hard to apply is that grain boundaries which form a 3D network in any practical wire form, easily acquire degraded superconducting properties. But conductors can now be made with extreme texture so that grain boundaries are minimized. Moreover almost practical conductors of Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox and YBa2Cu3O7-x are now are in production and in late 2008 we were, at the Magnet Lab, able to make small solenoids operating at high current density in fields of 32 and almost 34 T respectively. Within the HEP community, there is enthusiasm to embrace HTS conductors for new very high field machines that could, like the Muon Collider, use fields of 30-50 T. In my talk I would like to explore the underlying science controlling such potential applications.

Optical Study of Electron-Doped Cuprate Pr1.3-xLa0.7CexCuO4+δ in Under-Doped Regime: Revisit the Phase Diagram

Science.gov (United States)

Ohnishi, Ryota; Nakajima, Masamichi; Miyasaka, Shigeki; Tajima, Setsuko; Adachi, Tadashi; Ohgi, Taro; Takahashi, Akira; Koike, Yoji

2018-04-01

A recent progress of reduction process for electron-doped cuprates enabled us to get superconducting samples at very low doping levels. In order to clarify the electronic state of strongly reduced Pr1.3-xLa0.7CexCuO4+δ (x = 0.05, 0.10) which exhibit high Tc (˜27 K) superconductivity, we have measured their optical spectra. The reflectivity of these samples was found much higher than the published data for the moderately reduced and non-superconducting samples with the same Ce concentrations. Moreover, the estimated effective electron numbers Neff for x = 0.05 and 0.10 were close to that of the optimally doped and superconducting sample with x = 0.15. Given that the parent compound is a Mott insulator, these results indicate that in the electron-doped cuprates only a small amount of carrier doping changes the system to a high Tc superconductor with a large Fermi surface. At low temperatures, a broad mid-infrared peak appeared even in the superconducting samples.

Changes of soft X-ray emission spectra of oxygen and copper in high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukushima, Sei; Gohshi, Yohichi; Kohiki, Shigemi; Saitoh, Naoki

1989-01-01

X-ray induced soft X-ray emission spectroscopy is one of the bulk analysis methods used to characterize high-Tc superconductor. In this report, some observations on the changes in O Kα and Cu L spectra of thin layer LnBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (Ln=Er,Gd) samples are presented. From the measurement of O Kα, no discernible difference was found between those of Gd compounds which were composed single phase or not. It may be said that the electronic structure of p state localized on the O is not sensitive to the change of Tc or zero-resistance temperature. From the measurement of Cu L spectra, it was found that Cu Lα of only Gd containing compounds has a low energy shoulder

Powder processing of high Tc oxide superconductors and their properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vajpei, A.C.; Upadhyaya, G.S.

1992-01-01

Powder processing of ceramics is an established technology and in the area of high T c superconductors, its importance is felt even more significantly. The present monograph is an attempt in this direction to explore the perspectives and practice of powder processing routes towards control and optimization of the microstructure and pertinent properties of high T c oxide superconductors. The monograph consists of 6 chapters. After a very brief introduction (Chapter 1), Chapter 2 describes various classes of high T c oxide superconductors and their phase equilibria. Chapter 3 highlights the preparation of oxide superconductor powders through various routes and details their subtle distinctions. Chapter 4 briefly covers characterisation of the oxide superconductors, laying emphasis on the process-analysis and microstructure. Chapter 5 describes in detail various fabrication techniques for bulk superconductors through the powder routes. The last Chapter (Chapter 6) describing properties of bulk oxide superconductors, discusses the role of subtituents, compositional variations and processing methods on such properties. References are given at the end of each chapter. (orig.)

Performance of ultrahigh resolution electron microscope JEM-4000EX and some applications of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honda, T.; Ibe, K.; Ishida, Y.; Kersker, M.M.

1989-01-01

The high resolution electron microscope is powerful for modern materials science because of its direct observation capability for the atomic structure of materials. the JEM-4000EX, a 400 kV accelerating voltage electron microscope whose objective lens has a 1 mm spherical aberration coefficient, has a 0.168 nm theoretical resolving power. Using this microscope, atomic structure images of high Tc superconductor such as Y-Ba-Cu-O, Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O and Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O are reported

Singularity in the positive Hall coeffcient near pre-onset temperatures in high-Tc superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Vezzoli, G. C.; Chen, M. F.; Craver, F.; Moon, B. M.; Safari, A.; Burke, T.; Stanley, W.

1990-10-01

Hall measurements using continuous extremely slow cooling and reheating rates as well as employing eqiulibrium point-by-point conventional techniques reveals a clear anomally in RH at pre-onset temperatures near Tc in polycrystalline samples Y1Ba2Cu3O7 and Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10. The anomaly has the appearance of a singularity of Dirac-delta function which parallels earlier work on La1-xSrxCuO4. Recent single crystal work on the Bi-containing high-Tc superconductor is in accord with a clearcut anomaly. The singularity is tentatively interpreted to be associated (upon cooling) with initially the removal of positive holes from the hopping conduction system of the normal state such as from the increased concentration of bound virtual excitons due to increased exciton and hole lifetimes at low temperature. Subsequently the formation of Cooper pairs by mediation from these centers (bound-holes) and/or bound excitons) may cause an ionization of these bound virtual excitons thereby re-introducing holes and electrons into the conduction system at Tc.

Fracton pairing mechanism for unconventional superconductors: Self-assembling organic polymers and copper-oxide compounds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milovanov, A.V.; Juul Rasmussen, J.

2002-01-01

Self-assembling organic polymers and copper-oxide compounds are two classes of unconventional superconductors, whose challenging behavior does not comply with the traditional picture of Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superconductivity in regular crystals. In this paper, we propose a theoretical...... or holes) exchange fracton excitations, quantum oscillations of fractal lattices that mimic the complex microscopic organization of the unconventional superconductors. For the copper oxides, the superconducting transition temperature T-c as predicted by the fracton mechanism is of the order of similar to......150 K. We suggest that the marginal ingredient of the high-temperature superconducting phase is provided by fracton coupled holes that condensate in the conducting copper-oxygen planes owing to the intrinsic field-effect-transistor configuration of the cuprate compounds. For the gate...

Point-contact electron tunneling into the high-Tc superconductor Y-Ba-Cu-O

Science.gov (United States)

Kirk, M. D.; Smith, D. P. E.; Mitzi, D. B.; Sun, J. Z.; Webb, D. J.

1987-06-01

Results are reported from a study of electron tunneling into bulk samples of the new high-Tc superconductor Y-Ba-Cu-O using point-contact tunneling. Based on a superconductive tunneling interpretation, the results show exceptionally large energy gaps in these materials (roughly 2Delta = 100 MeV), implying 2Delta/kBTc = about 13. Similar values were found for La-Sr-Cu-O. The structure in the I-V curves is also similar to that seen in La-Sr-Cu-O. From the asymmetries observed in the I-V characteristics, it is inferred that the natural tunneling barrier on this material is of the Schottky type.

Experimental constraints on theories of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Little, W.A.

1989-01-01

Recent experiments on the high-T c superconductors have begun to narrow the possible theoretical explanations of the phenomenon. Experimental evidence on the size, structure and symmetry of the charge carriers will be reviewed; evidence for and against strong coupling; and, recent results on a search for direct evidence of magnetic signature in the coupling mechanism will be presented. The authors show how these experiments impose strong constraints on the theories of these superconductors. A new type of experiment is also discussed which appears capable of identifying the true nature of the coupling mechanism if the superconductors prove to be BCS-like in nature

On the electronegativity of the high-Tc oxide superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Liyuan.

1991-08-01

We employ a very useful quantity, the electronegativity, to classify the superconductor. The value of the group average electronegativity to separate superconductor into two categories is 2. Each category has unique chemical bond features. The high-T c oxide superconductor belongs to the second category with group average electronegativity being larger than 2. Their unusual bond nature also gives new insight into some essential factors beneficial to enhance superconductivity. (author). 9 refs, 2 tabs

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

Electromagnetic response in kinetic energy driven cuprate superconductors: Linear response approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krzyzosiak, Mateusz; Huang, Zheyu; Feng, Shiping; Gonczarek, Ryszard

2010-01-01

Within the framework of the kinetic energy driven superconductivity, the electromagnetic response in cuprate superconductors is studied in the linear response approach. The kernel of the response function is evaluated and employed to calculate the local magnetic field profile, the magnetic field penetration depth, and the superfluid density, based on the specular reflection model for a purely transverse vector potential. It is shown that the low temperature magnetic field profile follows an exponential decay at the surface, while the magnetic field penetration depth depends linearly on temperature, except for the strong deviation from the linear characteristics at extremely low temperatures. The superfluid density is found to decrease linearly with decreasing doping concentration in the underdoped regime. The problem of gauge invariance is addressed and an approximation for the dressed current vertex, which does not violate local charge conservation is proposed and discussed.

Infrared absorption spectra of various doping states in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yonemitsu, K.; Bishop, A.R.; Lorenzana, J.

1992-01-01

Doping states in a two-dimensional three-band extended Peierls-Hubbard model was investigated within inhomogeneous Hartree-Fock and random phase approximation. They are very sensitive to small changes of interaction parameters and their distinct vibrational and optical absorption spectra can be used to identify different doping states. For electronic parameters relevant to cuprate superconductors, as intersite electron-phonon interaction strength increases, the doping state changes from a Zhang-Rice state to a covalent molecular singlet state accompanied by local quenching of the Cu magnetic moment and large local lattice distortion in an otherwise undistorted antiferromagnetic background. In a region where both intersite electron-phonon interaction and on-site electron-electron repulsion are large, we obtain new stable global phases including a bond-order-wave state and a mixed state of spin-Peierls bonds and antiferromagnetic Cu spins, as well as many metastable states. Doping in the bond-order-wave region induces separation of spin and charge. 9 refs

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

The rate of quasiparticle recombination probes the onset of coherence in cuprate superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinton, J P; Thewalt, E; Alpichshev, Z; Mahmood, F; Koralek, J D; Chan, M K; Veit, M J; Dorow, C J; Barišić, N; Kemper, A F; Bonn, D A; Hardy, W N; Liang, Ruixing; Gedik, N; Greven, M; Lanzara, A; Orenstein, J

2016-04-13

In the underdoped copper-oxides, high-temperature superconductivity condenses from a nonconventional metallic "pseudogap" phase that exhibits a variety of non-Fermi liquid properties. Recently, it has become clear that a charge density wave (CDW) phase exists within the pseudogap regime. This CDW coexists and competes with superconductivity (SC) below the transition temperature Tc, suggesting that these two orders are intimately related. Here we show that the condensation of the superfluid from this unconventional precursor is reflected in deviations from the predictions of BSC theory regarding the recombination rate of quasiparticles. We report a detailed investigation of the quasiparticle (QP) recombination lifetime, τqp, as a function of temperature and magnetic field in underdoped HgBa2CuO(4+δ) (Hg-1201) and YBa2Cu3O(6+x) (YBCO) single crystals by ultrafast time-resolved reflectivity. We find that τqp(T) exhibits a local maximum in a small temperature window near Tc that is prominent in underdoped samples with coexisting charge order and vanishes with application of a small magnetic field. We explain this unusual, non-BCS behavior by positing that Tc marks a transition from phase-fluctuating SC/CDW composite order above to a SC/CDW condensate below. Our results suggest that the superfluid in underdoped cuprates is a condensate of coherently-mixed particle-particle and particle-hole pairs.

The Hall effect: An acid test for the Luttinger liquid theory of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, P.W.

1992-01-01

The temperature dependence of the Hall effect has been one of the most intriguing puzzles of the 'normal' metallic state in cuprate superconductors. It is shown that the Luttinger liquid theory provides a quantitative picture of the data, in particular showing that relaxation time τ perpendicular defined by the Hall angle tan θ H ω c τ perpendicular is the relaxation rate of the spinon elementary excitations and that θ H has a simple and characteristic temperature dependence (A+BT 2 ) -1 . Observed magnitudes of θ H are incompatible with Fermi liquid theory. A discussion is added of the interlayer mechanism for superconductivity and the new form of BCS gap equation which results from it. (author). 12 refs.; 4 figs

Fermion local charged boson model and cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinha, K.P.; Kakani, S.L.

2002-01-01

One of the most exciting developments in Science in past few years is the discovery of high temperature superconductivity (HTSC) in cuprates. It has been observed that the superconducting state in these cuprates is rather normal compared to the anomalous normal state. This discovery has led to deluge of experimental and theoretical researches all along the world. These cuprates are close to metal-insulator transition and the stability of the insulating and metallic phase depends on the degree of doping. Measurements of physical properties of these systems have revealed many anomalous results both in the superconducting and normal states, e.g. d-wave superconducting gap, the presence of pseudo gap in the normal state, static or dynamic striped structure of CuO 2 planes etc. These have posed serious theoretical challenges towards formulating the mechanisms of pairing and explanation of anomalous behaviour. Several theoretical proposals have been advanced and only a few are likely to survive in the teeth of some reliable experimental data. A combined mechanism mediated by phonons and lochons (local charged bosons, local pairs or bipolarons) for the pairing of fermions (holes or electrons) belonging to a wide band provides a microscopic explanation of anomalous normal state properties of HTSC cuprates and vindicates features of the phenomenological marginal Fermi liquid formulation. In the present review article detailed features of combined lochon and phonon mediated pairing mechanism are presented and a contact with the normal and superconducting state properties of HTSC in YBa 2 Cu 3 O x does indicate pair hopping between planes via such resonant centres lying in between the CuO 2 planes. (author)

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

Vortex properties in a strongly textured Bi(2212) high Tc superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verhoeven, P.F.M.

1993-08-01

The research described in this report was aimed at obtaining more information about the behaviour of vortices in a textured type II Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 high Tc superconductor. With the neutron depolarization technique used, it is possible to determine the mean magnetic induction in the sample and the magnetic disorder in the vortex system in one measurement. If the mean induction is directed along one of the main axes, it is possible to determine the local orientation of the vortices. The vortex distribution can in first order approximation be described by the Bean-model. This model claims a constant gradient in the vortex distribution from the edges toward the centre of the superconductor. In order to investigate this gradient, a scan method is used to measure the mean induction as a function of the position in the superconductor. From these measurements a non homogeneous vortex distribution at the edges could be concluded, although it could not be determined whether the gradient of the vortex distribution near the edges is constant. In order to investigate the relaxation of the vortex distribution after a magnetic field pulse, time dependent measurements were carried out. It appeared that the relaxation of the vortex system on short time scale (ms) is not only due to flux creep, but also to a collective expulsion of vortices because of the repulsive force between the vortices which are very closely packed together right after the pulse. Large remanence (>20 Gauss) after a large applied field pulse (>1 T) was observed, perpendicular to the applied field. This perpendicular remanence was investigated as a function of time, as a function of position, as a function of temperature and as a function of the applied field pulse. These large perpendicular fields can be explained if the texture of the sample is taken into account. (orig.)

EDITORIAL: Focus on Iron-Based Superconductors FOCUS ON IRON-BASED SUPERCONDUCTORS

Science.gov (United States)

Hosono, Hideo; Ren, Zhi-An

2009-02-01

Superconductivity is the most dramatic and clear cut phenomenon in condensed matter physics. Realization of room temperature superconductors, which would lead to the revolution of our society, is an ultimate goal for researchers. The discovery of high Tc cuprate superconductors in 1986 by Bednorz and Müller triggered intensive research worldwide and the maximum critical temperature has been raised above 100 K. Scientific research on this break-through material clarified a new route to high Tc materials, carrier doping to a Mott insulator with anti-ferromagnetic ordering. High superconductivity occurs in the neighborhood of Mott-insulators and Fermi-metals. Such a view, which was completely new, now stands as a guiding principle for exploring new high Tc materials. Many theoretical approaches to the mechanism for cuprate superconductors have been carried out to understand this unexpected material and to predict new high Tc materials. In 2006 a new superconductor based on iron, LaFeOP, was discovered by a group at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. Iron, as a ferromagnet, was believed to be the last element for the realization of superconductivity because of the way ferromagnetism competes against Cooper pair formation. Unexpectedly, however, the critical temperature remained at 4-6 K irrespective of hole/electron-doping. A large increase in the Tc to 26 K was then found in LaFe[O1-xFx]As by the same group (and was published on 23 February 2008, in the Journal of the American Chemical Society). The Tc of this material was further raised to 43 K under a pressure of 2 GPa and scientists in China then achieved a Tc of 56 K at ambient pressure by replacing La with other rare earth ions with smaller radius—a critical temperature that is second only to the high Tc cuprates. This fast progress has revitalized research within superconductivity and in 2008 there were more than seven international symposia specifically on Fe(Ni)-based superconductors. Through the rapid

Electrical and microstructural characterization of silver sheathed high Tc superconductors wires and ribbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaffron, L.; Regnier, P.; Schmirgeld, L.; Maurice, F.; Aguillon, C.; Senoussi, S.

1991-01-01

High Tc superconductors wires and ribbons were prepared according to the powder in tube method. It is shown that the electrical performances of the so prepared superconductors can be considerably improved, first by increasing as much as possible the density of the green body before sintering, and afterwards by melt texturing the sintered conductors. Some measurements of the transport critical current density of our conductors as a function of their diameter or their thickness are then presented and compared with indirect values obtained via the Bean method. The highest transport Jc measured in the present study, before melt texturing, are: 2250 and 5100 A/cm 2 at 77 and 63 K respectively, for a 50 μm thick silver sheathed ribbon. These figures compare nicely with the values of the intergranular critical current densities determined from magnetic measurements which are: 2100 and 5000 A/cm 2 at the same temperatures, and 40000 A/cm 2 at 4.2 K. Much higher intergranular values, in the range of 10 5 A/cm 2 were obtained after melt texturing the wires. Finally, microstructural characterizations carried out by X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe analysis and transmission electron microscopy are reported and discussed

Superconductivity in doped two-leg ladder cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Jihong; Yuan Feng; Feng Shiping

2006-01-01

Within the t-J ladder model, superconductivity with a modified d-wave symmetry in doped two-leg ladder cuprates is investigated based on the kinetic energy driven superconducting mechanism. It is shown that the spin-liquid ground-state at the half-filling evolves into the superconducting ground-state upon doping. In analogy to the doping dependence of the superconducting transition temperature in the planar cuprate superconductors, the superconducting transition temperature in doped two-leg ladder cuprates increases with increasing doping in the underdoped regime, and reaches a maximum in the optimal doping, then decreases in the overdoped regime

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.

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)

Superconductors go organic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singleton, John; Mielke, Charles

2002-01-01

Superconductors made from organic molecules are revealing fascinating new physics and could offer huge technological potential as well. Solid-state physicists are simple people. They believe that basic research is best carried out on chemically simple materials. Traditionally they have focused on inorganic elements, alloys, and other straightforward compounds. This approach has provided some notable successes. For example, any physicist over 35 will remember the huge fuss surrounding the discovery of high-temperature cuprate superconductors in 1986, which led to the infamous 'Woodstock of physics' meeting the following year. Just before the cuprates were discovered, however, an alternative view had begun to emerge. Physical chemists such as Klaus Bechgaard, Peter Day, Gunzi Saito, Viktor Schegolev and Jack Williams were suggesting that the 'simple-materials-are-best' assumption was misplaced. They argued that some of the most exciting studies in solid-state physics can - and should - be attempted on crystalline organic materials. Although chemically complex, such materials are beautifully simple in other ways, and they can, for example, provide much more information about basic phenomena like superconductivity and magnetism than supposedly simple materials. Physicists eventually embraced these materials with enthusiasm, and the number of papers on crystalline organic metals overtook those on the high-temperature cuprate superconductors three years ago. The gap has widened ever since, and the fact that God and a billion years of evolution have produced a processor based on three-dimensional arrays of molecules, rather than silicon or gallium-arsenide chips, is taken as a good omen by those working in the field. (U.K.)

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

Charged vortices in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Y.; Kumagai, K.

2002-01-01

It is well known that a vortex in type II superconductors traps a magnetic flux. Recently the possibility that a vortex can accumulate a finite electric charge as well has come to be realized. The sign and magnitude of the vortex charge not only is closely related to the microscopic electronic structure of the vortex, but also strongly affects the dynamical properties of the vortex. In this chapter we demonstrate that a vortex in high-T c superconductors (HTSC) indeed traps a finite electronic charge, using the high resolution measurements of the nuclear quadrupole frequencies. We then discuss the vortex Hall anomaly whose relation with the vortex charging effect has recently received considerable attention. We show that the sign of the trapped charge is opposite to the sign predicted by the conventional BCS theory and deviation of the magnitude of the charge from the theory is also significant. We also show that the electronic structure of underlying system is responsible for the Hall sign in the vortex state and again the Hall sign is opposite to the sign predicted by the BCS theory. It appears that these unexpected features observed in both electrostatics and dynamics of the vortex may be attributed to the novel electronic structure of the vortex in HTSC. (orig.)

High T(c) superconductors: Technical and commercial challenge

Science.gov (United States)

Kirschner, I.; Horvath, E.; Vajda, I.; Bencze, L.; Goebl, N.

1995-01-01

Some basic questions of the way which leads from the discovery of high-T(c) superconductors to their applications is surveyed. The influence of high-T(c) superconducting technology on the industrial and social development is also briefly analyzed.

Anomalous Hall effect from vortex motion in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, J.L.; Yang, T.J.

1994-01-01

In this work, the unusual Seebeck effect is taken into consideration in explaining the possible origin of the anomalous Hall effect for high-T c superconductors. Combining Maki's theory of transport entropy and Tinkham's theory of resistive transition, we explain why the anomalous Hall effect can be observed in high-T c superconductors, but is absent in most conventional superconductors. The behavior of ρ xy (H,T) in our theory is qualitatively consistent with experiments. In addition, our theory not only predicts that ρ xy will become positive from ρ xy xy |∝ρ xx 2 in the region of ρ xy xy will diminish with increasing defect concentration

Visualizing electron pockets in cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Tanmoy; Markiewicz, R. S.; Bansil, A.; Balatsky, A. V.

2012-06-01

Fingerprints of the electron pocket in cuprates have been obtained only in numerous magnetotransport measurements, but its absence in spectroscopic observations poses a long-standing mystery. We develop a theoretical tool to provide ways to detect electron pockets via spectroscopies including scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) spectra, inelastic neutron scattering (INS), and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). We show that the quasiparticle-interference (QPI) pattern, measured by STM, shows an additional seven q vectors associated with the scattering on the electron pocket than that on the hole pocket. Furthermore, the Bogolyubov quasiparticle scatterings of the electron pocket lead to a second magnetic resonance mode in the INS spectra at a higher resonance energy. Finally, we reanalyze some STM, INS, and ARPES experimental data of several cuprates which dictates the direct fingerprints of electron pockets in these systems.

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.

6. Trilateral German-Russian-Ukrainian seminar on high-temperature superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aksenov, V.L.; Kornilov, E.I.

1993-01-01

The proceedings of the 6. Trilateral German-Russian-Ukrainian seminar on high-temperature superconductivity are reported. Nuclear methods (neutron diffraction, neutron polarization, Raman scattering, ESR) applied to study rare earth cuprates are described. The reports dealing with fundamental experimental studies and theoretical investigations are presented. The source materials for preparation of high-tc superconductors and the ways of their preparation, as well as their physico-chemical properties are considered

Towards a complete Fermi surface in underdoped high Tc superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Neil

The discovery of magnetic quantum oscillations in underdoped high Tc superconductors raised many questions, and initiated a quest to understand the origin of the Fermi surface the like of which had not been seen since the very first discovery of quantum oscillations in elemental bismuth. While studies of the Fermi surface of materials are today mostly assisted by computer codes for calculating the electronic band structure, this was not the case in the underdoped high Tc materials. The Fermi surface was shown to reconstructed into small pockets, yet there was no hint of a viable order parameter. Crucial clues to understanding the origin of the Fermi surface were provided by the small value of the observed Fermi surface cross-section, the negative Hall coefficient and the small electronic heat capacity at high magnetic fields. We also know that the magnetic fields were likely to be too weak to destroy the pseudogap and that vortex pinning effects could be seen to persist to high magnetic fields at low temperatures. I will show that the Fermi surface that appears to fit best with the experimental observations is a small electron pocket formed by connecting the nodal `Fermi arcs' seen in photoemission experiments, corresponding to a density-wave state with two different orthogonal ordering vectors. The existence of such order has subsequently been detected by x-ray scattering experiments, thereby strengthening the case for charge ordering being responsible for reconstructing the Fermi surface. I will discuss new efforts to understand the relationship between the charge ordering and the pseudogap state, discussing the fate of the quasiparticles in the antinodal region and the dimensionality of the Fermi surface. The author acknowledges contributions from Suchitra Sebastian, Brad Ramshaw, Mun Chan, Yu-Te Hsu, Mate Hartstein, Gil Lonzarich, Beng Tan, Arkady Shekhter, Fedor Balakirev, Ross McDonald, Jon Betts, Moaz Altarawneh, Zengwei Zhu, Chuck Mielke, James Day, Doug

Growth of superconductor material in a fluxed melt, and article of manufacture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, K.A.; Schneemeyer, L.F.

1991-01-01

This patent describes a method for making a body of bismuth-strontium calcium cuprate, lead-substituted bismuth strontium calcium cuprate, or thallium-barium calcium cuprate superconductor material. It comprises cooling a melt at least locally, the melt comprising constituents of the material, characterized in that the melts further comprises a flux component comprising at least one fluxing agent selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride and potassium chloride, such that the cuprate body has superconductor properties at a temperature of 77 K

Correlation effects in high-Tc superconductors and heavy fermion compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuzemsky, A.L.

1993-10-01

This paper describes certain aspects of Highly Correlated Systems (HCS) such as high Tc superconductors (HTSC) and some new class of Heavy Fermion (HF) systems which have been studied recently. The problem is discussed on how the charge and spin degrees of freedom participate in the specific character of superconductivity in the copper oxides and competition of the magnetism and Kondo screening in heavy fermions. The electronic structure and possible superconducting mechanisms of HTSC compounds are discussed. The similarity and dissimilarity with HF compounds is pointed out. It is shown that the spins and carriers in the copper oxides are coupled in a very nontrivial way in order to introduce the discussion and the comparison of the Emery model, the t - J-model and the Kondo-Heisenberg model. It concerns attempts to derive from fundamental multi-band Hamiltonian the reduced effective Hamiltonians to extract and separate the relevant low-energy physics. A short review of the arguments which seem to support the spin-polaron pairing mechanism in HTSC are presented. Many other topics like the idea of mixed valence states in oxides, the role of charge transfer (CT) excitations, phase separation, self-consistent nonperturbative technique, etc. are also discussed. (author). 161 refs

The high temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-δ: symmetry of the order parameter, and gradiometers for biomagnetic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kouznetsov, Konstantin A.

1999-01-01

The cuprate YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ is the material that drives the majority of the technological applications of high transition temperature (Tc) superconductors, particularly in the area of superconducting electronics. Despite the widespread use of high-Tc superconducting materials in a variety of applications, the nature of the superconducting state in these materials remains unknown since their discovery more than a decade ago. Many properties of the high-Tc superconductors are determined by their order parameter, which is a wavefunction describing the superconducting condensate. The symmetry of the order parameter in cuprates has been the subject of intensive investigation, leading to conflicting sets of results. Some experiments supported conventional, s-wave symmetry of the order parameter, while others indicated an unconventional, d-wave symmetry. The first part of this thesis is an experimental study of the symmetry of the order parameter in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . A new class of phase sensitive experiments is described that involve Josephson tunneling along the c-axis of twinned crystals of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . These experiments showed that an s-wave component must reverse sign across the twin boundary, providing direct evidence for a mixed, s+d symmetry of the order parameter in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ , and thereby reconciling two conflicting sets of previous findings and establishing the dominant d-wave pairing symmetry. The second part of the thesis focuses on practical applications of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ in superconducting electronics. The authors introduce a novel Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) gradiometer. The principle of operation of these long baseline high-T c SQUID gradiometers is based on the inductive coupling of the input coil of a planar flux transformer to the pickup up loop of a directly coupled magnetometer. The long baseline of the gradiometer, 48 mm, and the intrinsic. Balance of better than 1 part in 100 make it an ideal candidate

Bearing design for flywheel energy storage using high-TC superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Hull, John R.; Mulcahy, Thomas M.

2000-01-01

A high temperature superconductor material bearing system (38) This system (38) includes a rotor (50) having a ring permanent magnet (60), a plurality of permanent magnets (16, 20 and 70) for interacting to generate levitation forces for the system (38). This group of magnets are a push/pull bearing (75). A high temperature superconductor structure (30) interacts with the ting permanent magnet (60) to provide stabilizing forces for the system (38).

Identification of Raman peaks of high-Tc cuprates in normal state through density of states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishoyi, K.C.; Rout, G.C.; Behera, S.N.

2007-01-01

We present a microscopic theory to explain and identify the Raman spectral peaks of high-T c cuprates R 2-x M x CuO 4 in the normal state. We used electronic Hamiltonian prescribed by Fulde in presence of anti-ferromagnetism. Phonon interaction to the hybridization between the conduction electrons of the system and the f-electrons has been incorporated in the calculation. The phonon spectral density is calculated by the Green's function technique of Zubarev at zero wave vector and finite (room) temperature limit. The four Raman active peaks (P 1 -P 4 ) representing the electronic states of the atomic sub-systems of the cuprate system are identified by the calculated quasi-particle energy bands and electron density of states (DOS). The effect of interactions on these peaks are also explained

Pairing symmetries of several iron-based superconductor families and some similarities with cuprates and heavy-fermions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Das Tanmoy

2012-03-01

Full Text Available We show that, by using the unit-cell transformation between 1 Fe per unit cell to 2 Fe per unit cell, one can qualitatively understand the pairing symmetry of several families of iron-based superconductors. In iron-pnictides and iron-chalcogenides, the nodeless s±-pairing and the resulting magnetic resonance mode transform nicely between the two unit cells, while retaining all physical properties unchanged. However, when the electron-pocket disappears from the Fermi surface with complete doping in KFe2As2, we find that the unit-cell invariant requirement prohibits the occurrence of s±-pairing symmetry (caused by inter-hole-pocket nesting. However, the intra-pocket nesting is compatible here, which leads to a nodal d-wave pairing. The corresponding Fermi surface topology and the pairing symmetry are similar to Ce-based heavy-fermion superconductors. Furthermore, when the Fermi surface hosts only electron-pockets in KyFe2-xSe2, the inter-electron-pocket nesting induces a nodeless and isotropic d-wave pairing. This situation is analogous to the electron-doped cuprates, where the strong antiferromagnetic order creates similar disconnected electron-pocket Fermi surface, and hence nodeless d-wave pairing appears. The unit-cell transformation in KyFe2-xSe2 exhibits that the d-wave pairing breaks the translational symmetry of the 2 Fe unit cell, and thus cannot be realized unless a vacancy ordering forms to compensate for it. These results are consistent with the coexistence picture of a competing order and nodeless d-wave superconductivity in both cuprates and KyFe1.6Se2.

First-principles calculation of the transition temperature Tc for HgBa2CuO4+δ high-temperature superconductors via dipolon theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Downs, D.; Sharma, R.R.

1995-01-01

First numerical evaluations of T c for oxygenated and argon-reduced single-layered HgBa 2 CuO 4+δ superconductors have been presented. Our calculations are based on the dipolon theory and are found to provide an explanation for the occurrence of superconductivity in single-layered high-T c superconductors. Relevant expressions useful for the evaluation of T c have been given. Since the polarizabilities of the ions are not known exactly for the present systems we have performed calculations making use of Pauling's as well as Tessman, Kahn, and Shockley's polarizabilities in order to estimate the uncertainties in the calculated values of T c associated with uncertainties in the polarizabilities. The effective charges on the ions required for the evaluation of dipoles and dipolon frequencies have been obtained by means of the bond-valence sums. Without fitting with any parameters, our calculations yield T c values equal to 80±21 K for the oxygenated and 50±27 K for the argon-reduced HgBa 2 CuO 4+δ superconductors, in agreement with the corresponding experimental values 95 and 59 K. The uncertainties in the calculated values of T c arise because of the uncertainties in various physical parameters (including polarizabilities) used and due to errors involved in the calculations. The present results are consistent with the observed electronic Raman-scattering intensities which show anomalously broad peaks extended up to several electron volts in cuprate high-T c superconductors. Our calculated dipolon density of states predict four optical absorption peaks at about 77 cm -1 , 195 cm -1 , 1.6 eV, and 2.5 eV

Growth of high-temperature superconductor crystals from flux

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demianets, L.N.; Bykov, A.B.; Melnikov, O.K.; Stishov, S.M.

1991-01-01

Crystallization of high-temperature superconductors was studied in La-Sr-Cu-O, Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O systems. Platelet crystals YBa 2 Cu 3 Osub(6.5+x) were obtained by spontaneous crystallization from homogeneous nonstoichiometric melts enriched in barium and copper oxides. Lasub(2-x)Sr x CuO 4 was prepared by slow cooling of melts enriched in copper oxide. Bi 2 (Sr, Ca)sub(n+1)Cu n O y , (n=1;2) was obtained by melting zone travelling. The crystals show transition to superconducting state at T=93K, ΔT 0.2-0.5 K (Y, Ba cuprate), T=87K, ΔT 2K (Bi, Sr, Ca-cuprate). La, Sr-cuprate single crystals obtained by Czochralski method did not show transition to superconducting state. For flux-grown crystals T c was 5-26 K depending on the composition, growth and heat treatment. The short characterization of some accessory phases (Ba 3 Y 2 Cu 3 PtO 10 , Casub(1.75)Srsub(1.5)Cusub(0.75)PtO 6 , BaCuO 2 , Ba 41 Cu 44 O 84 Cl 2 ) is reported. (author). 15 ref s., 8 figs

Thermodynamic Critical Field and Superconducting Fluctuation of Vortices for High Temperature Cuprate Superconductor: La-214

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yung Moo Huh

2001-01-01

Thermodynamics has been studied systematically for the high temperature cuprate superconductor La 2-x Sr x CuO 4-δ , La-214, in the entire superconductive region from strongly underdoped to strongly overdoped regimes. Magnetization studies with H(parallel)c have been made in order to investigate the changes in free energy of the system as the number of carriers is reduced. Above the superconducting transition temperature, the normal-state magnetization exhibits a two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnetic behavior. Below T c , magnetization data are thermodynamically reversible over large portions of the H-T plane, so the free energy is well defined in these regions. As the Sr concentration is varied over the wide range from 0.060 (strongly underdoped) to 0.234 (strongly overdoped), the free energy change goes through a maximum at the optimum doped in a manner similar to the T c0 vs. x curve. The density of states, N(0), remains nearly constant in the overdoped and optimum doped regimes, taking a broad maximum around x = 0.188, and then drops abruptly towards zero in the underdoped regime. The La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 (La-214) system displays the fluctuating vortex behavior with the characteristic of either 2D or 3D fluctuations as indicated by clearly identifiable crossing points T* close to T c . The dimensional character of the fluctuations depends on both applied magnetic fields and the density of charge carriers. The dimensional crossover from 2D to 3D occurs in the strongly underdoped regime when the c-axis coherence distance ζ c becomes comparable to the spacing between adjacent CuO 2 layers s at sufficiently high magnetic fields near H c2

Thermodynamic Critical Field and Superconducting Fluctuation of Vortices for High Temperature Cuprate Superconductor: La-214

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finnemore, Douglas K.

2001-01-01

Thermodynamics has been studied systematically for the high temperature cuprate superconductor La 2-x Sr x CuO 4-δ , La-214, in the entire superconductive region from strongly underdoped to strongly overdoped regimes. Magnetization studies with H (parallel) c have been made in order to investigate the changes in free energy of the system as the number of carriers is reduced. Above the superconducting transition temperature, the normal-state magnetization exhibits a two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnetic behavior. Below T c , magnetization data are thermodynamically reversible over large portions of the H-T plane, so the free energy is well defined in these regions. As the Sr concentration is varied over the wide range from 0.060 (strongly underdoped) to 0.234 (strongly overdoped), the free energy change goes through a maximum at the optimum doped in a manner similar to the T c0 vs. x curve. The density of states, N(0), remains nearly constant in the overdoped and optimum doped regimes, taking a broad maximum around x = 0.188, and then drops abruptly towards zero in the underdoped regime. The La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 (La-214) system displays the fluctuating vortex behavior with the characteristic of either 2D or 3D fluctuations as indicated by clearly identifiable crossing points T* close to T c . The dimensional character of the fluctuations depends on both applied magnetic fields and the density of charge carriers. The dimensional crossover from 2D to 3D occurs in the strongly underdoped regime when the c-axis coherence distance ξ c becomes comparable to the spacing between adjacent CuO 2 layers s at sufficiently high magnetic field near H c2

High precision determination of 16O in high Tc superconductors by DIGME

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vickridge, I.; Tallon, J.; Presland, M.

1994-01-01

A method is described for measuring the 16 O content of high T c superconductors with better than 1% precision by exploiting the detection of gamma rays emitted when they are irradiated by an MeV deuterium beam. The method is presently less accurate than the widely used titration and thermogravimetric methods, however it is rapid, and may be applied to materials such as Tl-containing high T c superconductors which pose serious problems for the usual analytical methods. (orig.)

Oxygen hole mechanism of superconductivity in cuprates and other metal oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, C.N.R.

1989-01-01

Several theoretical models have been proposed to explain high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates. An issue that is central to any model is the nature of copper and oxygen species in the cuprates since superconductivity clearly owes its origin to the Cu-O sheets universally present in all the cuprate families. Thus, the five families of cuprate superconductors, La 2 - x M x CuO 4 (M = Ca, Sr or Ba) of the K 2 NiF 4 structure, LnBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 - δ (Ln = Y or rare earth), Bi 2 (Ca, Sr) n + 1 Cu n O 2n + 4 , Tl 2 (Ca, Ba) n + 1 Cu n O 2n + 4 and Tl (Ca, Ba) n + 1 Cu n O 2n + 3 , all contain two-dimensional Cu-O sheets. The Cu-O chains additionally present in the 123 compounds do not seem to play any crucial role. It has been generally believed that magnetic, superconducting and related properties of cuprates have some thing to do with the mixed valency of copper. For example, the resonating valence bond (RVB) model requires the presence of holes on Cu sites (Cu 3 + species). There are also a few models, however, based on the presence of holes on oxygen sites (O - species); dimerization of oxygen holes has also been suggested to occur by a few workers. It is the purpose of this article to briefly present the available experimental evidence for the presence of oxygen holes and to discuss their role in high-temperature conductivity. It will be shown that these holes play a role in other oxide materials as well as including the Cu-free Ba 1 - x K x BiO 3 superconductor

Images of interlayer Josephson vortices in single-layer cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moler, K. A.; Kirtley, J. R.; Liang, R.; Bonn, D. A.; Hardy, W. N.; Williams, J. M.; Schlueter, J. A.; Hinks, D.; Villard, G.; Maignan, A.; Nohara, M.; Takagi, H.

2000-01-01

The interlayer penetration depth in layered superconductors may be determined from scanning Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) microscope images of interlayer Josephson vortices. The authors compare their findings at 4 K for single crystals of the organic superconductor κ-(BEDT-TTF) 2 Cu(NCS) 2 and three near-optimally doped cuprate superconductors: La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 , (Hg, Cu)Ba 2 CuO 4+δ , and Tl 2 Ba 2 CuO 6+δ

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

An overview of the Fe-chalcogenide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, M K; Wen, Y C; Chen, T K; Chang, C C; Wu, P M; Wang, M J; Lin, P H; Lee, W C

2015-01-01

This review intends to summarize recent advancements in FeSe and related systems. The FeSe and related superconductors are currently receiving considerable attention for the high critical temperature (T C ) observed and for many similar features to the high T C cuprate superconductors. These similarities suggest that understanding the FeSe-based compounds could potentially help our understanding of the cuprates. We begin the review by presenting common features observed in the FeSe- and FeAs-based systems. Then we discuss the importance of careful control of the material preparation allowing for a systematic structure characterization. With this control, numerous rich phases have been observed. Importantly, we suggest that the Fe-vacancy ordered phases found in the FeSe-based compounds, which are non-superconducting magnetic Mott insulators, are the parent compounds of the superconductors. Superconductivity can emerge from the parent phases by disordering the Fe vacancy order, often by a simple annealing treatment. Then we review physical properties of the Fe chalcogenides, specifically the optical properties and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) results. From the literature, strong evidence points to the existence of orbital modification accompanied by a gap-opening, prior to the structural phase transition, which is closely related to the occurrence of superconductivity. Furthermore, strong lattice to spin coupling are important for the occurrence of superconductivity in FeSe. Therefore, it is believed that the iron selenides and related compounds will provide essential information to understand the origin of superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors, and possibly the superconducting cuprates. (topical review)

On the electronic structure of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fink, J.; Nuecker, N.; Romberg, H.; Alexander, M.; Knupfer, M.; Mante, J.; Claessen, R.; Buslaps, T.; Harm, S.; Manzke, R.; Skibowski, M.

1992-01-01

Studies of the electronic structure of high-T c superconductors and related compounds by high-energy spectroscopies are reviewed. In particular, we report on investigations by electron energy-loss, angle-resolved photoemission, and inverse angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Information on the symmetry and the character of states close to the Fermi level has been obtained. 25 refs., 8 figs

Spin-fluctuation mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity and order-parameter symmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izyumov, Yurii A

1999-01-01

The notion that electrons in high-T c cuprates pair via antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations is discussed and the symmetry of the superconducting order parameter is analyzed. Three approaches to the problem, one phenomenological (with an experimental dynamic magnetic susceptibility) and two microscopic (involving, respectively, the Hubbard model and the tJ-model) are considered and it is shown that in each case strong-coupling theory leads to a d-wave order parameter with zeros at the Fermi surface. The review then proceeds to consider experimental techniques in which the d-symmetry of the order parameter may manifest itself. These include low-temperature thermodynamic measurements, measurements of the penetration depth and the upper critical field, Josephson junction experiments to obtain the phase of the superconducting order parameter, and various spectroscopic methods. The experimental data suggest that the order parameter in cuprates is d x 2 -y 2 -wave. Ginzburg-Landau theory for a superconductor with a d-wave order parameter is outlined and both an isolated vortex and a vortex lattice are investigated. Finally, some theoretical aspects of the effects of nonmagnetic impurities on a d-wave superconductor are considered. (reviews of topical problems)

Magic Doping Fractions in High-Temperature Superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komiya, Seiki; /CRIEPI, Tokyo; Chen, Han-Dong; Zhang, Shou-Cheng; /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.; Ando, Yoichi; /CRIEPI, Tokyo

2010-01-15

We report hole-doping dependence of the in-plane resistivity {rho}{sub ab} in a cuprate superconductor La{sub 2-x}Sr{sub x}CuO{sub 4}, carefully examined using a series of high-quality single crystals. Our detailed measurements find a tendency towards charge ordering at particular rational hole doping fractions of 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, and 3/16. This observation appears to suggest a specific form of charge order and is most consistent with the recent theoretical prediction of the checkerboard-type ordering of the Cooper pairs at rational doping fractions x = (2m + 1)/2{sup n}, with integers m and n.

Excess Oxygen Defects in Layered Cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Lightfoot, P.; Pei, S. Y.; Jorgensen, J. D.; Manthiram, A.; Tang, X. X.; Goodenough, J. B.

1990-09-01

Neutron powder diffraction has been used to study the oxygen defect chemistry of two non-superconducting layered cuprates, La{sub 1. 25}Dy{sub 0.75}Cu{sub 3.75}F{sub 0.5}, having a T{sup {asterisk}}- related structure, and La{sub 1.85}Sr{sub 1.15}Cu{sub 2}O{sub 6.25}, having a structure related to that of the newly discovered double-layer superconductor La{sub 2-x}Sr{sub x}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 6}. The role played by oxygen defects in determining the superconducting properties of layered cuprates is discussed.

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.

Melted flux liquids in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, D.R.

1989-01-01

A theory of the entangles flux liquids which arise in the new high-T c superconductors is reviewed. New physics appears because of the weak interplanar couplings and high critical temperatures in these materials. Flux line wandering melts the conventional Abrikosov flux lattice over large portions of the phase diagram and leads to a novel entangled vortex state. The authors suggest that a heavily entangled flux liquid could exhibit glassy behavior on experimental time scales, in analogy with viscoelastic behavior in dense polymer melts

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.

Strain-Induced Enhancement of the Electron Energy Relaxation in Strongly Correlated Superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Gadermaier

2014-03-01

Full Text Available We use femtosecond optical spectroscopy to systematically measure the primary energy relaxation rate Γ_{1} of photoexcited carriers in cuprate and pnictide superconductors. We find that Γ_{1} increases monotonically with increased negative strain in the crystallographic a axis. Generally, the Bardeen-Shockley deformation potential theorem and, specifically, pressure-induced Raman shifts reported in the literature suggest that increased negative strain enhances electron-phonon coupling, which implies that the observed direct correspondence between a and Γ_{1} is consistent with the canonical assignment of Γ_{1} to the electron-phonon interaction. The well-known nonmonotonic dependence of the superconducting critical temperature T_{c} on the a-axis strain is also reflected in a systematic dependence T_{c} on Γ_{1}, with a distinct maximum at intermediate values (∼16  ps^{−1} at room temperature. The empirical nonmonotonic systematic variation of T_{c} with the strength of the electron-phonon interaction provides us with unique insight into the role of electron-phonon interaction in relation to the mechanism of high-T_{c} superconductivity as a crossover phenomenon.

Fermi surface of underdoped high-Tc superconducting cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, X.; Su, Z.; Yu, L.

1997-01-01

The coexistence of a π-flux state and a d-wave resonant-valance-bond (RVB) state is considered in this paper within the slave-boson approach. A critical value of doping concentration δ c is found, below which the coexisting π-flux and d-wave RVB state is favored in energy. The pseudo-Fermi surface of spinons and the physical electron spectral function are calculated. A clear Fermi-level crossing is found along the (0,0) to (π, π) direction, but no such crossing is detected along the (π, 0) to (π, π) direction. Also, an energy gap of d-wave symmetry appears at the Fermi level in our calculation. The above results are in agreement with the angle-resolved photoemission experiments which indicate at a d-wave pseudogap and a half-pocket-like Fermi surface in underdoped cuprates. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

Temperature profile evolution in quenching high-Tc ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. Irreversible normal zones leading to quench is an important aspect of high-temperature superconductors (HTS) in all practical applications. As a consequence of quench, transport current gets diverted to the matrix stabilizer material of the high-Tc composite and causes Joule heating till the original conditions are ...

High Tc superconductors at microwave frequencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruener, G.

1991-01-01

The author discusses various experiments conducted in the micro- and millimeter wave spectral range on thin film and single crystal specimens of the high temperature oxide superconductors. For high quality film the surface resistance R s is, except at low temperatures, due to thermally excited carriers, with extrinsic effects playing only a secondary role. Because of the low loss various passive microwave components, such as resonators, delay lines and filters, with performance far superior to those made of normal metals can be fabricated. The conductivity measured at millimeter wave frequencies displays a peak below T c . Whether this is due to coherence factors or due to the change of the relaxation rate when the materials enter the superconducting state remains to be seen

A phenomenological model for the structure-composition relationship of the high Tc cuprates based on simple chemical principles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alarco, J.A.; Talbot, P.C.

2012-01-01

A simple phenomenological model for the relationship between structure and composition of the high Tc cuprates is presented. The model is based on two simple crystal chemistry principles: unit cell doping and charge balance within unit cells. These principles are inspired by key experimental observations of how the materials accommodate large deviations from stoichiometry. Consistent explanations for significant HTSC properties can be explained without any additional assumptions while retaining valuable insight for geometric interpretation. Combining these two chemical principles with a review of Crystal Field Theory (CFT) or Ligand Field Theory (LFT), it becomes clear that the two oxidation states in the conduction planes (typically d 8 and d 9 ) belong to the most strongly divergent d-levels as a function of deformation from regular octahedral coordination. This observation offers a link to a range of coupling effects relating vibrations and spin waves through application of Hund’s rules. An indication of this model’s capacity to predict physical properties for HTSC is provided and will be elaborated in subsequent publications. Simple criteria for the relationship between structure and composition in HTSC systems may guide chemical syntheses within new material systems.

Bi-Polaron Condensation in High Tc Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ranninger, J.

1995-01-01

On the basis of optical measurements-, photoemission-, EXAFS- and neutron scattering-experiments we conclude that itinerant valence electrons coexist with localized bi-polarons.Entering the metallic phase upon chemical doping, a charge transfer between the two electronic subsystems is triggered off. We show that as the temperature is lowered towards Tc this process leads to a delocalization of bi-polarons due to a precursor effect of superfluidity of those bi-polarons. Upon entering the superconducting phase, these bipolarons ultimately condense into a superfluid state which is expected to largely determine the superconducting properties of high Tc materials. (authors)

Universal spectral signatures in pnictides and cuprates: the role of quasiparticle-pair coupling.

Science.gov (United States)

Sacks, William; Mauger, Alain; Noat, Yves

2017-11-08

Understanding the physical properties of a large variety of high-T c superconductors (SC), the cuprate family as well as the more recent iron-based superconductors, is still a major challenge. In particular, these materials exhibit the 'peak-dip-hump' structure in the quasiparticle density of states (DOS). The origin of this structure is explained within our pair-pair interaction (PPI) model: The non-superconducting state consists of incoherent pairs, a 'Cooper-pair glass' which, due to the PPI, undergoes a Bose-like condensation below T c to the coherent SC state. We derive the equations of motion for the quasiparticle operators showing that the DOS 'peak-dip-hump' is caused by the coupling between quasiparticles and excited pair states, or 'super-quasiparticles'. The renormalized SC gap function becomes energy-dependent and non retarded, reproducing accurately the experimental spectra of both pnictides and cuprates, despite the large difference in gap value.

Models of high-Tc superconductivity and applications to electric generators and motors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Mads Peter

We present the Ginzburg Landau model for mesoscopic high-Tc superconductors of complex geometry. It is shown that giant vortices can form at boundary defects. The relation between total magnetic flux penetration through the superconductor and the externally applied field is established. This is i...

Strong-coupling interaction in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ray, D.K.

1991-01-01

Extensive experimental and theoretical work have been done to understand the mechanisms of superconductivity. Until 1986 when Bednorz and Muller discovered superconductivity in the copper oxide perovskite, the principal mechanism was found to be electron-phonon interaction and the characteristics of superconductivity vary depending on the strength of the electron-phonon interaction and the electronic structure. The essential characteristic of these conventional superconductors could be divided into two groups: wide band metals with low density of states N(E F ) at the Fermi energy E F and a rather weak electron-phonon coupling V obeying the universal characteristics of the BCS theory and narrow d band metals, compounds, and alloys with high values of N(E F ), electron-phonon coupling V and non negligible Coulomb interaction between the electrons. In this paper a short summary and the important results of these theories are discussed. The inherent limitations of these theories based on electron-phonon interaction will be discussed. The authors indicate the major characteristics of the new superconductors. These characteristics are difficult to explain on the basis of either the conventional electron-phonon theory or theories based on magnetic interactions alone

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

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

Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy studies of the many-body effects in the electronic structure of high-Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inosov, Dmytro S.

2008-01-01

In the present work some steps are done towards understanding the anomalous effects observed in the single-particle excitation spectra of cuprates. First, the electronic properties of BSCCO are considered. The main result of this part of the work is a model of the Green's function that is later used for calculating the two-particle excitation spectrum. Then, the matrix element effects in the photoemission spectra of cuprates are discussed. After a general introduction to the problem, the thesis focuses on the recently discovered anomalous behavior of the ARPES spectra that partially originates from the momentum-dependent photoemission matrix element. The momentum- and excitation energy dependence of the anomalous high-energy dispersion, termed ''waterfalls'', is covered in full detail. Understanding the role of the matrix element effects in this phenomenon proves crucial, as they obstruct the view of the underlying excitation spectrum that is of indisputable interest. For the optimally doped bilayer Bi-based cuprate, the renormalized two-particle correlation function in the superconducting state is calculated from ARPES data within an itinerant model based on the random phase approximation (RPA). (orig.)

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.

An infrared view of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanner, D.B.; Timusk, T.; McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON

1989-01-01

Studies of the infrared properties of the high T c superconductors are reviewed, with particular emphasis on attempts to determine the energy gap by far infrared spectroscopy and on the properties of the strong absorption that occurs in the mid infrared. The authors argue that this mid-infrared absorption is a direct particle-hole excitation rather than a Holstein emission process. In addition, they conclude that although the energy gap is not easily observed, several recent experiments place it in the weak to moderate strong coupling range

Effect of strong correlations on the high energy anomaly in hole- and electron-doped high-T{sub c} superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moritz, B; Johnston, S; Greven, M; Shen, Z-X; Devereaux, T P [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Schmitt, F; Meevasana, W; Motoyama, E M [Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Lu, D H [Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Kim, C [Institute of Physics and Applied Physics, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Scalettar, R T [Physics Department, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616 (United States)], E-mail: moritzb@slac.stanford.edu

2009-09-15

Recently, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has been used to highlight an anomalously large band renormalization at high binding energies in cuprate superconductors: the high energy 'waterfall' or high energy anomaly (HEA). This paper demonstrates, using a combination of new ARPES measurements and quantum Monte Carlo simulations, that the HEA is not simply the by-product of matrix element effects, but rather represents a cross-over from a quasi-particle band at low binding energies near the Fermi level to valence bands at higher binding energy, assumed to be of strong oxygen character, in both hole- and electron-doped cuprates. While photoemission matrix elements clearly play a role in changing the aesthetic appearance of the band dispersion, i.e. the 'waterfall'-like behavior, they provide an inadequate description for the physics that underlies the strong band renormalization giving rise to the HEA. Model calculations of the single-band Hubbard Hamiltonian showcase the role played by correlations in the formation of the HEA and uncover significant differences in the HEA energy scale for hole- and electron-doped cuprates. In addition, this approach properly captures the transfer of spectral weight accompanying both hole and electron doping in a correlated material and provides a unifying description of the HEA across both sides of the cuprate phase diagram.

A phenomenological approach to high Tc oxide superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chela-Flores, J.; Das, M.P.; Saif, A.G.

1987-06-01

Oxide superconductors are described in terms of macroscopic wave functions Ψ and Φ corresponding, respectively, to electron pairs of the superconducting and insulating states. In terms of the total free energy of the system, including the effect of interaction, we discuss the electrodynamic responses of the oxide superconductors in relation with the experiments to data. (author). 10 refs

Feshbach shape resonance for high Tc pairing in superlattices of quantum stripes and quantum wells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Bianconi

2006-09-01

Full Text Available   The Feshbach shape resonances in the interband pairing in superconducting superlattices of quantum wells or quantum stripes is shown to provide the mechanism for high Tc superconductivity. This mechanism provides the Tc amplification driven by the architecture of material: superlattices of quantum wells (intercalated graphite or diborides and superlattices of quantum stripes (doped high Tc cuprate perovskites where the chemical potential is tuned to a Van Hove-Lifshitz singularity (vHs in the electronic energy spectrum of the superlattice associated with the change of the Fermi surface dimensionality in one of the subbands.

Induction linear accelerators with high-Tc bulk superconductor lenses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuzawa, Hidenori; Wada, Haruhisa; Mori, Satoshi; Yamamoto, Tadashi

1991-01-01

Solenoidal coils in a one-stage induction accelerator were replaced by a high-T c bulk superconductor lens (Supertron). The accelerator postaccelerated injected electron beams to ∼ 400 keV, ∼ 0.35 kA, and ∼ 10 ns of duration time. (author)

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.

A universal order underlying the pseudogap regime of the underdoped high Tc cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Neil

2014-03-01

A major achievement in condensed matter physics in the last quarter century has been a step towards the understanding of the unconventional d-wave superconducting state in the copper-oxide materials. Surprisingly, the normal state out of which the superconducting state emerges remains a mystery at low charge carrier densities, i.e., in the underdoped regime. This regime is of particular interest because it is characterised by an unusual momentum dependent energy pseudogap in the excitation spectrum that has defied explanation and is key to a full understanding of the unconventional d-wave superconducting state. I will present new quantum oscillation experimental results within the pseudogap regime of the high Tc superconductors YBa2Cu3O6+x and YBa2Cu4O8 which now extend up to the optimally-doped regime. These data reveal the evolution of the Fermi surface approaching the putative quantum critical point under the superconducting dome. A comprehensive angle-resolved study of the Fermi surface enables us to unambiguously identify a specific form of order that accounts for the observed quantum oscillations as well as other spectroscopic, transport and thermodynamic probes within the pseudogap regime. The author would like to thank B. Ramshaw, S. Sebastian, F. Balakirev, C. Mielke, M. Altarawneh, P. Goddard, S. Sabok, B. Babrowski, D. Bonn, W. Hardy, R. Liang and G. Lonzarich. This work was supported by the DOE BES ``Science of 100 tesla'' project and by the NSF and Florida State.

Antiferromagnetic and superconducting gaps and their interrelation in high-Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arrigoni, E.; Zacher, M.G.; Eckl, T.; Hanke, W.

2003-01-01

We propose a phenomenological model, comprising a microscopic SO(5) model plus the on-site Hubbard interaction U (projected SO(5) model) to understand the interrelation between the d-wave-gap modulation observed by recent angle-resolved photoemission experiments in the insulating antiferromagnet Ca 2 CuO 2 Cl 2 and the d-wave gap of high-T c superconducting materials. The on-site interaction U is important in order to produce a Mott gap of the correct order of magnitude, which would be absent in an exact SO(5) theory. The projected SO(5)-model explains the gap characteristics, namely both the symmetry and the different order of magnitude of the gap modulations between the AF and the SCc phases. Furthermore, it is shown that the projected SO(5) theory can provide an explanation for a recent observation [E. Pavarini et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 47003 (2001)], i. e. that the maximum T c observed in a large variety of high-T c cuprates scales with the next-nearest-neighbor hopping matrix element t'. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

U(1) x SU(2) Chern-Simons gauge theory of underdoped cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchetti, P.A.; Su Zhao-Bin; Yu Lu

1998-05-01

The Chern-Simons bosonization with U(1)xSU(2) gauge field is applied to the 2-D t-J model in the limit t>>J, to study the normal state properties of underdoped cuprate superconductors. We prove the existence of an upper bound on the partition function for holons in a spinon background, and we find the optimal spinon configuration saturating the upper bound on average - a coexisting flux phase and s+id-like RVB state. After neglecting the feedback of holon fluctuations on the U(1) field B and spinon fluctuations on the SU(2) field V, the holon field is a fermion and the spinon field is a hard-core boson. Within this approximation we show that the B field produces a π flux phase for the holons, converting them into Dirac-like fermions, while the V field, taking into account the feedback of holons produces a gap for the spinons vanishing in the zero doping limit. The nonlinear σ-model with a mass term describes the crossover from the short-ranged antiferromagnetic (AF) state in doped samples to long range AF order in reference compounds. Moreover, we derive a low-energy effective action in terms of spinons holons and a self-generated U(1) gauge field. Neglecting the gauge fluctuations, the holons are described by the Fermi liquid theory with a Fermi surface consisting of 4 ''half-pockets'' centered at (+-π/2,+-π/2) and one reproduces the results for the electron spectral function obtained in the mean field approximation, in agreement with the photoemission data on underdoped cuprates. The gauge fluctuations are not confining due to coupling to holons, but nevertheless yield an attractive interaction between spinons and holons leading to a bound state with electron quantum numbers. The renormalisation effects due to gauge fluctuations give rise to non-Fermi liquid behaviour for the composite electron, in certain temperature range showing the linear in T resistivity. This formalism provides a new interpretation of the spin gap in the underdoped superconductors

On the role of doping in High-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mei, C.; Smith, V.H. Jr.

1994-01-01

High-T c superconductors (HTSCS) are usually obtained by doping electron donors or acceptors into parent materials. The actual role played by doping is still uncertain with various interpretations. The present electronic structure study provides some hints which may help to solve the mystery

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

Electronic Instability at High Flux-Flow Velocities in High-Tc Superconducting Films

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Doettinger, S. G.; Huebener, R. P.; Gerdemann, R.

1994-01-01

At high flux-flow velocities in type-II superconductors the nonequilibrium distribution of the quasiparticles leads to an electronic instability and an aburpt switching into a state with higher electric resistivity, as predicted by Larkin and Ovchinnikow (LO). We report the first obervation...... of this effect in a high-temperature superconductor, namely in epitaxial c-axis oriented films of YBa(2)Cu3O(7)-(delta). Using the LO therory, we have extracted from out results the inelastic quasiparticle scattering rare tau(in)(-1), which strongly decreases with decreasing temperature below T-c...

Ceramic superconductor/metal composite materials employing the superconducting proximity effect

Science.gov (United States)

Holcomb, Matthew J.

2002-01-01

Superconducting composite materials having particles of superconducting material disposed in a metal matrix material with a high electron-boson coupling coefficient (.lambda.). The superconducting particles can comprise any type of superconductor including Laves phase materials, Chevrel phase materials, A15 compounds, and perovskite cuprate ceramics. The particles preferably have dimensions of about 10-500 nanometers. The particles preferably have dimensions larger than the superconducting coherence length of the superconducting material. The metal matrix material has a .lambda. greater than 0.2, preferably the .lambda. is much higher than 0.2. The metal matrix material is a good proximity superconductor due to its high .lambda.. When cooled, the superconductor particles cause the metal matrix material to become superconducting due to the proximity effect. In cases where the particles and the metal matrix material are chemically incompatible (i.e., reactive in a way that destroys superconductivity), the particles are provided with a thin protective metal coating. The coating is chemically compatible with the particles and metal matrix material. High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) cuprate ceramic particles are reactive and therefore require a coating of a noble metal resistant to oxidation (e.g., silver, gold). The proximity effect extends through the metal coating. With certain superconductors, non-noble metals can be used for the coating.

Asymmetry in the normal-metal to high-Tc superconductor tunnel junction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flensberg, K.; Hedegaard, P.; Brix, M.

1988-01-01

We show that the observed asymmetry in the I-V characteristics of high-T c material to normal metal junctions can be explained within the Resonating-Valence-Bond model. For a bias current with electrons moving from the superconductor to the normal metal the current is quadratic in the bias voltage, and in the opposite case with electrons moving from the normal metal to the superconductor the current is linear in V. (orig.)

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

The discovery and some properties of high-T superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, Karl A.

1996-01-01

Full text: Starting with the first observation of superconductivity in an oxide, the history of its development is traced. Basically and consecutively, three kinds of oxide superconductors have been found. Compounds with normal transition-metal condition bands, oxides with cations exhibiting charge disproportion, and finally the cuprates with large coulomb on-site repulsion, U. This discussion will lead over to a characterization of the highest-T materials both concerning their physical properties and application perspectives

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)

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)

Study of flux flow in high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takacs, S.; Gomory, F.

1989-01-01

The magnetic field distribution and the hysteresis losses in superconductors with very large viscous forces are calculated for field amplitudes below and above the penetration field. Both the magnetic field and frequency dependence of the losses are changing with respect to the critical state model. The results are qualitatively confirmed by AC susceptibility measurements on YBaCuO superconductors, but the quantitative differences indicate that the flux flow effects are not so strong as expected and supposed by some theories

Probing superconductors. Spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanaguri, Tetsuo

2011-01-01

Discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in a cuprate triggered developments of various spectroscopic tools which have been utilized to elucidate electronic states of this mysterious compound. Particularly, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and scanning-tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy are improved considerably. It is now possible to map the superconducting gap in both momentum and real spaces using these two techniques. Here we review spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy which is able to explore momentum-space phase structure of the superconducting gap, as well as real-space structure. Applications of this technique to a cuprate and an iron-based superconductor are discussed. (author)

Determining the in-plane Fermi surface topology in high Tc superconductors using angle-dependent magnetic quantum oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrison, N; McDonald, R D

2009-01-01

We propose a quantum oscillation experiment by which the rotation of an underdoped YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x sample about two different axes with respect to the orientation of the magnetic field can be used to infer the shape of the in-plane cross-section of corrugated Fermi surface cylinder(s). Deep corrugations in the Fermi surface are expected to give rise to nodes in the quantum oscillation amplitude that depend on the magnitude and orientation of the magnetic induction B. Because the symmetries of electron and hole cylinders within the Brillouin zone are expected to be very different, the topology can provide essential clues as to the broken symmetry responsible for the observed oscillations. The criterion for the applicability of this method to the cuprate superconductors (as well as other layered metals) is that the difference in quantum oscillation frequency 2ΔF between the maximum (belly) and minimum (neck) extremal cross-sections of the corrugated Fermi surface exceeds |B|. (fast track communication)

Electronic properties of high Tc superconductors. Propiedades electronicas de los superconductores de alta temperatura critica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rojo, A G

1989-01-01

Using analytical and numerical methods, the electronic properties of the copper-oxygen plane in the normal phase of high Tc superconductors are described. Using the slave-boson technique in the saddle point, a theory of the metal insulator transition which generalizes the notions of a Mott insulator to the case of more than a single band for those planes is presented. A phase-diagram is obtained in the parameter space and effective masses, optical gaps and metallization are calculated as a function of the number of carriers. Based on the experimental evidence, the theory permits classification of superconducting compounds as charge transfer insulators in the stoichiometric case. The insulator state is characterized by a non-zero optical gap and a divergent effective mass which corresponds to the breakage of a Fermi-liquid scheme. The results obtained are applicable to metal-transition-oxides whose behaviour has been traditionally controversial and it is concluded that it is necessary to broaden the meaning of a Mott insulator to the case of more than a single band to better understand them. Based on the ideas of group renormalization in a real space, a lattice approximation is presented, which allows: a) To complement the treatment of slave-bosons in phase diagrams and optical gaps; b) Identification of an attraction mechanism between carriers originating from purely repulsive interactions. Numerical calculations in small clusters show the existence of a pairing mechanism showing a superconducting instability from a charge transfer insulator. (Author).

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

2011 Aspen Winter Conference on Contrasting Superconductivity of Pnictides and Cuprates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, P. [Aspen Center for Physics, CO (United States); Schmalian, J. [Aspen Center for Physics, CO (United States); Canfield, P. [Aspen Center for Physics, CO (United States); Chakravarty, S. [Aspen Center for Physics, CO (United States)

2011-05-02

Our quest for materials with better properties is closely integral to the fabric of our society. Currently the development of materials that will allow for improved generation, transport, and storage of energy is at the forefront of our research in condensed matter physics and materials science. Among these materials, compounds that exhibit correlated electron states and emergent phenomena such as superconductivity have great promise, but also difficulties that need to be overcome: problems associated with our need to reliably find, understand, improve and control these promising materials. At the same time, the field of correlated electrons represents the frontier of our understanding of the electronic properties of solids. It contains deep open scientific issues within the broad area of quantum phenomena in matter. The aim of this workshop is to explore and understand the physics of recently discovered Fe-based high-temperature superconductors and contrast and compare them with the cuprates. The superconductivity in iron pnictides, with transition temperatures in excess of 55 K, was discovered in early 2008. The impact of this discovery is comparable to cuprates discovered in 1986. At the same time a number of recent experimental developments in cuprates may lead to a shift in our thinking with regards to these materials. There is therefore much to be learned by devoting a conference in which both classes of superconductors are discussed, especially at this nascent stage of the pnictides.

Metallorganic precursors route for high Tc superconducting materials and related phases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beltran-porter, D.; Gonzalez, A.; Sanchis, M.J.; Beltran-porter, A.; Ibanez, R.; Sapina, F.

1991-01-01

The adequacy of the precursors approach for high Tc superconducting materials is validated by means of three examples of a new synthesis of mixed oxides which are directly related to the high Tc superconductors. The synthesis temperature is lowered significantly, and the need for extending the classic 'building block' approach is shown. The hypothesis that topochemical reactions from molecular to extended solids are posssible is proven. 28 refs

Effect of spontaneous decay of superconductor quasiparticles in the tunneling density of states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coffey, D.

1993-01-01

Superconductivity has been successfully described with either the Landau-Ginzburg theory of second order phase transitions or with strong-coupling versions of the original BCS theory for almost fifty years. Recent tunneling and photoemission data on the cuprate oxide superconductors may now provide evidence of corrections to the mean field approximation. It has been shown by Zasadzinski et al. that there is a dip at eV ≅ 3Δ 0 in the SIS tunneling conductance, which is the derivative of the current across a superconductor-insulator-superconductor junction with respect to the applied voltage, for a set of cuprate superconductors whose T c 's range from 5.5K to 100K. Recently L. Coffey and I proposed an explanation of this feature in terms of the spontaneous decay of mean field quasiparticles. We showed that corrections to the mean field approximation for a superconductor lead to different frequency thresholds for spontaneous quasiparticle decay with different superconductor order parameter symmetries. These effects lead to features in the superconductor density of states and in the SIS tunneling conductance and provide experimental evidence of d-wave symmetry for the superconductor order parameter in the cuprates. I discuss model and also evidence of quasiparticle decay in ARPES data on Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8

Phase transitions and transport in anisotropic superconductors with large thermal fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, D.S.

1991-01-01

Fluctuation effects in conventional superconductors such as broadening of phase transitions and flux creep tend to be very small primarily because of the large coherence lengths. Thus mean field theory, with only small fluctuation corrections, usually provides an adequate description of these systems. Regimes in which fluctuation effects cause qualitatively different physics are very difficult to study as they typically occur in very small regions of the phase diagram or, in transport, require measuring extremely small voltages. In striking contrast, in the high temperature cuprate superconductors a combination of factors - short coherence lengths, anisotropy and higher temperatures - make fluctuation effects many orders of magnitude larger. The current understanding of transport and phase transitions in the cuprate superconductors-particularly YBCO and BSCCO-is reviewed. New results are presented on the two-dimensional regimes and 2D-3D crossover in the strongly anisotropic case of BSCCO. The emphasis is on pinning and vortex glass behavior

Pseudogap and the specific heat of high Tc superconductors: a Hubbard model in a n-pole approximation

Science.gov (United States)

Calegari, E. J.; Lausmann, A. C.; Magalhaes, S. G.; Chaves, C. M.; Troper, A.

2015-03-01

In this work the specific heat of a two-dimensional Hubbard model, suitable to discuss high-Tc superconductors (HTSC), is studied taking into account hopping to first (t) and second (t2) nearest neighbors. Experimental results for the specific heat of HTSC's, for instance, the YBCO and LSCO, indicate a close relation between the pseudogap and the specific heat. In the present work, we investigate the specific heat by the Green's function method within a n-pole approximation. The specific heat is calculated on the pseudogap and on the superconducting regions. In the present scenario, the pseudogap emerges when the antiferromagnetic (AF) fluctuations become sufficiently strong. The specific heat jump coefficient Δγ decreases when the total occupation per site (nT) reaches a given value. Such behavior of Δγ indicates the presence of a pseudogap in the regime of high occupation.

Spectroscopic views of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wendin, G.

1989-01-01

In this paper progress in the field of photoelectron spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, inverse photoemission, and infrared- and optical reflectivity applied to high-T c superconductors in analyzed in terms of correlation effects, transport properties and Fermi liquid behavior. For the CuO 2 based materials, a picture emerges of localized holes in copper 3d levels and itinerant holes in oxygen 2p-like bands. A Fermi liquid picture and a superconducting gap is indicated by angle-resolved photoemission, infrared absorption, and NMR. A Fermi surface is indicated by positron annihilation. Infrared absorption revels strongly frequency and temperature dependent scattering and polaronic behavior for frequencies below 0.1 eV. Infrared absorption indicates a maximum superconducting gas of 2Δ/K B T c = 8 and suggests that ordinary samples may show a range of gaps 2 B T c B = 5

Hysteretic Vortex-Matching Effects in High-Tc Superconductors with Nanoscale Periodic Pinning Landscapes Fabricated by He Ion-Beam Projection

Science.gov (United States)

Zechner, G.; Jausner, F.; Haag, L. T.; Lang, W.; Dosmailov, M.; Bodea, M. A.; Pedarnig, J. D.

2017-07-01

Square arrays of submicrometer columnar defects in thin YBa2 Cu3 O7 -δ (YBCO) films with spacings down to 300 nm are fabricated by a He ion-beam projection technique. Pronounced peaks in the critical current and corresponding minima in the resistance demonstrate the commensurate arrangement of flux quanta with the artificial pinning landscape, despite the strong intrinsic pinning in epitaxial YBCO films. While these vortex-matching signatures are exactly at the predicted values in field-cooled experiments, they are displaced in zero-field-cooled, magnetic-field-ramped experiments, conserving the equidistance of the matching peaks and minima. These observations reveal an unconventional critical state in a cuprate superconductor with an artificial, periodic pinning array. The long-term stability of such out-of-equilibrium vortex arrangements paves the way for electronic applications employing fluxons.

Far infrared spectroscopy of high-Tc superconductors at the National Synchrotron Light Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perkowitz, S.; Williams, G.P.

1989-01-01

This paper reports the first far infrared transmission spectra for micron-thick films of high-T c rare-earth superconductors such as DyBaCuO, with implications for the superconducting gap. Spectra were obtained at Brookhaven's National Synchrotron Light Source, a new high-intensity, broad-band millimeter to infrared source. The National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory, known for powerful X-ray and UV output, is also a high-intensity (10 to 1000 times above a black body), high-brightness (intensity per solid angle), broad-band, picosecond, millimeter to infrared source. These features make it valuable for far-infrared condensed matter experiments, especially those in highly absorbing or extremely small systems. A first application has been to measure very small infrared transmissions through thick bulk-like high-T c superconducting films. Preliminary measurements through films of the conventional superconductor Nb 3 Ge established techniques. These were followed by the first measurements (to the author's knowledge) through micron-thick films of high-T c rare-earth superconductors such as DyBaCuO over 10-300 cm -1 , which includes the superconducting gap according to BCS or moderately strong-coupled theory. The authors discuss the transmission evidence bearing on the existence of a gap and other important features of high-T c superconductors, and describe the synchrotron and instrumentation features which make possible these unusual measurements

On the limits of consistency of Eliashberg theory and the density of states of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varelogiannis, G.

1997-01-01

We make a detailed study of the Eliashberg theory in the coupling region where some fundamental qualitative deviations from the conventional BCS- like behavior begin to appear. These deviations are identified as the onset of a cross-over from BCS superconductivity to Bose condensation. We point out that the beginning of this cross-over occurs when the gap Δ g becomes comparable to the boson energies Ω ph . This condition traduces the physical constraint that the distance the paired electron covers during the absorption of the virtual boson, cannot be larger than the coherence length. The frontier region of couplings is of the order of λ∼3, and high-T c , materials are concerned. A clear qualitative indication of the occurrence of a cross-over regime should be a dip structure above the gap in the density of states of excitations, and this is one of the most robust characteristics of the high-T c , superconducting state. Comparing our results with tunneling and photoemission experiments we conclude that high-T c materials (cuprates and fullerides) are indeed at the beginning of a cross-over from BCS superconductivity to Bose condensation, even though the fermionic nature still prevails. If the Uemura plot is relevant, then the dip should also be present in the other materials that are close to the cross-over regime like heavy Fermion and organic superconductors. In all these materials Ginzburg Landau equations are irrelevant. (orig.)

Unconventional superconductivity in heavy fermionic and high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volovik, G.E.

1989-01-01

Splitting of the superconducting transition and glass spectrum in heavy fermion companies and oxide superconductors are discussed. The multicomponent order parameter leads to splitting of transition due to magnetic field, impurities, orthorhombic distortion, etc... Linear specific heat in oxide superconductors may be explained in terms of the Fermi-surface arising in superconducting state if interband is pairing strong enough

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.

Interplay of CDW, SDW and superconductivity in high-Tc cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panda, S.K.; Rout, G.C.

2009-01-01

We present a model calculation of the interplay of the charge density wave (CDW), spin density wave (SDW) and superconductivity in high temperature superconductors. In low doping situation the long range antiferromagnetic order is destroyed to give rise to SDW state accompanied by a CDW state in the system due to doping. For suitable doping the superconductivity appears in the system. The CDW state may describe the pseudogap phenomenon which co-exists with the superconducting phase and extends to normal phase in high-T c systems. These three competiting interactions co-exist together. These three gap parameters are calculated from the model Hamiltonian and solved self-consistently. By varying their coupling constants their interplay are investigated. Finally density of states is calculated for the conduction band which displays the experimental conductance data of Ekino et al. [T. Ekino, Y. Sezaki, H. Fujji, Phys. Rev. B 60 (1999) 6916].

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

Limiting stable states of high-Tc superconductors in the alternating current modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanovskii, V.R.; Watanabe, K.; Awaji, S.

2014-01-01

The limiting current-carrying capacity of high-T c superconductor and superconducting tape has been studied in the alternating current states. The features that are responsible for their stable formation have been investigated under the conduction-cooled conditions when the operating peak values of the electric field and the current may essentially exceed the corresponding critical values of superconductor. Besides, it has been proved that these peak values are higher than the values of the electric field and the current, which lead to the thermal runaway phenomenon when the current instability onset occurs in the operating modes with direct current. As a result, the stable extremely high heat generation exists in these operating states, which can be called as overloaded states. The limiting stable peak values of charged currents and stability conditions have been determined taking into account the flux creep states of superconductors. The analysis performed has revealed that there exist characteristic times defining the corresponding time windows in the stable development of overloaded states of the alternating current. In order to explain their existence, the basic thermo-electrodynamics mechanisms have been formulated, which have allowed to explain the high stable values of the temperature and the induced electric field before the onset of alternating current instability. In general, it has been shown that the high-T c superconductors may stably operate in the overloaded alternating current states even under the not intensive cooling conditions at a very high level of heat generation, which is not considered in the existing theory of losses. (authors)

Symmetry of order-parameters in high-Tc layered superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajagopal, A.K.; Jha, Sudhanshu S.

1997-01-01

It is well known that the anisotropy and wave-vector dependence of the energy-gap function determine many important properties of a superconductor which are relevant for device applications. Apart from a weak dependence on the wave-vector k - > in the direction perpendicular to the reciprocal layer-plane of a high-T c layered superconductor, it is shown that anisotropic superconducting order parameters for intra-layer pairing in the class of such materials with orthorhombic crystal structures, can have either pure s-wave like symmetry or mixed d-wave and anisotropic extended s-wave like symmetries in the reciprocal layer-plane. However, in such materials with tetragonal crystal structures, it is possible to have a pure s-wave like symmetry, which may be either isotropic or anisotropic in the layer k - >-space, or a pure d-wave like symmetry, as far the k - >-dependence in the reciprocal layer plane is concerned. In view of this, some suggestions for analysing experimental data will also be presented. (author)

High density high-TC ceramic superconductors by hot pressing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mak, S.; Chaklader, A.C.D.

1989-01-01

High density and high T C superconductor specimens, YBa 2 Cu 3 O x , have been produced by hot-pressing. The factors studied are the effect of hot pressing on the density, the oxygen stoichiometry, the crystal structure, and the critical temperature. Hot pressing followed by heat treatment increased the density of the specimen to 93%. The hot pressing itself did not significantly affect the oxygen content in the specimen, and although the crystal structure appeared to be orthorhombic, the specimens were not superconducting above liquid nitrogen temperature. The superconductivity was restored after head treatment in oxygen. The highest critical temperature (T C ) of the hot pressed pellets was 82K, which was slightly lower than the T C that could be obtained with the cold pressed/sintered pellets. (6 refs., 5 figs., tab.)

Fundamental studies of superconductors using scanning magnetic imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirtley, J R [Center for Probing the Nanoscale, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (United States)

2010-12-01

In this review I discuss the application of scanning magnetic imaging to fundamental studies of superconductors, concentrating on three scanning magnetic microscopies-scanning SQUID microscopy (SSM), scanning Hall bar microscopy (SHM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). I briefly discuss the history, sensitivity, spatial resolution, invasiveness and potential future developments of each technique. I then discuss a selection of applications of these microscopies. I start with static imaging of magnetic flux: an SSM study provides deeper understanding of vortex trapping in narrow strips, which are used to reduce noise in superconducting circuitry. Studies of vortex trapping in wire lattices, clusters and arrays of rings and nanoholes show fascinating ordering effects. The cuprate high-T{sub c} superconductors are shown to have predominantly d-wave pairing symmetry by magnetic imaging of the half-integer flux quantum effect. Arrays of superconducting rings act as a physical analog for the Ising spin model, with the half-integer flux quantum effect helping to eliminate one source of disorder in antiferromagnetic arrangements of the ring moments. Tests of the interlayer tunneling model show that the condensation energy available from this mechanism cannot account for the high critical temperatures observed in the cuprates. The strong divergence in the magnetic fields of Pearl vortices allows them to be imaged using SSM, even for penetration depths of a millimeter. Unusual vortex arrangements occur in samples comparable in size to the coherence length. Spontaneous magnetization is not observed in Sr{sub 2}RuO{sub 4}, which is believed to have p{sub x} {+-} ip{sub y} pairing symmetry, although effects hundreds of times bigger than the sensitivity limits had been predicted. However, unusual flux trapping is observed in this superconductor. Finally, unusual flux arrangements are also observed in magnetic superconductors. I then turn to vortex dynamics: imaging of vortices

Role of the orbital degree of freedom in iron-based superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Ming; Zhang, Yan; Shen, Zhi-Xun; Lu, Donghui

2017-10-01

Almost a decade has passed since the serendipitous discovery of the iron-based high temperature superconductors (FeSCs) in 2008. The fact that, as in the copper oxide high temperature superconductors, long-range antiferromagnetism in the FeSCs arises in proximity to superconductivity immediately raised the question of the degree of similarity between the two. Despite the great resemblance in their phase diagrams, there exist important differences between the FeSCs and the cuprates that need to be considered in order to paint a full picture of these two families of high temperature superconductors. One of the key differences is the multi-orbital multi-band nature of the FeSCs, which contrasts with the effective single-band nature of the cuprates. Systematic studies of orbital related phenomena in FeSCs have been largely lacking. In this review, we summarize angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements across various FeSC families that have been reported in literature, focusing on the systematic trends of orbital dependent electron correlations and the role of different Fe 3d orbitals in driving the nematic transition, the spin-density-wave transition, and superconductivity.

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

Electron-gamma perturbed angular correlation studies on high-TC superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Correia, J.G.; Araujo, J.P.; Marques, J.G.; Ramos, A.R.; Lourenco, A.A.; Amaral, V.; Galindo, V.; Senateur, J.P.; Weiss, F.; Wahl, U.; Melo, A.A.; Soares, J.C.; Sousa, J.B.

2000-01-01

Recent results on the study of high-T C superconductors using the e - -γperturbed angular correlation technique are presented. The basic features of the experimental equipment and its installation at the ISOLDE facility are briefly described. Results obtained from 197m Hg implanted into high quality Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 6+δ epitaxy thin films are presented and discussed

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

d-Wave density waves in high Tc cuprates and CeCoIn5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maki, Kazumi; Dora, Balazs; Vanyolos, Andras; Virosztek, Attila

2007-01-01

Unconventional density waves (UDW) have a long history starting with the speculation of Halperin and Rice in 1968. However, a more realistic approach started around 1999 in order to clarify the nature of the pseudogap in the underdoped region of hole-doped high T c cuprates. Also d-wave density waves (dDW) evolved from early unrealistic 2D model with Z 2 symmetry to more realistic 3D mean-field condensate with U(1) gauge symmetry. More recently, the giant Nernst effect and the angle dependent magnetoresistance in LSCO, YBCO, Bi2212 and CeCoIn 5 are successfully described in terms of dDW, where the Landau quantization of the quasiparticle spectrum in dDW in a magnetic field (the Nersesyan effect) plays the crucial role

Tunneling in cuprate and bismuthate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zasadzinski, J.F.; Huang, Qiang; Tralshawala, N.

1991-10-01

Tunneling measurements using a point-contact technique are reported for the following high temperature superconducting oxides: Ba 1-x K x BiO 3 (BKBO), Nd 2-x Ce x CuO 4 (NCCO), Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 7 (BSCCO) and Tl 2 Ba 2 CaCu 2 O x (TBCCO). For the bismuthate, BKBO, ideal, S-I-N tunneling characteristics are observed using a Au tip. The normalized conductance is fitted to a BCS density of states and thermal smearing only proving there is no fundamental limitation in BKBO for device applications. For the cuprates, the normalized conductance displays BCS-like characteristics, but with a broadening larger than from thermal smearing. Energy gap values are presented for each material. For BKBO and NCCO the Eliashberg functions, α 2 F(ω), obtained from the tunneling are shown to be in good agreement with neutron scattering results. Proximity effect tunneling studies are reported for Au/BSCCO bilayers and show that the energy gap of BSCCO can be observed through Au layers up to 600 Angstrom thick

Comparative study of magnetization in conventional and high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarkissian, B.V.B.; Grover, A.K.; Balakrishnan, G.; Paulose, P.L.; Vijayaraghavan, R.

1989-01-01

Results of a comparative study of thermomagnetic history effects and anomalous variations in isothermal magnetization hysteresis curves in a High T compound (YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 ) with two specimens of Nb are presented. They show that the former behaves like any hard type c II superconductor

Microstructure and Properties of High-Temperature Superconductors

CERN Document Server

Parinov, Ivan A

2007-01-01

The main features of high-temperature superconductors (HTSC) that define their properties are intrinsic brittleness of oxide cuprates, the layered anisotropic structure and the supershort coherence length. Taking into account these features, this treatise presents research into HTSC microstructure and properties, and also explores the possibilities of optimization of the preparation techniques and superconducting compositions. The "composition-technique-experiment-theory-model," employed here, assumes considerable HTSC defectiveness and structure heterogeneity and helps to draw a comprehensive picture of modern representations of the microstructure, strength and the related structure-sensitive properties of the materials considered. Special attention is devoted to the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Y-Ba-Cu-O families, which currently offer the most promising applications. Including a great number of illustrations and references, this monograph addresses students, post-graduate students and specialists, taking part in the ...

Microstructure and Properties of High-Temperature Superconductors

CERN Document Server

Parinov, I A

2012-01-01

The main features of high-temperature superconductors (HTSC) that define their properties are intrinsic brittleness of oxide cuprates, the layered anisotropic structure and the supershort coherence length. Taking into account these features, this treatise presents research into HTSC microstructure and properties, and also explores the possibilities of optimization of the preparation techniques and superconducting compositions. The "composition-technique-experiment-theory-model," employed here, assumes considerable HTSC defectiveness and structure heterogeneity and helps to draw a comprehensive picture of modern representations of the microstructure, strength and the related structure-sensitive properties of the materials considered. Special attention is devoted to the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Y-Ba-Cu-O families, which currently offer the most promising applications. Including a great number of illustrations and references, this monograph addresses students, post-graduate students and specialists, taking part in the ...

High temperature superconductors at optimal doping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. E. Pickett

2006-09-01

Full Text Available   Intensive study of the high temperature superconductors has been ongoing for two decades. A great deal of this effort has been devoted to the underdoped regime, where the new and difficult physics of the doped Mott insulator has met extra complications including bilayer coupling/splitting, shadow bands, and hot spots. While these complications continue to unfold, in this short overview the focus is moved to the region of actual high-Tc, that of optimal doping. The focus here also is not on the superconducting state itself, but primarily on the characteristics of the normal state from which the superconducting instability arises, and even these can be given only a broad-brush description. A reminder is given of two issues,(i why the “optimal Tc” varies,for n-layered systems it increases for n up to 3, then decreases for a given n, Tc increases according to the ‘basis’ atom in the order Bi, Tl, Hg (ii how does pressure, or a particular uniaxial strain, increase Tc when the zero-strain system is already optimally doped?

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

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

Optical properties of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aspnes, D.E.; Kelly, M.K.

1989-01-01

The authors summarize the present status of optical spectroscopy of high-T c superconductors. The optical properties of these materials resemble those of the more common transition metal oxides except for being highly anisotropic in the infrared (IR). This large IR anisotrophy and a need to rely solely on reflectance techniques has hindered progress in obtaining accurate IR data and interpreting these data in terms of microscopic mechanisms. However, experimental consistency is now being approached with single-crystal samples, although interpretations of these data remain controversial and an unequivocal demonstration of a superconducting gap structure has not yet been achieved. The mid IR exhibits an absorption band whose systematics are neither well established nor understood. The situation in the visible-near-ultraviolet (V-NUV) is better, partly because of greatly reduced optical anisotropy and the availability of alternative measurement techniques that are not strongly affected by the lower optical quality of sintered material. As polycrystalline, sintered samples can be prepared relatively easily over wide ranges of composition, doping, and chemical substitution, most work on studying the chemical systematics of these materials has been done in this spectral range and some of the structure that appears here has been positively identified

Effects of impurities and vortices on the low-energy spin excitations in high-Tc materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Brian Møller; Graser, S.; Schmid, M.

2011-01-01

We review a theoretical scenario for the origin of the spin-glass phase of underdoped cuprate materials. In particular it is shown how disorder in a correlated d-wave superconductor generates a magnetic phase by inducing local droplets of antiferromagnetic order which eventually merge and form...

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

Electronic-structure Fermi-liquid theory of high-Tc superconductors: Comparison of predictions with experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Jaejun; Freeman, A.J.

1991-01-01

Predictions of local density functional (LDF) calculations of the electronic structure and transport properties of high T(sub c) superconductors are presented. As evidenced by the excellent agreement with both photoemission and positron annihilation experiments, a Fermi liquid nature of the 'normal' state of the high T(sub c) superconductors become clear for the metallic phase of these oxides. In addition, LDF predictions on the normal state transport properties are qualitatively in agreement with experiments on single crystals. It is emphasized that the signs of the Hall coefficients for the high T(sub c) superconductors are not consistent with the types of dopants (e.g., electron-doped or hole-doped) but are determined by the topology of the Fermi surfaces obtained from the LDF calculations

Rapid solidification for preparation of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yavari, A.R.

1988-01-01

High Tc superconducting oxides are prepared in two different ways using rapid solidification: by oxidation of microcrystalline or amorphous tapes obtained by quenching the liquid alloy and via crystallisation of the amorphous oxide obtained by rapid quenching of the oxide melt. This technique is applied for the first time to the BiCaSrCuO family [fr

High-temperature superconductors. Les supraconducteurs a haute temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bontemps, N; Combescot, R; Monod, P [Ecole Normale Superieure, 75 - Paris (France)

1992-02-01

High-tc superconductivity was discovered in 1986. The prospects of being able to dispose of superconductors cooled by liquid nitrogen instead of liquid helium, and fundamental physics questions raised by these new compounds drag an unprecedented scientific mobilization. Today, the super conductive state nature become clearer. But, to all expectations, their normal state nature is proved to present quite more difficulties. 20 refs., 5 figs.

The discovery and some properties of high-T superconductors; El descubrimiento y algunas propiedades de los superconductores de altas temperaturas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mueller, Karl A [Zurich Univ. (Switzerland)

1997-12-31

Full text: Starting with the first observation of superconductivity in an oxide, the history of its development is traced. Basically and consecutively, three kinds of oxide superconductors have been found. Compounds with normal transition-metal condition bands, oxides with cations exhibiting charge disproportion, and finally the cuprates with large coulomb on-site repulsion, U. This discussion will lead over to a characterization of the highest-T materials both concerning their physical properties and application perspectives.

The Effective Coherence Length in Anisotropic Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polturak, E.; Koren, G.; Nesher, O

1999-01-01

If electrons are transmitted from a normal conductor(N) into a superconductor(S), common wisdom has it that the electrons are converted into Cooper pairs within a coherence length from the interface. This is true in conventional superconductors with an isotropic order parameter. We have established experimentally that the situation is rather different in high Tc superconductors having an anisotropic order parameter. We used epitaxial thin film S/N bilayers having different interface orientations in order to inject carriers from S into N along different directions. The distance to which these carriers penetrate were determined through their effect on the Tc of the bilayers. We found that the effective coherence length is 20A only along the a or b directions, while in other directions we find a length of 250dr20A out of plane, and an even larger value for in-plane, off high symmetry directions. These observations can be explained using the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model adapted to anisotropic superconductivity. Several implications of our results on outstanding problems with high Tc junctions will be discussed

Internal friction around Tc connected with superconductivity in high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yening

1993-01-01

Internal friction and ultrasonic measurements show that there always exists a phase-like transition (PLT) characterized by the jump of lattice parameters at tens degrees above Tc in superconducting YBaCuO, BiSrCaCuO and TlBaCaCuO. Ferroelastic loops and shape memory effect associated with elastic softening invariably occur at the PLT temperature, showing the characteristics of thermoelastic martensitic transition. Internal frictions in KHz of Bi(Pb)SrCaCuO reveal a static hysteretic plateau (Qp -1 ) above Tc that drops linearly with temperature below Tc. The Qp -1 of YBaCuO decreases with decreasing oxygen content. The origin of the hysteretic Qp -1 is attributed to the lattice distortions around the carriers. (orig.)

High Tc superconductors using solution techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barboux, P.; Valente, I.; Henry, M.; Morineau, R.; Tarascon, J.M.; Khan, S.; Shokoohi, F.; Bagley, B.G.

1989-01-01

The authors have investigated different solution techniques to synthesize the Cu-based superconductors in the thick film form. Thick films of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 have been produced using controlled precipitation techniques. Bi-based and Tl-based materials have been deposited by spraying of ionic solutions. The numerous difficulties encountered during each process are analyzed in order to propose new synthesis procedures such as a new method, based on the precipitation of hydroxides only, which is described as a prospective for lowering the synthesis temperature and shortening the reaction time

Mechanical reliability of bulk high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freiman, S.W.

1990-01-01

Most prospective applications for high T c superconductors in bulk form, e.g. magnets, motors, will require appreciable mechanical strength. Work at NIST [National Institute of Standards and Technology] has begun to address issues related to mechanical reliability. For example, recent studies on Ba-Y-Cu-O have shown that the intrinsic crack growth resistance, K IC , of crystals of this material is even smaller than was first reported, less than that of window glass, and is sensitive to moisture. Processing conditions, particularly sintering and annealing atmosphere, have been shown to have a major influence on microstructure and internal stresses in the material. Large internal stresses result from the tetragonal to orthorhombic phase transformation as well as the thermal expansion anisotropy in the grains of the ceramic. Because stress relief is absent, microcracks form which have a profound influence on strength

Metal-insulator crossover in superconducting cuprates in strong magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchetti, P.A.; Su Zhaobin; Yu Lu

2001-02-01

The metal-insulator crossover of the in-plane resistivity upon temperature decrease, recently observed in several classes of cuprate superconductors, when a strong magnetic field suppresses the superconductivity, is explained using the U(1)xSU(2) Chern-Simons gauge field theory. The origin of this crossover is the same as that for a similar phenomenon observed in heavily underdoped cuprates without magnetic field. It is due to the interplay between the diffusive motion of the charge carriers and the 'peculiar' localization effect due to short-range antiferromagnetic order. We also calculate the in-plane transverse magnetoresistance which is in a fairly good agreement with available experimental data. (author)

Intralayer and interlayer spin-singlet pairing and energy gap functions with different possible symmetries in high-Tc layered superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jha, S.S.; Rajagopal, A.K.

1997-01-01

Anisotropy and the wave-vector dependence of the energy gap function determine many important properties of a superconductor. Starting from first principles, we present here a complete analysis of possible symmetries of the superconducting gap function E g (k) at the Fermi surface in high-T c layered superconductors with either a simple orthorhombic or a tetragonal unit cell. This is done within the framework of Gorkov close-quote s mean-field theory of superconductivity in the so-called open-quotes layer representationclose quotes introduced by us earlier. For N conducting cuprate layers, J=1,2,hor-ellipsis,N, in each unit cell, the spin-singlet order parameters Δ JJ (k) can be expanded in terms of possible basis functions of all the irreducible representations relevant to layered crystals, which are obtained here. In layered materials, the symmetry is restricted to the translational lattice periodicity in the direction perpendicular to the layers and the residual point group and translational symmetries for the two-dimensional unit cell in each layer of the three-dimensional unit cell. We derive an exact general relation to determine different branches of the energy gap function E g (k) at the Fermi surface in terms of Δ JJ (k), which include both intralayer and interlayer order parameters. For N=2, we also obtain an exact expression for quasiparticle energies E p (k), p=1,2, in the superconducting state in the presence of intralayer and complex interlayer order parameters as well as complex tunneling matrix elements between the two layers in the unit cell, which need not be equivalent. The form of the possible basis functions are also listed in terms of cylindrical coordinates k t ,φ,k z to take advantage of the orthogonality of functions with respect to φ integrations. (Abstract Truncated)

Neutron depolarization effects in a high-Tc superconductor (abstract)

Science.gov (United States)

Nunes, A. C.; Pickart, S. J.; Crow, L.; Goyette, R.; McGuire, T. R.; Shinde, S.; Shaw, T. M.

1988-11-01

Using the polarized beam small-angle neutron scattering spectrometer at the Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center Reactor, we have observed significant depolarization of a neutron beam by passage through polycrystalline high-Tc superconductors, specifically 123 Y-Ba-Cu-O prepared and characterized at the IBM Watson Research Center. We believe that this technique will prove useful in studying aspects of these materials, such as the penetration depth of shielding currents, the presence and structure of trapped flux vortices, and grain size effects on the supercurrent distribution in polycrystalline samples. The two samples showed sharp transitions at 87 and 89 K, and have been studied at temperatures of 77 K; the second sample has also been studied at 4 K. The transition to the superconducting state was monitored by the shift in resonant frequency of a coil surrounding the sample. No measurable depolarization was observed in either sample at 77 K in both the field-cooled and zero-field-cooled states, using applied fields of 0 (nominal), 54, and 1400 Oe. This negative result may be connected with the fact that the material is still in the reversible region as indicated by susceptibility measurements, but it allows an estimate of the upper bound of possible inhomogeneous internal fields, assuming a distance scale for the superconducting regions. For the 10-μm grain size suggested by photomicrographs, this upper bound for the field turns out to be 1.2 kOe, which seems reasonable. At 4 K a significant depolarization was observed when the sample was cooled in low fields and a field of 1400 Oe was subsequently applied. This result suggests that flux lines are penetrating the sample. Further investigations are being carried out to determine the field and temperature dependence of the depolarization, and attempts will be made to model it quantitatively in terms of possible internal field distributions. We are also searching for possible diffraction effects from ordered vortex

Rigid levitation, flux pinning, thermal depinning, and fluctuation in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandt, E.H.

1991-01-01

Here, the author shows that the strong velocity-independent frictional force on a levitating superconductor and on any type-II superconductor moving in a homogeneous magnetic field is caused by pinning and depinning of the magnetic flux lines in its interior. Levitation may thus be used to investigate the pinning properties of a superconductor, and friction in a superconductor bearing may be minimized by choosing appropriate materials and geometries

Weak links in high critical temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Tafuri, Francesco; Kirtley, John R.

2005-11-01

The traditional distinction between tunnel and highly transmissive barriers does not currently hold for high critical temperature superconducting Josephson junctions, both because of complicated materials issues and the intrinsic properties of high temperature superconductors (HTS). An intermediate regime, typical of both artificial superconductor-barrier-superconductor structures and of grain boundaries, spans several orders of magnitude in the critical current density and specific resistivity. The physics taking place at HTS surfaces and interfaces is rich, primarily because of phenomena associated with d-wave order parameter (OP) symmetry. These phenomena include Andreev bound states, the presence of the second harmonic in the critical current versus phase relation, a doubly degenerate state, time reversal symmetry breaking and the possible presence of an imaginary component of the OP. All these effects are regulated by a series of transport mechanisms, whose rules of interplay and relative activation are unknown. Some transport mechanisms probably have common roots, which are not completely clear and possibly related to the intrinsic nature of high-TC superconductivity. The d-wave OP symmetry gives unique properties to HTS weak links, which do not have any analogy with systems based on other superconductors. Even if the HTS structures are not optimal, compared with low critical temperature superconductor Josephson junctions, the state of the art allows the realization of weak links with unexpectedly high quality quantum properties, which open interesting perspectives for the future. The observation of macroscopic quantum tunnelling and the qubit proposals represent significant achievements in this direction. In this review we attempt to encompass all the above aspects, attached to a solid experimental basis of junction concepts and basic properties, along with a flexible phenomenological background, which collects ideas on the Josephson effect in the presence

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)

Predictions for impurity-induced Tc suppression in the high-temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radtke, R.J.; Levin, K.; Schuettler, H.; Norman, M.R.

1993-01-01

We address the question of whether anisotropic superconductivity is compatible with the evidently weak sensitivity of the critical temperature T c to sample quality in the high-T c copper oxides. We examine this issue quantitatively by solving the strong-coupling Eliashberg equations numerically as well as analytically for s-wave impurity scattering within the second Born approximation. For pairing interactions with a characteristically low energy scale, we find an approximately universal dependence of the d-wave superconducting transition temperature on the planar residual resistivity which is independent of the details of the microscopic pairing. These results, in conjunction with future systematic experiments, should help elucidate the symmetry of the order parameter in the cuprates

Simulating atomic-scale phenomena on surfaces of unconventional superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kreisel, Andreas; Andersen, Brian [Niels Bohr Institute (Denmark); Choubey, Peayush; Hirschfeld, Peter [Univ. of Florida (United States); Berlijn, Tom [CNMS and CSMD, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (United States)

2016-07-01

Interest in atomic scale effects in superconductors has increased because of two general developments: First, the discovery of new materials as the cuprate superconductors, heavy fermion and Fe-based superconductors where the coherence length of the cooper pairs is as small to be comparable to the lattice constant, rendering small scale effects important. Second, the experimental ability to image sub-atomic features using scanning-tunneling microscopy which allows to unravel numerous physical properties of the homogeneous system such as the quasi particle excitation spectra or various types of competing order as well as properties of local disorder. On the theoretical side, the available methods are based on lattice models restricting the spatial resolution of such calculations. In the present project we combine lattice calculations using the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations describing the superconductor with wave function information containing sub-atomic resolution obtained from ab initio approaches. This allows us to calculate phenomena on surfaces of superconductors as directly measured in scanning tunneling experiments and therefore opens the possibility to identify underlying properties of these materials and explain observed features of disorder. It will be shown how this method applies to the cuprate material Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8} and a Fe based superconductor.

High pressure studies up to 50 GPa of Bi-based high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staun Olsen, J.; Steenstrup, S.; Gerward, L.; Sundqvist, B.

1991-01-01

The high-T c superconductor with nominal composition BiSrCaCu 2 O x has been studied at high pressure, i.e. up to 50 GPa. A tetragonal structure was compatible with the measurements at all pressures, and no phase change was observed. The bulk modulus, B o =62.5 GPa, obtained has a somewhat smaller value than the one estimated earier. (orig.)

Fermi velocity mismatch effects in the tunneling characteristics of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aponte, J.M.; Nunez-Regueiro, J.E.; Bellorin, A.; Octavio, M.

1994-01-01

We present a comparative study of the tunneling characteristics of point contacts in which one electrode was a superconducting single crystal of Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O x and the other electrode was either a normal metal (N-HTSC point contact), or a non-superconducting rare earth metallic oxide (REMO-HTSC point contact), or another crystal of the same superconductor (HTSC'-HTSC point contact). We show that the mismatch of the Fermi velocities of the electrodes is in part responsible for the irreproducibility of most of the tunneling conductance curves observed in high temperature superconductors. (orig.)

Edge instabilities of topological superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofmann, Johannes S. [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universitaet Wuerzburg (Germany); Max-Planck-Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Stuttgart (Germany); Assaad, Fakher F. [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universitaet Wuerzburg (Germany); Schnyder, Andreas P. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Stuttgart (Germany)

2016-07-01

Nodal topological superconductors display zero-energy Majorana flat bands at generic edges. The flatness of these edge bands, which is protected by time-reversal and translation symmetry, gives rise to an extensive ground state degeneracy and a diverging density of states. Therefore, even arbitrarily weak interactions lead to an instability of the flat-band edge states towards time-reversal and translation-symmetry broken phases, which lift the ground-state degeneracy. Here, we employ Monte Carlo simulations combined with mean-field considerations to examine the instabilities of the flat-band edge states of d{sub xy}-wave superconductors. We find that attractive interactions induce a complex s-wave pairing instability together with a density wave instability. Repulsive interactions, on the other hand, lead to ferromagnetism mixed with spin-triplet pairing at the edge. We discuss the implications of our findings for experiments on cuprate high-temperature superconductors.

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.)

Processing of Mixed Oxide Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

1990-07-01

rapid changes world wide a major research centre on high Tc superconductors was awarded to Cambridge which involved moving the work and people to a...reports and paper is in the appendices. Separation Ceramic superconductors tend to be mixtures of phases, especially when first discovered. It would...properties of the superconducting state will in principle allow superconducting material to be levitated from the non superconductor and several designs

New insight on bismuth cuprates with incommensurate modulated structures

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mironov, A. V.; Petříček, Václav; Khasanova, N. R.; Antipov, E. V.

2016-01-01

Roč. 72, č. 3 (2016), s. 395-403 ISSN 2052-5206 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : modulated structure * high Tc superconductor * superspace approach Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.032, year: 2016

Positron annihilation study on Y-Ba-Cu-O high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balogh, A.G.; Liszkay, L.; Molnar, B.; Puff, W.

1987-08-01

First positron annihilation measurements are reported on high T c superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x . The lifetime and Doppler broadening spectra show a slight but significant change about 240K suggesting a deviation from the normal structure far above 90K where the resistance falls to zero. (author)

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

Probe high-Tc Superconductors by neutron scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fauque, B.

2007-10-01

This research thesis explores two aspects of the phase diagram of high critical temperature superconductors: the evolution of AF correlations and the nature of the pseudo-gap phase. The author presents the problematic associated with these particular semiconductors, describes the neutron diffusion probe used in this study, and presents the three families of semiconductors investigated during this research: Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+x , YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x and La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 . He reports the results of the investigation of the spin dynamics in the Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+x . He reports a detailed investigation of the magnetic cross section associated with different types of non conventional magnetic orders proposed as candidates for the pseudo-gap phase. He reports and comments the results obtained for the pseudo-gap phase for the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x and La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 families. Finally, the author discusses the consequences of the obtained results for the description of the diagram phase of high critical temperature semiconductors

Olson sees how they conduct (High Tc superconductors)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olson, C.

1989-01-01

Thanks to Cliff Olson's synchrotron radiation measurements of the surface of several of the new high-temperature superconducting materials, these ceramic-like crystals can now be classified as metals. This means their electronic band structure meets the criteria for a metal or conductor, rather than those of an insulator, or of a semiconductor. Working with graduate assistant Liu, Olson has now measured the energy gap in crystals of a bismuth-strontium-calcium-copper oxide with a 100K or 300K transition temperature. They determined that the superconductivity gap is isotropic, or independent of direction within the layer. This is significant, because the high temperature materials are all anisotropic, layered in flat sheets, a fact that had led to speculations about a very different kind of superconducting coupling in these materials. The superconducting mechanism now turns out to be the same as that in classical superconductors

Transition from Sign-Reversed to Sign-Preserved Cooper-Pairing Symmetry in Sulfur-Doped Iron Selenide Superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qisi; Park, J T; Feng, Yu; Shen, Yao; Hao, Yiqing; Pan, Bingying; Lynn, J W; Ivanov, A; Chi, Songxue; Matsuda, M; Cao, Huibo; Birgeneau, R J; Efremov, D V; Zhao, Jun

2016-05-13

An essential step toward elucidating the mechanism of superconductivity is to determine the sign or phase of the superconducting order parameter, as it is closely related to the pairing interaction. In conventional superconductors, the electron-phonon interaction induces attraction between electrons near the Fermi energy and results in a sign-preserved s-wave pairing. For high-temperature superconductors, including cuprates and iron-based superconductors, prevalent weak coupling theories suggest that the electron pairing is mediated by spin fluctuations which lead to repulsive interactions, and therefore that a sign-reversed pairing with an s_{±} or d-wave symmetry is favored. Here, by using magnetic neutron scattering, a phase sensitive probe of the superconducting gap, we report the observation of a transition from the sign-reversed to sign-preserved Cooper-pairing symmetry with insignificant changes in T_{c} in the S-doped iron selenide superconductors K_{x}Fe_{2-y}(Se_{1-z}S_{z})_{2}. We show that a rather sharp magnetic resonant mode well below the superconducting gap (2Δ) in the undoped sample (z=0) is replaced by a broad hump structure above 2Δ under 50% S doping. These results cannot be readily explained by simple spin fluctuation-exchange pairing theories and, therefore, multiple pairing channels are required to describe superconductivity in this system. Our findings may also yield a simple explanation for the sometimes contradictory data on the sign of the superconducting order parameter in iron-based materials.

Misfit Strain in Superlattices Controlling the Electron-Lattice Interaction via Micro strain in Active Layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poccia, N.; Ricci, A.; Bianconi, N.

2010-01-01

High-temperature superconductivity (HTS) emerges in quite different electronic materials: cuprates, diborides, and iron-pnictide superconductors. Looking for unity in the diversity we find in all these materials a common lattice architecture: they are practical realizations of heterostructures at atomic limit made of superlattices of metallic active layers intercalated by spacers as predicted in 1993 by one of us. The multilayer architecture is the key feature for the presence of electronic topological transitions where the Fermi surface of one of the subbands changes dimensionality. The superlattice misfit strain η between the active and spacer layers is shown to be a key variable to drive the system to the highest critical temperature Tc that occurs at a particular point of the 3D phase diagram Tc(θ, η) where d is the charge transfer or doping. The plots of Tc as a function of misfit strain at constant charge transfer in cuprates show a first-order quantum critical phase transition where an itinerant striped magnetic phase competes with superconductivity in the proximity of a structural phase transition, that is, associated with an electronic topological transition. The shape resonances in these multi gap superconductors is associated with the maximum Tc.

Magnetic-flux dynamics of high-Tc superconductors in weak magnetic fields

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Il’ichev, E. V.; Jacobsen, Claus Schelde

1994-01-01

Aspects of magnetic-flux dynamics in different types of samples of the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3Ox have been investigated in magnetic fields below 1 Oe and at 77 K. The experiments were carried out in an arrangement including a field coil, a flat sample perpendicular to the field...

Generic superconducting phase behavior in high-Tc cuprates: Tc variation with hole concentration in YBa2Cu3O7-δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tallon, J.L.; Bernhard, C.; Shaked, H.; Hitterman, R.L.; Jorgensen, J.D.

1995-01-01

A direct determination of the relationship between T c and hole concentration p for Y 1-x Ca x Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ is obtained by investigating the properties of the fully oxygen-deficient (δ∼1.0) compound for which p=x/2. Measurements of T c , the thermoelectric power S, and bond-valence sums calculated from neutron-diffraction refinements for various values of x and δ allow the full determination of the relations p=p(δ), T c =T c (p), and S=S(T,p) confirming that YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ satisfies the same universal relations in these quantities as the other high-T c superconducting cuprates

Elliptical vortex and oblique vortex lattice in the FeSe superconductor based on the nematicity and mixed superconducting orders

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Da-Chuan; Lv, Yang-Yang; Li, Jun; Zhu, Bei-Yi; Wang, Qiang-Hua; Wang, Hua-Bing; Wu, Pei-Heng

2018-03-01

The electronic nematic phase is characterized as an ordered state of matter with rotational symmetry breaking, and has been well studied in the quantum Hall system and the high-Tc superconductors, regardless of cuprate or pnictide family. The nematic state in high-Tc systems often relates to the structural transition or electronic instability in the normal phase. Nevertheless, the electronic states below the superconducting transition temperature is still an open question. With high-resolution scanning tunneling microscope measurements, direct observation of vortex core in FeSe thin films revealed the nematic superconducting state by Song et al. Here, motivated by the experiment, we construct the extended Ginzburg-Landau free energy to describe the elliptical vortex, where a mixed s-wave and d-wave superconducting order is coupled to the nematic order. The nematic order induces the mixture of two superconducting orders and enhances the anisotropic interaction between the two superconducting orders, resulting in a symmetry breaking from C4 to C2. Consequently, the vortex cores are stretched into an elliptical shape. In the equilibrium state, the elliptical vortices assemble a lozenge-like vortex lattice, being well consistent with experimental results.

Synthesis, structural and physico-chemical studies of the monocrystal superconductor oxides Hg Ba2 Can-1 Cun O2n+2+δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viallet-Guillen, Virginie

1998-01-01

The thesis presents the synthesis and the structural and physico-chemical properties of the mercury-based monocrystal superconductor oxides. The results reported in the first chapter refer to the first three members of the mercury cuprate series Hg-1201, Hg-1212 and Hg-1223. In the second chapter detailed results concerning the structure of these compounds are given highlighting the features common to all cuprates and pointing out the peculiarities of mercury phases. The third chapter presents the phase diagrams (δ, T, p(O 2 )) of the compounds HgBa 2 CuO 4+δ and HgBa 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 8+δ obtained by thermogravimetry under controlled atmosphere between 150 deg.C and 500 deg.C and thermodynamic equilibrium conditions. In the case of Hg-1201, the critical temperature shows a variation close to a parabolic law, with an optimal Tc of 96 K (δ≅0.10) while in Hg-1223 the Tc increases linearly with the O content up to the optimal Tc of 135 K (δ≅0.19) and decreases only by 2 K in the over-doped regime. Finally, in the fourth chapter different physical properties are reviewed. The obtained monocrystals allowed studying the resistive transitory anisotropy, the torque, the specific heat, the nuclear magnetic resonance and the Raman diffusion

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

Reply to the ''Comment on 'Observation of trapped O2 in high-Tc metal oxide superconductors' ''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, C.H.; Phillips, R.C.; Payne, M.G.

1990-01-01

Desorption of O 2 in certain high-T c superconductors was observed from scraping the surfaces of superconductors by Rosenberg and Wen. Their conclusion agrees with the results from the observation of O 2 trapping by a laser ablation of superconductors. However, the local heating due to the scraping process can possibly raise the local surface temperature significantly higher than the temperature of the bulk

Quantum oscillation signatures of spin-orbit interactions controlling the residual nodal bilayer-splitting in underdoped high-Tc cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Neil; Shekhter, Arkady

2015-03-01

We investigate the origin of the small residual nodal bilayer-splitting in the underdoped high-Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O6+x using the results of recently published angle-resolved quantum oscillation data [Sebastian et al., Nature 511, 61 (2014)]. A crucial clue to the origin of the residual bilayer-splitting is found to be provided by the anomalously small Zeeman-splitting of some of the observed cyclotron orbits. We show that such an anomalously Zeeman-splitting (or small effective g-factor) for a subset of orbits can be explained by spin-orbit interactions, which become significant in the nodal regions as a result of the vanishing bilayer coupling. The primary effect of spin-orbit interactions is to cause quasiparticles traversing the nodal region of the Brillouin zone to undergo a spin flip. We suggest that the Rashba-like spin-orbit interactions, naturally present in bilayer systems, have the right symmetry and magnitude to give rise to a network of coupled orbits consistent with experimental observations in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x. This work is supported by the DOEm BES proposal LANLF100, while the magnet lab is supported by the NSF and Florida State.

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)

Tunneling Spectroscopy Study of Spin-Polarized Quasiparticle Injection Effects in Cuparate/Manganite Heterostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, J. Y. T.; Yeh, N. C.; Vasquez, R. P.

1998-01-01

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy was performed at 4.2K on epitaxial thin-film heterostructures comprising YBa2Cu3O7 and La0.7Ca0.3MnO3, to study the microscopic effects of spin-polarized quasiparticle injection from the half-metallic ferromagnetic manganite on the high-Tc cuprate superconductor.

Raman studies of lanthanum cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, W.H.; Peters, C.R.; Logothetis, E.M.

1989-01-01

Raman-scattering studies of the high-T/sub c/ superconductor La/sub 2-//sub x/(Sr, Ba)/sub x/CuO 4 are briefly reviewed. A detailed analysis of the phonon-mode symmetries is given along with a discussion of the effects expected from the orthorhombic-to-tetragonal phase transition, which is known to occur in these materials. Survey spectra are given for powders, ceramics, and single crystals, and an oxide of Cu is identified as the primary impurity phase. Extensive spectra are given from oriented single crystals of La 2 CuO 4 and La/sub 1.85/Sr/sub 0.15/CuO 4 , and several mode assignments are made. Spectra for the high-temperature tetragonal phase and the low-temperature orthorhombic phase are given for each material. The soft phonon associated with the phase transition is seen in La 2 CuO 4 as is a broad peak arising from two-magnon scattering. Neither of these features is seen in the Sr-doped sample

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

Development of application technique of bulk high-Tc superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Kye Won; Kim, Chan Joong; Kim, Kee Baek; Kwon, Sun Chil; Won, Dong Yun; Lee, Hoh Jin; Lee, Heui Kyoon; Jang, Kun Ik; Yang, Suk Woo

1995-03-01

YBCO-Ag composite superconductors were prepared by extrusion using inorganic binder materials. In the case of the undoped 1-2-3 sample with a dia. of 2.5 mm, critical current density (Jc) was 150 A/cm 2 and current density (Ic) was 10 amps. In the case of the sample with a die. of 4.5 mm, meanwhile, Jc and Ic were 50 A/cm 2 and 32 amps, respectively. Influence of BaCeO 3 addition on magnetization characteristics of melt-textured Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductor was investigated. The variation of magnetization behavior due to the addition of BaCeO 3 is discussed on the basis of the related microstructures. 37 figs, 1 tab, 56 refs. (Author)

Correlation and disorder-enhanced nematic spin response in superconductors with weakly broken rotational symmetry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Brian Møller; Graser, S.; Hirschfeld, P. J.

2012-01-01

Recent experimental and theoretical studies have highlighted the possible role of an electronic nematic liquid in underdoped cuprate superconductors. We calculate, within a model of d-wave superconductor with Hubbard correlations, the spin susceptibility in the case of a small explicitly broken...

Magnetic behavior of light rare earth ions in (Nd,Eu,Gd)-123 superconductors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jirsa, Miloš; Rameš, Michal; Marcenat, C.; Wolf, T.

2013-01-01

Roč. 26, č. 4 (2013), s. 901-905 ISSN 1557-1939 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ME10069 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : high- T c superconductors * cuprates * thermodynamic properties * LRE-123 * paramagnetic ions Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.930, year: 2013

Growth and characterization of bulk superconductor material

CERN Document Server

Chen, Dapeng; Maljuk, Andrey; Zhou, Fang

2016-01-01

This book focuses on recently developed crystal growth techniques to grow large and high quality superconducting single crystals. The techniques applied are traveling solvent floating zone (TSFZ) with infrared image furnace, Bridgeman, solution/flux and top seeded solution growth (TSSG) methods. The materials range from cuprates, cobaltates to pnictides including La2CuO4-based (LCO), YBa2Cu3O7-d (YBCO), Bi2Sr2Can−1CunO2n+4+δ (n=1,2,3) (BSCCO) to NaxCoO2. The modified Bridgman “cold finger” method is devoted to the pnictide system with the best quality (transition width DTc~0.5 K) with highest Tc~38.5 K of Ba0.68K0.32Fe2A2. The book presents various iron-based superconductors with different structures, such as 1111, 122, 111, 11 and 42622,10-3-8. Detailed single crystal growth methods (fluxes, Bridgman, floating zone), the associated procedures and their impact to crystal size and quality are presented. The book also describes the influence of doping on the structure and the electric, magnetic, and supe...

Theoretical aspects of electronic structure of high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, R.P.

1990-01-01

Although the mechanism responsible for the high T c superconductivity is still unknown, it is nevertheless clear that superconductivity in hole doped materials depends sensitively on the number of holes, C h , per CuO 2 plane. A correlation between C h and T c has been established. In this paper we present several examples of the critical dependence of the charge transfer and thus the value of C h on the cristallographic characteristics. For example, our electronic structure investigations of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.5 using several configurations of the oxygen atoms on the chains show that the order-disorder phenomena of the oxygen atoms play a crucial role on the value of C h and T c . We have also studied the variation of the charge transfer and C h as a function of hydrostatic pressure for several cuprates: La 1.85 Sr 0.15 CuO 4 (ΔT c /Δp ∼ 0.3 - 0.4 K/kbar); YBa 2 Cu 4 O 8 (ΔT c /Δp ∼ 5.5 K/kbar). We show that the values of C h increase under pressure [fr

Unconventional superconductors. Anisotropy and multiband effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Askerzade, Iman [Ankara Univ. (Turkey). Center of Excellence of Superconductivity Research of Turkey; Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (Azerbaijan). Inst. of Physics

2012-07-01

This book deals with the new class of materials unconventional superconductors, cuprate compounds, borocarbides, magnesium-diboride and oxypnictides. It gives a systematical review of physical properties of novel superconductors. There is an increasing number of fundamental properties of these compounds which are relevant to future applications, opening new possibilities. The theoretical explanation is presented as generalization of Ginzburg-Landau phenomenology and microscopical Eliashberg theory for multiband and anisotropic superconductors. Various applications of this approaches and time dependent version of two-band Ginzburg-Landau theory are considered. An important topic are fluctuations in two-band and anisotropic superconductors. Significant new results on current problems are presented to stimulate further research. Numerous illustrations, diagrams and tables make this book useful as a reference for students and researchers. (orig.)

Unconventional superconductors anisotropy and multiband effects

CERN Document Server

Askerzade, Iman

2012-01-01

This book deals with the new class of materials unconventional superconductors, cuprate compounds, borocarbides, magnesium-diboride and oxypnictides. It gives a systematical review of physical properties of novel  superconductors. There is an increasing number of fundamental properties of these compounds which are relevant to future applications, opening new possibilities. The theoretical explanation is presented as generalization of Ginzburg-Landau phenomenology and microscopical Eliashberg theory for multiband and anisotropic superconductors. Various applications of this approachs and time dependent version of two-band Ginzburg-Landau theory are considered. An important topic are fluctuations in two-band and anisotropic superconductors. Significant  new results on current problems are presented to stimulate further research. Numerous illustrations, diagrams and tables make this book useful as a reference for students and researchers.

Interpretation of scanning tunneling quasiparticle interference and impurity states in cuprates.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreisel, A; Choubey, Peayush; Berlijn, T; Ku, W; Andersen, B M; Hirschfeld, P J

2015-05-29

We apply a recently developed method combining first principles based Wannier functions with solutions to the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations to the problem of interpreting STM data in cuprate superconductors. We show that the observed images of Zn on the surface of Bi_{2}Sr_{2}CaCu_{2}O_{8} can only be understood by accounting for the tails of the Cu Wannier functions, which include significant weight on apical O sites in neighboring unit cells. This calculation thus puts earlier crude "filter" theories on a microscopic foundation and solves a long-standing puzzle. We then study quasiparticle interference phenomena induced by out-of-plane weak potential scatterers, and show how patterns long observed in cuprates can be understood in terms of the interference of Wannier functions above the surface. Our results show excellent agreement with experiment and enable a better understanding of novel phenomena in the cuprates via STM imaging.

Phase Equilibria Relationships of High-Tc Superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong-Ng, Winnie

2011-01-01

As an integral part of a R and D program partially supported by the Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Office of DOE, we have determined phase equilibria data and phase diagrams for the three generations of superconductor materials: 1st generation, (Bi,Pb)-Sr-Ca- Cu-O systems; 2nd generation, Ba-R-Cu-O systems (R=lanthanides and yttrium); and 3rd generation, MgB2 systems. Our studies involved bulk materials, single crystals and thin films. This report gives a summary of our accomplishments, a list of publications, and 15 selected journal publications.

Structural studies of metal oxides related to High-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hjorth, M.

1990-02-01

The project was started in order to investigate metal oxide structures related in some way to high-T c superconductors, using the crystallographic methods available; and in order to be able to use crystallographic methods in ways that go beyond routine applications in order to contribute to the crystallographic knowledge concerning these oxides. The project goes a step outside the boarders normally defined by using the term ''high-T c superconductors'', thus studying metal oxides from a more general crystallographic viewpoint. The methods used are the expansions of the spherical atom model, and of the thermal probability density function, and combination of X-ray work with high resolution electron microscopy. The use of the expanded diffraction models presents problems such as bad convergence in least squares refinement, physical unreasonable parameters, problems with interpretation of the results and difficulties due to missing or insufficient computer programs. The use of these models is discussed. Dynamical theory is applied when considering electron diffraction results. The theory is presented, focusing on the modifications of the standard theory used for some of the structures considered in the thesis, and in overview on other theoretical topics is given. A presentation is given of the structures which have been considered and of earlier work on related compounds, of the problems and solutions applied to the compound discussed and of the results obtained. The results are discussed. The appendices describe published papers and the work not directly connected to the main topics, e.g. implementation and development of computer programs. (AB) 172 refs

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.

The defect structure of ceramic high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Tendeloo, G.; Amelinckx, S.; Zandbergen, H.W.; Verwerft, M.

1989-01-01

In this paper an overview is given of electron microscopy studies on the different ceramic superconductors: YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 , Bi(Tl)-Sr(Ba)- Ca-Cu-O and Pb 2 Sr 2 Y 0.5 Ca 0.5 Cu 3 O x . Planar defects in these materials play an important role in the superconducting properties. Their structural characteristics are discussed

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

The effect of long annealing on Pb-doped high-Tc Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chandra, S.; Agnihotry, S.A.; Asthana, P.; Nagpal, K.C.; Saini, K.K.; Chanderkant; Sharma, C.P.; Ekbote, S.N. (National Physical Lab., New Delhi (India))

1991-01-16

The lead doped Bi based copper oxide high-Tc superconductors with different nominal compositions and with different annealing time periods are studied. The highest Tc (zero) achieved is 112 K in bulk phase 2223. The varying intensity of the low angle line at 2{theta}{approx equal}4.7deg suggests the gradual formation of the high-Tc phase due to the long annealing of nearly 200 to 250 h. It is also found that the high-Tc phase starts degrading after 250 h of annealing and Tc reduces. The distortion of the 2223 phase is suggested by the broadening of different XRD peaks, also the SEM studies support the above contention. The EDAX studies show no presence of Pb in the crystallites. (orig.).

Dynamics of correlation-frozen antinodal quasiparticles in superconducting cuprates

Science.gov (United States)

Cilento, Federico; Manzoni, Giulia; Sterzi, Andrea; Peli, Simone; Ronchi, Andrea; Crepaldi, Alberto; Boschini, Fabio; Cacho, Cephise; Chapman, Richard; Springate, Emma; Eisaki, Hiroshi; Greven, Martin; Berciu, Mona; Kemper, Alexander F.; Damascelli, Andrea; Capone, Massimo; Giannetti, Claudio; Parmigiani, Fulvio

2018-01-01

Many puzzling properties of high–critical temperature (Tc) superconducting (HTSC) copper oxides have deep roots in the nature of the antinodal quasiparticles, the elementary excitations with wave vector parallel to the Cu–O bonds. These electronic states are most affected by the onset of antiferromagnetic correlations and charge instabilities, and they host the maximum of the anisotropic superconducting gap and pseudogap. We use time-resolved extreme-ultraviolet photoemission with proper photon energy (18 eV) and time resolution (50 fs) to disclose the ultrafast dynamics of the antinodal states in a prototypical HTSC cuprate. After photoinducing a nonthermal charge redistribution within the Cu and O orbitals, we reveal a dramatic momentum-space differentiation of the transient electron dynamics. Whereas the nodal quasiparticle distribution is heated up as in a conventional metal, new quasiparticle states transiently emerge at the antinodes, similarly to what is expected for a photoexcited Mott insulator, where the frozen charges can be released by an impulsive excitation. This transient antinodal metallicity is mapped into the dynamics of the O-2p bands, thus directly demonstrating the intertwining between the low- and high-energy scales that is typical of correlated materials. Our results suggest that the correlation-driven freezing of the electrons moving along the Cu–O bonds, analogous to the Mott localization mechanism, constitutes the starting point for any model of high-Tc superconductivity and other exotic phases of HTSC cuprates. PMID:29507885

Infrared detection with high-[Tc] bolometers and response of Nb tunnel junctions to picosecond voltage pulses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verghese, S.

1993-05-01

Oxide superconductors with high critical temperature [Tc] make sensitive thermometers for several types of infrared bolometers. The authors built composite bolometers with YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7[minus][delta

Doping effects in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hessel Andersen, N.

1996-11-01

The purpose of the project has been to study how the superconducting and magnetic properties of the high temperature superconductors change as function of oxygen stoichiometry and cation doping. The primary system of investigation has been YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x , which has been studied as function of oxygen stoichiometry, 0 2 planes, that is necessary for superconductivity, is strongly depending on structural ordering. The static properties and the kinetics of the structural ordering process have been studied experimentally by neutron and high energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction, by Raman scattering, and by computer simulation technique. Not only the oxygen stoichiometry but also the cation doping has been shown to influence the magnetic phases, in some cases in an unexpected manner. Thus, by neutron diffraction experiments it has been shown that doping with non-magnetic Al gives rise to a new magnetic phase. A theoretical model, has been developed. The magnetic phases of the Cu and Nd ordering in NdBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x , and of the Cu and Pr ordering in PrBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x have been studied by neutron diffraction with the main purpose of understanding why PrBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x is magnetic and non-superconducting for all oxygen stoichiometries. In NdBa:2Cu 3 O 6+x studies of the magnetic flux lattice have been carried out by Small Angle Neutron Scattering. Additional structural studies of the superconducting and magnetic phases of related materials, of RENi 2 B 2 C (RE = rare earth), and of oxidized and cation doped materials based on La 2 CuO 4+δ have been carried out. Methods for structural studies and analyses, and equipment for electrical and magnetic characterization have been developed. (EG) 5 tabs., 46 ills., 35 refs

Nuclear hyperfine interactions and chemical bonding in high TC superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danon, J.

1987-01-01

Nuclear quadrupole resonances of Cu 63 and Fe 57 Moessbauer spectroscopy of the high temperature superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-γ e described together with synchrotron radiation studies of the copper oxidation states in this material. The Moessbauer spectra of 57 Fe in the two distinct crystallographic sites of the Cu atoms in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-γ are very similar from the quadrupole coupling point of view although exhibiting markedly different values for the isomer shift. The role of oxygen vacancies in the hyperfine interactions is discussed. (author) [pt

Temperature Dependence of Quasiparticle Spectral Weight and Coherence in High Tc Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yang; Zhang, Jessie; Hoffman, Jennifer; Hoffman Lab Team

2014-03-01

Superconductivity arises from the Cooper pairing of quasiparticles on the Fermi surface. Understanding the formation of Cooper pairs is an essential step towards unveiling the mechanism of high Tc superconductivity. We compare scanning tunneling microscope investigations of the temperature dependence of quasiparticle spectral weight and quasiparticle interference in several families of high Tc materials. We calculate the coherent spectral weight related to superconductivity, despite the coexistence of competing orders. The relation between pairing temperature and coherent spectral weight is discussed. We acknowledge support by the New York Community Trust-George Merck Fund.

Visualizing pair formation on the atomic scale in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasupathy, A.

2008-01-01

Full text: Unlike traditional superconductors, the density of states (DOS) of the high-T c superconductor Bi-2212 shows large nanoscale variations that have been detected using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Such variations are seen in the low temperature superconducting gap and in features associated with the coupling of pairs to boson modes. In order to understand these variations in the spectra, we perform atomic resolution STM measurements of Bi-2212 as a function of temperature. Using newly developed experimental techniques, we measure the evolution of the DOS from low temperature (T c ) to temperatures where all gaps in the spectrum have disappeared (T>T*). Such measurements show that the pairing gap nucleates in nanoscale regions at temperatures between T c and T*. By normalizing the low temperature DOS (T c ) to the DOS at high temperature, we are able to fit the superconducting DOS to the d-wave BCS form. We find that the experimental spectrum deviations from a simple d-wave fit indicating a strong coupling between electrons and bosonic modes. We will discuss the temperature evolution of these as well as other features in the DOS and correlate such measurements with the inhomogeneity seen in the gap magnitude at low temperature

Three-terminal devices of high-Tc superconductors: A status report and future challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kung, Pang-Jen; Carnegie-Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA

1992-01-01

A study has been conducted on the recent progress of the three-terminal devices with transistor-like characteristics fabricated from the high-T c superconducting materials. This study explored the operating principles and characteristics of these devices in relation to the relevant materials and techniques. A comparison of a variety of techniques for superconducting thin film deposition will be given. This study indirates that the feasibility of fabricating hybrid devices composed of semiconductors and superconductors appear to be the key issue to push forward the applications of high-T c superconductors in microelectronics. The junction field-effect transistors with a semiconductor base controlled by the proximity effect are likely to be more manufacturable. The factors that influence the operating reliability of devices and the problems arising from integrating and packaging the devices will also be discussed

Exact mapping of the dx2-y2 Cooper-pair wavefunction onto the spin fluctuations in cuprates: the Fermi surface as a driver for 'high Tc' superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, Ross D; Harrison, Neil; Singleton, John

2009-01-01

We propose that the extraordinarily high superconducting transition temperatures in the cuprates are driven by an exact mapping of the d x 2 -y 2 Cooper-pair wavefunction onto the incommensurate spin fluctuations observed in neutron-scattering experiments. This is manifested in the direct correspondence between the inverse of the incommensurability factor δ seen in inelastic neutron-scattering experiments and the measured superconducting coherence length ξ 0 . Strikingly, the relationship between ξ 0 and δ is valid for both La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x , suggesting a common mechanism for superconductivity across the entire hole-doped cuprate family. Using data from recent quantum-oscillation experiments in the cuprates, we propose that the fluctuations responsible for superconductivity are driven by a Fermi-surface instability. On the basis of these findings, one can specify the optimal characteristics of a solid that will exhibit 'high T c ' superconductivity. (fast track communication)

Physics and Materials Science of High Temperature Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

1989-08-26

30 M. Nikolo: Effect of Texture and Density on Grain Coupling of Sintered Y-Ba-Cu-O Superconductors 11:30 - 12:00 A. SzAsz : The Symmetries and High...The Hall coefficient is always positive and obeys the RH (x T- 1 law . The I Hall mobility p2-I2 < I cm2/V.S. At T < Tc, the thermoelectric power equals...461561 80-6550 Prof. A. Szasz PP Dr. Martin Schwarz PP Eotvos University Angewandte Physik Muzeum Krt. 6-8 Hoechst AG H-1088 Budapest Hungary Gebaeude

Holographic complexity in gauge/string superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davood Momeni

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Following a methodology similar to [1], we derive a holographic complexity for two dimensional holographic superconductors (gauge/string superconductors with backreactions. Applying a perturbation method proposed by Kanno in Ref. [2], we study behaviors of the complexity for a dual quantum system near critical points. We show that when a system moves from the normal phase (T>Tc to the superconductor phase (T<Tc, the holographic complexity will be divergent.

Prospects of Anderson's theorem for disordered cuprate superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosal, Amit; Chakraborty, Debmalya; Kaushal, Nitin

2018-05-01

We develop a simple pairing theory of superconductivity in strongly correlated d-wave superconductors for up to a moderate strength of disorder. Our description implements the key ideas of Anderson, originally proposed for disordered s-wave superconductors, but in addition takes care of the inherent strong electronic repulsion in these compounds, as well as the inhomogeneities. We first obtain the self-consistent one-particle states, that capture the effects of disorder exactly, and strong correlations using Gutzwiller approximation. These 'normal states' (at zero temperature) when coupled through BCS-type pairing attractions, produces results which are nearly identical to those from a more sophisticated Gutzwiller augmented Bogoliubov-de Gennes analysis.

Simulation of the vortex motion in the high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong Jinming.

1992-11-01

1d and 2d simulations of the single vortex dynamics in the presence of random pinning potential and periodical one have been carried out. It is shown that the randomness of the pinning sites distribution does not have considerable effect on the transport properties such as I-V characteristics of the high T c superconductors, which has been widely discussed in the approximation of a periodical pinning potential using analytical method. The randomness effect probably only reduces the vortex diffusing mobility more below the depinning current value, which is more obvious at lower temperature. (author). 12 refs, 4 figs

Evaluating superconductors for microwave applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammond, B.; Bybokas, J.

1989-01-01

It is becoming increasingly obvious that some of the earliest applications for high Tc superconductors will be in the microwave market. While this is a major opportunity for the superconductor community, it also represents a significant challenge. At DC or low frequencies a superconductor can be easily characterized by simple measurements of resistivity and magnetic susceptibility versus temperature. These parameters are fundamental to superconductor characterization and various methods exist for measuring them. The only valid way to determine the microwave characteristics of a superconductor is to measure it at microwave frequencies. It is for this reason that measuring microwave surface resistance has emerged as one of the most demanding and telling tests for materials intended for high frequency applications. In this article, the theory of microwave surface resistance is discussed. Methods for characterizing surface resistance theoretically and by practical implementation are described

Low-temperature specific heat of the β-pyrochlore oxide superconductors under high pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Isono, T.; Iguchi, D.; Machida, Y.; Izawa, K.; Salce, B.; Flouquet, J.; Ogusu, H.; Yamaura, J.; Hiroi, Z.

2011-01-01

We report the results of the low-temperature specific heat measurements of the single crystalline β-pyrochlore oxide superconductors AOs 2O 6 (A=K, Rb, and Cs) under high pressure up to 13 GPa. We find that superconducting transition temperature ( Tc) monotonically increases for CsOs 2O 6 and RbOs 2O 6, while the one for KOs 2O 6 decreases by applying the pressure. With further increasing the pressure, Tc is suddenly suppressed at the same lattice volume for all compounds, concomitant with the first-order structural phase transition.

The new superconductors. Les nouveaux supraconducteurs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gervais, F

1991-01-01

The first half of the book is a scanning of superconductivity from 1911 to our days, with Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory in 1957, with the concept of phonons and the importance of the Brillouin zone, with the discovery of high-tc superconductors oxides by Bednortz and Mueller in 1986. The second part is dealing with physical investigation means for trying to explain this high-tc superconductivity.

Probing the CuO planes with positrons in high Tc cuprates: theoretical predictions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbiellini, B.; Jarlborg, T.; Massidda, S.; Peter, M.

1995-01-01

Positron annihilation spectroscopy is a useful tool to investigate the Fermi surface in high T c superconductors. To study the physics of the copper-oxygen subsystem that forms the Cu-O layers, it is important to provide theoretical predictions, on materials where there is a large overlap between the positron and the interesting Cu-O planes. We have performed first-principle electronic structure calculations obtained using the linear muffin-tin orbital and the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave methods. The positron charge distributions and their sensitivity to different potentials are calculated. Secondly, we have computed the annihilation rates and the electron-positron momentum density in order to give predictions of the Fermi surface signals. (orig.)

Critical Doping for the Onset of Fermi-Surface Reconstruction by Charge-Density-Wave Order in the Cuprate Superconductor La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4}

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Badoux

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The Seebeck coefficient S of the cuprate superconductor La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4} (LSCO was measured in magnetic fields large enough to access the normal state at low temperatures, for a range of Sr concentrations from x=0.07 to x=0.15. For x=0.11, 0.12, 0.125, and 0.13, S/T decreases upon cooling to become negative at low temperatures. The same behavior is observed in the Hall coefficient R_{H}(T. In analogy with other hole-doped cuprates at similar hole concentrations p, the negative S and R_{H} show that the Fermi surface of LSCO undergoes a reconstruction caused by the onset of charge-density-wave modulations. Such modulations have indeed been detected in LSCO by x-ray diffraction in precisely the same doping range. Our data show that in LSCO this Fermi-surface reconstruction is confined to 0.085

Similarity in the superconducting properties of chalcogenides, cuprate oxides and fullerides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsendin, K.D.; Popov, B.P.; Denisov, D.V.

2004-01-01

The idea of Anderson pairs has been put forward for explanation of many extraordinary properties of chalcogenides glassy semiconductors. Recent decades made obvious that these pairs localized on the centers with negative effective correlation energy (negative-U centers) really exist in chalcogenides. If the concentration of negative-U centers is enough to create the pair band states, this can lead to superconductivity because Anderson pairs are Bose particles. In the present paper we show that several puzzling superconductivity properties of chalcogenides, high-temperature cuprate superconductors and fullerides are similar for these three groups of materials and can be naturally explained in the frame of negative-U centers model of superconductivity

Tc depression and superconductor-insulator transition in molybdenum nitride thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Ichikawa, F.; Makise, K.; Tsuneoka, T.; Maeda, S.; Shinozaki, B.

2018-03-01

We have studied that the Tc depression and the superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) in molybdenum nitride (MoN) thin films. Thin films were fabricated by reactive DC magnetron sputtering method onto (100) MgO substrates in the mixture of Ar and N2 gases. Several dozen MoN thin films were prepared in the range of 3 nm < thickness d < 60 nm. The resistance was measured by a DC four-probe technique. It is found that Tc decreases from 6.6 K for thick films with increase of the normal state sheet resistance {R}{{sq}}{{N}} and experimental data were fitted to the Finkel’stein formula using the bulk superconducting transition temperature Tc 0 = 6.45 K and the elastic scattering time of electron τ = 1.6 × 10‑16 s. From this analysis the critical sheet resistance Rc is found about 2 kΩ, which is smaller than the quantum sheet resistance R Q. This value of Rc is almost the same as those for 2D NbN films. The value of τ for MoN films is also the similar value for NbN films 1.0 × 10‑16 s, while Tc 0 is different from that for NbN films 14.85 K. It is indicated that the mechanism of SIT for MoN films is similar to that of NbN films, while the mean free path ℓ for MoN films is larger than that for NbN films.

Development of superconductor application technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, G W; Kim, C J; Lee, H G; Lee, H J; Kim, K B; Won, D Y; Jang, K I; Kwon, S C; Kim, W J; Ji, Y A; Yang, S W; Kim, W K; Park, S D; Lee, M H; Lee, D M; Park, H W; Yu, J K; Lee, I S; Kim, J J; Choi, H S; Chu, Y; Kim, Y S; Kim, D H

1997-09-01

Fabrication of high Tc bulk superconductor and its application, fabrication of superconducting wire for electric power device and analysis for cryogenic system were carried out for developing superconductor application technologies for electric power system. High quality YBaCuO bulk superconductor was fabricated by controlling initial powder preparation process and prototype flywheel energy storage device was designed basically. The superconducting levitation force measuring device was made to examine the property of prepared superconductor specimen. Systematic studies onthe method of starting powder preparation, mechanical fabrication process, heat treatment condition and analysis of plastic deformation were carried out to increase the stability and reproducibility of superconducting wire. A starting power with good reactivity and fine particle size was obtained by mechanical grinding, control of phase assemblage, and emulsion drying method. Ag/BSCCO tape with good cross sectional shape and Jc of 20,000 A/cm{sup 2} was fabricated by applying CIP packing procedure. Multifilamentary wire with Jc of 10,000 A/cm{sup 2} was fabricated by rolling method using square billet as starting shape. The joining of the multifilamentary wire was done by etching and pressing process and showed 50% of joining efficiency. Analysis on the heat loss in cryostat for high Tc superconducting device was carried out for optimum design of the future cryogenic system. (author). 66 refs., 104 figs.

Development of superconductor application technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, G. W.; Kim, C. J.; Lee, H. G.; Lee, H. J.; Kim, K. B.; Won, D. Y.; Jang, K. I.; Kwon, S. C.; Kim, W. J.; Ji, Y. A.; Yang, S. W.; Kim, W. K.; Park, S. D.; Lee, M. H.; Lee, D. M.; Park, H. W.; Yu, J. K.; Lee, I. S.; Kim, J. J.; Choi, H. S.; Chu, Y.; Kim, Y. S.; Kim, D. H.

1997-09-01

Fabrication of high Tc bulk superconductor and its application, fabrication of superconducting wire for electric power device and analysis for cryogenic system were carried out for developing superconductor application technologies for electric power system. High quality YBaCuO bulk superconductor was fabricated by controlling initial powder preparation process and prototype flywheel energy storage device was designed basically. The superconducting levitation force measuring device was made to examine the property of prepared superconductor specimen. Systematic studies onthe method of starting powder preparation, mechanical fabrication process, heat treatment condition and analysis of plastic deformation were carried out to increase the stability and reproducibility of superconducting wire. A starting power with good reactivity and fine particle size was obtained by mechanical grinding, control of phase assemblage, and emulsion drying method. Ag/BSCCO tape with good cross sectional shape and Jc of 20,000 A/cm 2 was fabricated by applying CIP packing procedure. Multifilamentary wire with Jc of 10,000 A/cm 2 was fabricated by rolling method using square billet as starting shape. The joining of the multifilamentary wire was done by etching and pressing process and showed 50% of joining efficiency. Analysis on the heat loss in cryostat for high Tc superconducting device was carried out for optimum design of the future cryogenic system. (author). 66 refs., 104 figs

Levitation force and magnetization in bulk and thin film high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riise, A.B

1998-04-01

The authors present high-resolution measurements of the repulsive vertical force and its associated stiffness between a Nd-B-Fe magnet and a YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ superconductor in cylindrical geometry. The results are compared with theoretical predictions. The calculations are based on a model in which the superconductor is assumed to be either a sintered granular material or consisting of grains embedded in a nonactive matrix so that only intragranular currents are important. The critical state model is applied to each grain individually and closed form expressions for both vertical force F z and stiffness are obtained in a configuration with cylindrical symmetry. The model explains all features of the experimental results in a consistent way. A good quantitative agreement has been obtained using only three adjustable parameters. Several central aspects of the phenomenon of magnetic levitation with high-T c superconductors are presented. High-resolution measurements are made of the repulsive vertical force and its associated stiffness as well as the horizontal stabilizing force and the stiffness governing lateral vibrations. The results obtained at 77 K using a granular YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ sample and Nd-Fe-B magnet in a rectangular levitation configuration are compared with theoretical predictions. The calculations, which are based on the critical state model with the assumption that it applies to the grins individually, give closed-form expressions for all the measured quantities. It is concluded that the present model explains all features of the observations in a consistent way. Using only three adjustable parameters a good agreement exists also at a quantitative level. Experimental studies and theoretical modelling of the levitation force on a permanent magnet placed above a superconducting thin film are offered. It is shown that measurements of the levitation force is a simple and precise method to determine the critical current density in thin films

Disorder and non-linear magnetic response of high Tc superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burin, J.P. (Lab. de Physique des Solides, INSA, 35 - Rennes (France)); Fouad, Y. (Lab. de Physique des Solides, INSA, 35 - Rennes (France)); Raboutou, A. (Lab. de Physique des Solides, INSA, 35 - Rennes (France)); Peyral, P. (Lab. de Physique des Solides, INSA, 35 - Rennes (France)); Lebeau, C. (Lab. de Physique des Solides, INSA, 35 - Rennes (France)); Rosenblatt, J. (Lab. de Physique des Solides, INSA, 35 - Rennes (France)); Mokhtari, M. (Lab. de Chimie du Solide et inorganique Moleculaire, Univ. Rennes 1, 35 (France)); Pena, O. (Lab. de Chimie du Solide et inorganique Moleculaire, Univ. Rennes 1, 35 (France)); Perrin, C. (Lab. de Chimie du Solide et inorganique Moleculaire, Univ. Rennes 1, 35 (France))

1993-05-10

We measure the low frequency magnetic response of YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 6.7]F[sub x] (0 [<=] x < 0.2) ceramics in a wide range of a.c. fields (10[sup -7] T [<=] [mu][sub 0]H[sub 0] [<=] 10[sup -4]). When changing the amount of disorder (varying x) on the microscopic level we find the same non linear response with field amplitude H[sub 0] as in granular conventional superconductors. The real part of the susceptibility appears as a universal function of H[sub 1](T)/H[sub 0] where H[sub 1](T) is the field of first flux penetration. The power law dependence found for H[sub 1](T) can be understood in the framework of the coherence transition of granular superconductors with random couplings. (orig.)

Assessment of potential advantages of high Tc-superconductors for technical application of superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schauer, F.; Juengst, K.P.; Komarek, P.; Maurer, W.

1987-09-01

A first assessment of the technical and economical consequences of liquid nitrogen cooling of new superconductors is given. For the investigation the applications of superconductivity are classified in two categories: First, systems where superconductors are practically indispensable for achieving the system's objectives; second, superconductor applications in competition with highly developed conventional technologies. Further development of those superconducting systems in the first category for which the cost of cryogenic equipment is a smaller fraction of the total system cost (e.g. fusion reactor or MHD generator) will hardly be affected. However, for systems like particle accelerators, research magnets, and NMR spectroscopy and imaging systems, the cryogenic equipment expenditures are significant and LN 2 cooling leads here to a reduction of investment and operating costs, to simplified handling and maintenance, to better reliability and availability, and will thereby improve the acceptance and further spread of these systems. In the second category each application of superconductivity has to be compared with its conventional counterpart, separately. Here, electonic components, power switches, resistive current limiters, and especially the power transmission cables are those applications which look most promising. For magnet applications the main advantageous arguments are less the cost saving aspect but more the higher reliability, simplicity, N 2 -availability, and ease of handling. (orig.) [de

Inter plane coupling and magnetic properties in a high Tc superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malacarne, L.C.; Mendes, R.S.; Veroneze, P.R.

1997-01-01

We investigate if besides an increasing in T c , an interaction favoring pair tunneling reproduces some characteristic properties of the superconductors, in the presence of a magnetic field. With this objective, we use a sufficiently simple Hamiltonian which maintains the main qualitative aspects of the inter plane interaction through pairs. We also apply an functional integration method for obtaining the Landau-Ginzburg (L G) equations in presence of magnetic field. From these equations, we verify that the applied model presents the properties expected for a superconductor, e.g. magnetic flux quantization, Meissner effect and possible existence of vortex and vortex lattice

Conductus makes high-Tc integrated circuit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that researchers at Conductus have successfully demonstrated what the company says is the world's first integrated circuit containing active devices made from high-temperature superconductors. The circuit is a SQUID magnetometer made from seven layers of material: three layers of yttrium-barium-copper oxide, two layers of insulating material, a seed layer to create grain boundaries for the Josephson junctions, and a layer of silver for making electrical contact to the device. The chip also contains vias, or pathways that make a superconducting contact between the superconducting layers otherwise separated by insulators. Conductus had previously announced the development of a SQUID magnetometer that featured a SQUID sensor and a flux transformer manufactured on separate chips. What makes this achievement important is that the company was able to put both components on the same chip, thus creating a simple integrated circuit on a single chip. This is still a long way from conventional semiconductor technology, with as many as a million components per chip, or even the sophisticated low-Tc superconducting chips made by the Japanese, but the SQUID magnetometer demonstrates all the elements and techniques necessary to build more complex high-temperature superconductor integrated circuits, making this an important first step

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

Melt processed high-temperature superconductors

CERN Document Server

1993-01-01

The achievement of large critical currents is critical to the applications of high-temperature superconductors. Recent developments have shown that melt processing is suitable for producing high J c oxide superconductors. Using magnetic forces between such high J c oxide superconductors and magnets, a person could be levitated.This book has grown largely out of research works on melt processing of high-temperature superconductors conducted at ISTEC Superconductivity Research Laboratory. The chapters build on melt processing, microstructural characterization, fundamentals of flux pinning, criti

Advanced nuclear materials development -Development of superconductor application technology-

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Kye Won; Lee, Heui Kyoon; Lee, Hoh Jin; Kim, Chan Joong; Jang, Kun Ik; Kim, Kee Baek; Kwon, Sun Chil; Park, Hae Woong; Yoo, Jae Keun; Kim, Jong Jin; Jang, Joong Chul; Yang, Suk Woo

1995-07-01

Fabrication of high Tc bulk superconductor and its application, fabrication of superconducting wire for electric power device and analysis for cryogenic system were carried out for developing superconductor application technologies for electric power system. High quality YBaCuO bulk superconductor was fabricated by controlling initial powder preparation process and prototype fly wheel energy storage device was designed basically. The superconducting levitation force measuring device was made to examine the property of prepared superconductor specimen. Systematic studies on the method of starting powder preparation, mechanical fabrication process, heat treatment condition and analysis of plastic deformation were carried out to increase the stability and reproducibility of superconducting wire. A starting powder with good reactivity and fine particle size was obtained by emulsion drying method. Ag/BSCCO tape with good cross sectional shape and Tc of 16,000 A/cm 2 was fabricated by applying CIP packing procedure. Multifilamentary wire with the Jc of approx. 10000 A/cm 2 was fabricated by rolling method using square billet as starting shape. The joining of the multifilament wire was done by etching and pressing process and showed 50% of joining efficiency. Analysis on the heat loss in cryostat for high Tc superconducting device was carried out for optimum design of the future cryogenic system. 126 figs, 14 tabs, 214 refs. (Author)

Advanced nuclear materials development -Development of superconductor application technology-

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Kye Won; Lee, Heui Kyoon; Lee, Hoh Jin; Kim, Chan Joong; Jang, Kun Ik; Kim, Kee Baek; Kwon, Sun Chil; Park, Hae Woong; Yoo, Jae Keun; Kim, Jong Jin; Jang, Joong Chul; Yang, Suk Woo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1995-07-01

Fabrication of high Tc bulk superconductor and its application, fabrication of superconducting wire for electric power device and analysis for cryogenic system were carried out for developing superconductor application technologies for electric power system. High quality YBaCuO bulk superconductor was fabricated by controlling initial powder preparation process and prototype fly wheel energy storage device was designed basically. The superconducting levitation force measuring device was made to examine the property of prepared superconductor specimen. Systematic studies on the method of starting powder preparation, mechanical fabrication process, heat treatment condition and analysis of plastic deformation were carried out to increase the stability and reproducibility of superconducting wire. A starting powder with good reactivity and fine particle size was obtained by emulsion drying method. Ag/BSCCO tape with good cross sectional shape and Tc of 16,000 A/cm{sup 2} was fabricated by applying CIP packing procedure. Multifilamentary wire with the Jc of approx. 10000 A/cm{sup 2} was fabricated by rolling method using square billet as starting shape. The joining of the multifilament wire was done by etching and pressing process and showed 50% of joining efficiency. Analysis on the heat loss in cryostat for high Tc superconducting device was carried out for optimum design of the future cryogenic system. 126 figs, 14 tabs, 214 refs. (Author).

Flux Trapping Properties of Bulk HIGH-TC Superconductors in Static Field-Cooling Magnetization

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Z.; Tsuzuki, K.; Miki, M.; Felder, B.; Hara, S.; Izumi, M.

2013-06-01

The trapping process and saturation effect of trapped magnetic flux of bulk high-temperature superconductors by static field-cooling magnetization (FCM) are reported in the paper. With a cryogenic Bell Hall sensor attached on the center of the bulk surface, the synchronous magnetic signals were recorded during the whole magnetization process. It enables us to know the flux trapping behavior since the removal of the excitation field, as well as the subsequent flux relaxation phenomenon and the flux dissipation in the quench process of the bulk sample. With the help of flux mapping techniques, the relationship between the trapped flux and the applied field was further investigated; the saturation effect of trapped flux was discussed by comparing the peak trapped field and total magnetic flux of the bulk sample. These studies are useful to understand the basic flux trapping properties of bulk superconductors.

Distinct Nature of Static and Dynamic Magnetic Stripes in Cuprate Superconductors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, H.; Holm, S. L.; Lăcătuşu, M. E.

2018-01-01

We present detailed neutron scattering studies of the static and dynamic stripes in an optimally doped high-Temperature superconductor, La2CuO4+y. We observe that the dynamic stripes do not disperse towards the static stripes in the limit of vanishing energy transfer. Therefore, the dynamic stripes...

High-energy kink in the single-particle spectra of cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cojocaru, S.; Citro, R.; Marinaro, M.

2008-01-01

Within a phenomenological model where electrons are coupled to a bosonic mode in a generic form of damped oscillator, we analyze the high-energy kink recently observed in ARPES experiments on cuprates. It is shown that the model allows to describe the main anomalous features found in experiments, such as the broad incoherent spectral weight, the 'waterfall dispersion', its doping and temperature dependence. In contrast to the low-energy kink, presence of significant damping is required to account for the anomalies. The 'bosonic mode' is related to the incoherent excitation peak observed in optical conductivity spectra of cuprates

High-energy kink in the single-particle spectra of cuprates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cojocaru, S. [Dipartimento di Fisica ' E. R. Caianiello' and C.N.I.S.M., Universita degli Studi di Salerno, Via S. Allende, I-84081 Baronissi (Italy); Institute of Applied Physics, Chisinau 2028 (Moldova, Republic of); Citro, R. [Dipartimento di Fisica ' E. R. Caianiello' and C.N.I.S.M., Universita degli Studi di Salerno, Via S. Allende, I-84081 Baronissi (Italy)], E-mail: citro@sa.infn.it; Marinaro, M. [Dipartimento di Fisica ' E. R. Caianiello' and C.N.I.S.M., Universita degli Studi di Salerno, Via S. Allende, I-84081 Baronissi (Italy); I.I.A.S.S., Via G. Pellegrino, n. 19 84019 Vietri sul Mare (Italy)

2008-04-01

Within a phenomenological model where electrons are coupled to a bosonic mode in a generic form of damped oscillator, we analyze the high-energy kink recently observed in ARPES experiments on cuprates. It is shown that the model allows to describe the main anomalous features found in experiments, such as the broad incoherent spectral weight, the 'waterfall dispersion', its doping and temperature dependence. In contrast to the low-energy kink, presence of significant damping is required to account for the anomalies. The 'bosonic mode' is related to the incoherent excitation peak observed in optical conductivity spectra of cuprates.

Flux Pinning in Superconductors

CERN Document Server

Matsushita, Teruo

2007-01-01

The book covers the flux pinning mechanisms and properties and the electromagnetic phenomena caused by the flux pinning common for metallic, high-Tc and MgB2 superconductors. The condensation energy interaction known for normal precipitates or grain boundaries and the kinetic energy interaction proposed for artificial Nb pins in Nb-Ti, etc., are introduced for the pinning mechanism. Summation theories to derive the critical current density are discussed in detail. Irreversible magnetization and AC loss caused by the flux pinning are also discussed. The loss originally stems from the ohmic dissipation of normal electrons in the normal core driven by the electric field induced by the flux motion. The readers will learn why the resultant loss is of hysteresis type in spite of such mechanism. The influence of the flux pinning on the vortex phase diagram in high Tc superconductors is discussed, and the dependencies of the irreversibility field are also described on other quantities such as anisotropy of supercondu...

Higgs Mode in the d -Wave Superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 +x Driven by an Intense Terahertz Pulse

Science.gov (United States)

Katsumi, Kota; Tsuji, Naoto; Hamada, Yuki I.; Matsunaga, Ryusuke; Schneeloch, John; Zhong, Ruidan D.; Gu, Genda D.; Aoki, Hideo; Gallais, Yann; Shimano, Ryo

2018-03-01

We investigate the terahertz (THz)-pulse-driven nonlinear response in the d -wave cuprate superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 +x (Bi2212) using a THz pump near-infrared probe scheme in the time domain. We observe an oscillatory behavior of the optical reflectivity that follows the THz electric field squared and is markedly enhanced below Tc . The corresponding third-order nonlinear effect exhibits both A1 g and B1 g symmetry components, which are decomposed from polarization-resolved measurements. A comparison with a BCS calculation of the nonlinear susceptibility indicates that the A1 g component is associated with the Higgs mode of the d -wave order parameter.

Quantitative XPS analysis of high Tc superconductor surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jablonski, A.; Sanada, N.; Suzuki, Y.; Fukuda, Y.; Nagoshi, M.

1993-01-01

The procedure of quantitative XPS analysis involving the relative sensitivity factors is most convenient to apply to high T c superconductor surfaces because this procedure does not require standards. However, a considerable limitation of such an approach is its relatively low accuracy. In the present work, a proposition is made to use for this purpose a modification of the relative sensitivity factor approach accounting for the matrix and the instrumental effects. The accuracy of this modification when applied to the binary metal alloys is 2% or better. A quantitative XPS analysis was made for surfaces of the compounds Bi 2 Sr 2 CuO 6 , Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 , and YBa 2 Cu 3 O Y . The surface composition determined for the polycrystalline samples corresponds reasonably well to the bulk stoichiometry. Slight deficiency of oxygen was found for the Bi-based compounds. The surface exposed on cleavage of the Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 single crystal was found to be enriched with bismuth, which indicates that the cleavage occurs along the BiO planes. This result is in agreement with the STM studies published in the literature

SHMUTZ & PROTON-DIAMANT H + Irradiated/Written-Hyper/Super-conductivity(HC/SC) Precognizance/Early Experiments Connections: Wet-Graphite Room-Tc & Actualized MgB2 High-Tc: Connection to Mechanical Bulk-Moduli/Hardness: Diamond Hydrocarbon-Filaments, Disorder, Nano-Powders:C,Bi,TiB2,TiC

Science.gov (United States)

Wunderman, Irwin; Siegel, Edward Carl-Ludwig; Lewis, Thomas; Young, Frederic; Smith, Adolph; Dresschhoff-Zeller, Gieselle

2013-03-01

SHMUTZ: ``wet-graphite''Scheike-....[Adv.Mtls.(7/16/12)]hyper/super-SCHMUTZ-conductor(S!!!) = ``wet''(?)-``graphite''(?) = ``graphene''(?) = water(?) = hydrogen(?) =ultra-heavy proton-bands(???) = ...(???) claimed room/high-Tc/high-Jc superconductOR ``p''-``wave''/ BAND(!!!) superconductIVITY and actualized/ instantiated MgB2 high-Tc superconductors and their BCS- superconductivity: Tc Siegel[ICMAO(77);JMMM 7,190(78)] connection to SiegelJ.Nonxline-Sol.40,453(80)] disorder/amorphous-superconductivity in nano-powders mechanical bulk/shear(?)-moduli/hardness: proton-irradiated diamond, powders TiB2, TiC,{Siegel[Semis. & Insuls.5:39,47, 62 (79)])-...``VS''/concommitance with Siegel[Phys.Stat.Sol.(a)11,45(72)]-Dempsey [Phil.Mag. 8,86,285(63)]-Overhauser-(Little!!!)-Seitz-Smith-Zeller-Dreschoff-Antonoff-Young-...proton-``irradiated''/ implanted/ thermalized-in-(optimal: BOTH heat-capacity/heat-sink & insulator/maximal dielectric-constant) diamond: ``VS'' ``hambergite-borate-mineral transformable to Overhauser optimal-high-Tc-LiBD2 in Overhauser-(NW-periodic-table)-Land: CO2/CH4-ETERNAL-sequestration by-product: WATER!!!: physics lessons from

Magnetic Signals of High-Temperature Superconductor Bulk During the Levitation Force Measurement Process

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Huan; Zheng, Jun; Qian, Nan; Che, Tong; Zheng, Botian; Jin, Liwei; Deng, Zigang

2017-05-01

In order to study the commonly neglected magnetic field information in the course of levitation force measurement process in a superconducting maglev system, a multipoint magnetic field measurement platform was employed to acquire magnetic signals of a bulk high-Tc superconductor on both the top and the bottom surface. Working conditions including field cooling (FC) and zero field cooling were investigated for these vertical down and up motions above a permanent magnet guideway performed on a HTS maglev measurement system. We have discussed the magnetic flux variation process based on the Bean model. A magnetic hysteresis effect similar to the levitation force hysteresis loop of the bulk superconductor was displayed and analyzed in this paper. What is more valuable, there exists some available magnetic flux on the top surface of the bulk superconductor, and the proportion is as high as 62.42% in the FC condition, which provides an experimental hint to design the superconductor bulk and the applied field for practical use in a more efficient way. In particular, this work reveals real-time magnetic flux variation of the bulk superconductor in the levitation application, which is the other important information in contrast to the macroscopic levitation and guidance force investigations in previous studies, and it enriches the existing research methods. The results are significant for understanding the magnetic characteristic of superconductors, and they can contribute to optimize the present HTS maglev system design.

The increase in Tc for MgB2 superconductor under high pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Z-X; Jin, C-Q; You, J-Y; Li, S-C; Zhu, J-L; Yu, R-C; Li, F-Y; Su, S-K

2002-01-01

We report in situ high-pressure studies up to 1.0 GPa on MgB 2 superconductor which had been synthesized at high pressure. The as-prepared sample is of high quality as regards having a sharp superconducting transition (T c ) at 39 K. The in situ high-pressure measurements were carried out using a Be-Cu piston-cylinder-type instrument with a mixed oil as the pressure-transmitting medium, which provides a quasi-hydrostatic pressure environment at low temperature. The superconducting transitions were measured using the electrical conductance method. It is found that T c increases with pressure in the initial pressure range, leading to a parabolic-like T c -P evolution

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.

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

Temperature and doping dependence of the high-energy kink in cuprates.

Science.gov (United States)

Zemljic, M M; Prelovsek, P; Tohyama, T

2008-01-25

It is shown that spectral functions within the extended t-J model, evaluated using the finite-temperature diagonalization of small clusters, exhibit the high-energy kink in single-particle dispersion consistent with recent angle-resolved photoemission results on hole-doped cuprates. The kink and waterfall-like features persist up to large doping and to temperatures beyond J; hence, the origin can be generally attributed to strong correlations and incoherent hole propagation at large binding energies. In contrast, our analysis predicts that electron-doped cuprates do not exhibit these phenomena in photoemission.

Fluxons in thin-film superconductor-insulator superlattices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sakai, S.; Bodin, P.; Pedersen, Niels Falsig

1993-01-01

In a system of thin alternating layers of superconductors and insulators the equations describing static and dynamic fluxon solutions are derived. The approach, represented by a useful compact matrix form, is intended to describe systems fabricated for example of niobium or niobium-nitride thin...... films; in the limit of ultrathin superconductor films it may give a model for describing fluxon motion in layered high-Tc superconductors. Numerical examples of current versus voltage curves to be expected in such an experiment are presented. Journal of Applied Physics is copyrighted by The American...

Towards novel organic high-Tc superconductors: Data mining using density of states similarity search

Science.gov (United States)

Geilhufe, R. Matthias; Borysov, Stanislav S.; Kalpakchi, Dmytro; Balatsky, Alexander V.

2018-02-01

Identifying novel functional materials with desired key properties is an important part of bridging the gap between fundamental research and technological advancement. In this context, high-throughput calculations combined with data-mining techniques highly accelerated this process in different areas of research during the past years. The strength of a data-driven approach for materials prediction lies in narrowing down the search space of thousands of materials to a subset of prospective candidates. Recently, the open-access organic materials database OMDB was released providing electronic structure data for thousands of previously synthesized three-dimensional organic crystals. Based on the OMDB, we report about the implementation of a novel density of states similarity search tool which is capable of retrieving materials with similar density of states to a reference material. The tool is based on the approximate nearest neighbor algorithm as implemented in the ANNOY library and can be applied via the OMDB web interface. The approach presented here is wide ranging and can be applied to various problems where the density of states is responsible for certain key properties of a material. As the first application, we report about materials exhibiting electronic structure similarities to the aromatic hydrocarbon p-terphenyl which was recently discussed as a potential organic high-temperature superconductor exhibiting a transition temperature in the order of 120 K under strong potassium doping. Although the mechanism driving the remarkable transition temperature remains under debate, we argue that the density of states, reflecting the electronic structure of a material, might serve as a crucial ingredient for the observed high Tc. To provide candidates which might exhibit comparable properties, we present 15 purely organic materials with similar features to p-terphenyl within the electronic structure, which also tend to have structural similarities with p

From a Single-Band Metal to a High-Temperature Superconductor via Two Thermal Phase Transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, R.-H.; Hashimoto, M.; Karapetyan, H.; Koralek, J.D.; Hinton, J.P.; Testaud, J.P.; Nathan, V.; Yoshida, Y.; Yao, H.; Tanaka, K.; Meevasana, W.; Moore, R.G.; Lu, D.H.; Mo, S.-K.; Ishikado, M.; Eisaki, H.; Hussain, Z.; Devereaux, T.P.; Kivelson, S.A.; Orenstein, J.; Kapitulnik, A.

2011-11-08

The nature of the pseudogap phase of cuprate high-temperature superconductors is one of the most important unsolved problems in condensed matter physics. We studied the commencement of the pseudogap state at temperature T* using three different techniques (angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, polar Kerr effect, and time-resolved reflectivity) on the same optimally-doped Bi2201 crystals. We observe the coincident onset at T* of a particle-hole asymmetric antinodal gap, a non-zero Kerr rotation, and a change in the relaxational dynamics, consistent with a phase transition. Upon further cooling, spectroscopic signatures of superconductivity begin to grow close to the superconducting transition temperature (T{sub c}), entangled in an energy-momentum dependent fashion with the pre-existing pseudogap features.

Study of the magnetic field distribution in high-temperature superconductors using muon-spin-rotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmermann, P.R.

1994-01-01

Detailed and systematic μ + SR experiments have been performed in order to (i) investigate the temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth in various cuprate high-T c superconductors and (ii) study the vortex structures and dynamics in the highly anisotropic Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 . The μ + SR method and its application to superconductivity has been discussed. The positive muon is a microscopic probe of the local magnetic field in the bulk of a sample. The μ + SR technique can therefore measure the magnetic field distribution p(B) which is determined by the flux structure in the superconductor. The second moment (ΔB 2 ) of p(B) is closely related to the magnetic penetration depth λ, a fundamental parameter of superconductivity. It has been shown that in high-quality sintered samples a good estimate of the in-plane penetration depth λ ab can be given in terms of the muon-depolarization rate σ. Since the penetration depth is related to the superconducting order parameter, the temperature dependence of the penetration depth is a potential probe of the pairing state. Systematic measurements of the temperature dependence of σ have been performed in sintered samples of high quality in various members of the Y123 family, Pb and Y doped Tl1212 family, and also in Y124 and Bi2212. It is found that the extracted temperature behaviour of λ ab -2 is characteristic of each compound. This can be interpreted as a varying coupling strength in these systems. In well oxygenated Y123, λ ab -2 (T) is well described by the two-fluid model indicating strong coupling. The rest of the cuprates investigated show a λ ab -2 (T) which points to weaker coupling, with λ ab -2 (T) of highly oxygen deficient Y123 being similar to the weak-coupling BCS prediction. In the Y123 family the decreasing coupling strength with decreasing oxygen content is related to the increasing anisotropy. Comparison with theoretical predictions of λ ab -2 (T) revealed that the observed

Direct imaging of fractional oxygen Oδ in Hg-based high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papoular, R.J.; Collin, G.; Colson, D.; Viallet, V.

2002-01-01

Maximum Entropy is applied to the crystallographic imaging of x-ray diffraction data in order to reveal reliable model-free weak electron density features (if any) in newly discovered high-T c superconductors. The use of suitably computed non-uniform priors turns out to be essential. The suggested maxentropic procedure shows that about .2 oxygen atoms [1.6 electrons] can unambiguously be evidenced near the much heavier mercury atoms [harboring 80 electrons each], and this from standard laboratory [non-synchrotron] x-ray data

Studies of the interaction between a magnet and a High Tc Superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Z.

1991-01-01

This dissertation consists of two parts. The last part is eight research papers which involve topics related to High T c superconductor (HTSC) studies. The main topic describes the interaction between a permanent magnet and a HTSC studied by a mechanical pendulum. The first part of the dissertation has two purposes. One is to give a brief introduction and background to the research papers, and the other is to outline the scientific findings from the HTSC studies. 94 refs., 2 figs

Isomers of (Ca0.1La0.9)(Ba1.65La0.35)Cu3Oy Superconductor Having Different Tc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knizhnik, A.; Reisner, G.M.; Men, A.; Eckstein, Y.

1998-01-01

(Ca 0.1 La 0.9 )(Ba 1.65 La 0.35 )Cu 3 O y is a YBCO like superconductor but tetragonal for any y, i.e. without ordered chains. Its T c vs y plot has no intermediate plateau and is a nearly straight line in the under doped region. Different oxygen contents were obtained by oxygenation at various temperatures under 1 atm O 2 followed by quench in liquid nitrogen. This type of oxygenation leads to samples where the oxygen content corresponds to the thermodynamic equilibrium with the gas phase because the form of attaining the oxygenation temperature (Tom higher or lower temperature) and time (over 10h) of oxygenation do not change y and Tc. Changing of the firing temperature (we used the usual carbonate-oxide preparation which included 3 firings in powder, pelletization, sintering and oxygenation) changes Tc at the same y. The increase of the firing temperature by 40 deg C increases T c by 7-10K while y remains unchanged. Increases of the temperature of sintering virtually do not change T c which shows that low and high Tc compounds are formed during the first stages of preparation and that there is no thermodynamic equilibrium between them. The low Tc compounds cannot be transformed into high Tc ones by raising the temperature

Quantum vortex motion in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, A.; Zhang, X.X.; Tejada, J.

1996-01-01

Magnetic relaxation experiments at low temperatures were performed in different zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) high-T c superconductors (HTSCs): TlBaCaCuO (2212 and 2223 phases, polycrystalline and thin-film samples), (Hg,Tl)BaCaCuO (1223 phase, polycrystalline material), and (Bi,Pb)SrCaCuO (2212 phase, single crystal). For each system and in the whole temperature range investigated, the relaxation curves obtained after both cooling processes are linear with the logarithm of time. The temperature dependence of the relaxation rate normalized to the first magnetization value, R=parallel d(M/M 0 )/dln(t)parallel, follows a trend which is common to all systems: R decreases linearly with decreasing temperature down to a value, which is called the crossover temperature, below which it levels off to a T-independent plateau. This behavior gives evidence of a transition in the mechanism responsible for the relaxation process at low temperatures, from thermally activated (linear dependence on T) to quantum vortex motion (T-independent regime). The experimental values for the crossover temperatures and normalized relaxation rates compare fairly well to numerical estimates in the framework of the theories of quantum vortex motion in layered HTSCs. Finally, the transition from one regime into another was studied in two samples of the TlBaCaCuO, 2223 phase, system in order to investigate the influence of dissipation on the quantum process. A clear conclusion on this point could not be drawn from these kinds of measurements. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

Interplay of charge density wave and spin density wave in high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pradhan, B.; Raj, B.K.; Rout, G.C.

2008-01-01

We present a mean-field theory theoretical model study for the coexistence of the two strongly interacting charge density wave (CDW) and spin density wave (SDW) for high-T c cuprates in the underdoped region before the onset of the superconductivity in the system. The analytic expressions for the temperature dependence of the CDW and SDW order parameters are derived and solved self-consistently. Their interplay is studied by varying their respective coupling constants. It is observed that in the interplay region both the gap parameters exhibit very strong dependence of their gap values for the coupling constants. Further, the electronic density of states (DOS) for the conduction electrons, which represents the scanning tunneling data, show two gap parameters in the interplay region from these experimental data. Our model can help to determine separately the CDW and SDW parameters

Critical currents and superconductivity ferromagnetism coexistence in high-Tc oxides

CERN Document Server

Khene, Samir

2016-01-01

The book comprises six chapters which deal with the critical currents and the ferromagnetism-superconductivity coexistence in high-Tc oxides. It begins by gathering key data for superconducting state and the fundamental properties of the conventional superconductors, followed by a recap of the basic theories of superconductivity. It then discusses the differences introduced by the structural anisotropy on the Ginzburg-Landau approach and the Lawrence-Doniach model before addressing the dynamics of vortices and the ferromagnetism-superconductivity coexistence in high-Tc oxides, and provides an outline of the pinning phenomena of vortices in these materials, in particular the pinning of vortices by the spins. It elucidates the methods to improve the properties of superconducting materials for industrial applications. This optimization aims at obtaining critical temperatures and densities of critical currents at the maximum level possible. Whereas the primary objective is the basic mechanisms pushing the superco...

Basic technology of high-Tc superconductors. Project: Preparation, microstructure, contacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arlt, G.; Bonnenberg, D.; Kliem, H.

1991-01-01

By conventional mixed oxide sintering technique some hundred samples of polycrystalline BYaCuO were prepared. Their physical properties were measured here and in some other research organizations. We investigated mainly: The origin of domain configuration, the contact resistances metal-superconductor, the critical current. All problems were solved satisfactorily. (orig.) With 30 refs [de

Atomic site tunneling spectroscopy on high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasegawa, T.; Nantoh, M.; Takagi, A.; Yamaguchi, W.; Ogino, M.; Kawasaki, M.

1994-01-01

Superconducting gap structures of Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O y (BSCCO) and YBa 2 Cu 3 O y (YBCO) have been probed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at cryogenic temperatures. The tunneling conductance curves observed on bulk single crystals of BSCCO and epitaxial thin films of YBCO revealed clear obershooting peaks and flat bottom regions around V=0 with quite low zero-bias conductances of ∝1%. Since the electron tunneling process in STM is essentially incoherent, the present observation is favored by the s-wave pairing mechanism. However, the conductance curves were found to be substantially smeared in comparison with the conventional spectra predicted in the BCS (isotropic s-wave) superconductors, suggesting gap anisotropy. (orig.)

Junction structures based on the high-Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gijs, M.A.M.

1993-01-01

An overview is given of the investigations of the Josephson effect in junction structures based on the high-T c superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ , which were carried out at the Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven in the 1988-1990 period. The reported results are presented in their international scientific context, without attempting a complete review of the subject. However, the various junction types studied give a good idea of the scientific pursuits of high-T c junction researchers in this period. The following junctions are considered: in the category of 'weak link'-type junctions we have investigated YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ -Ag-Nb point contact junctions, YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ Dayem bridges and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ -Ag(-Al)-Pb proximity junctions. In these structures we combine a high-T c with a low-T c superconductor. We also fabricated planar 'all high-T c ' YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ -Ag-YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ junctions using a submicron structuring process. Next we have made tunnel junctions to study density of states effects of the high-T c superconductor : YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ -Pb junctions using the degraded YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ -Pb interface as a tunnel barrier, and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ -Ag-Al/Al 2 O 3 /Pb tunnel junctions based on the superconducting proximity effect. Our junction structures are electrically characterized and mostly studied in microwave and magnetic fields. Results are compared with current theoretical models. (orig.)

Magnetic properties of Bi- and Tl- based new high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Togano, K.; Kumakura, H.; Dietderich, D.H.

1988-01-01

Upper critical field H c2 and Magnetization curve were measured for new high-T c oxide superconductors of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O systems. H c2 values at 77K for the high-T phase of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O, low-T c (T c (ρ = 0) = 105K) phase of Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O, and high-T c (T c (ρ = 0)=115K) phase of Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O are 41T, 50T, and 100T, respectively. The magnetization curve of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O shows a relatively small hysterisis, suggesting a weak pinning force compared to Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O as well as Ba 2 YCU 3 O x . Critical current density J c of 600A/Cm 2 at 77K and zero-magnetiac field was attained for the high-T c sample of Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O

Nodal quasi-particles of the high-Tc superconductors as carriers of heat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Behnia

2006-09-01

Full Text Available   In the quest for understanding correlated electrons, high-temperature superconductivity remains a formidable challenge and a source of insight. This paper briefly recalls the central achievement by the study of heat transport at low temperatures. At very low temperatures, nodal quasi-particles of the d-wave superconducting gap become the main carriers of heat. Their thermal conductivity is unaffected by disorder and reflects the fine structure of the superconducting gap. This finding had led to new openings in the exploration of other unconventional superconductors

Investigation of thin films, heterostructures and devices of ceramic superconductors by means of high-resolution electron microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia Chunlin.

1993-08-01

In this thesis a systematic study of the microstructure of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 thin films is presented by means of high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). Most of the efforts are focused on the characterization of heterostructures of superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 and non-superconducting PrBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 and on YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 films deposited on step-edge substrates. These specially designed structures exhibit a great potential for the electronic application of high-Tc superconductors and for the investigation of the basic electric properties of the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 superconductor. (orig.) [de

High-density Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor prepared by rapid thermal melt processing

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, B. M.; Lalevic, B.; Kear, B. H.; McCandlish, L. E.; Safari, A.; Meskoob, M.

1989-10-01

A high quality, dense Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor has been successfully synthesized by rapid thermal melt processing. Conventionally sintered pellets were melted at 1200 °C, cooled rapidly, and then annealed. As-melted samples exhibited semiconductor behavior, which upon annealing became superconducting at 115 K [Tc(zero)=105 K]. A detailed study of various processing techniques has been carried out.

Recent Advances in Layered Metal Chalcogenides as Superconductors and Thermoelectric Materials: Fe-Based and Bi-Based Chalcogenides.

Science.gov (United States)

Mizuguchi, Yoshikazu

2016-04-01

Recent advances in layered (Fe-based and Bi-based) chalcogenides as superconductors or functional materials are reviewed. The Fe-chalcogenide (FeCh) family are the simplest Fe-based high-Tc superconductors. The superconductivity in the FeCh family is sensitive to external or chemical pressure, and high Tc is attained when the local structure (anion height) is optimized. The Bi-chalcogenide (BiCh2) family are a new group of layered superconductors with a wide variety of stacking structures. Their physical properties are also sensitive to external or chemical pressure. Recently, we revealed that the emergence of superconductivity and the Tc in this family correlate with the in-plane chemical pressure. Since the flexibility of crystal structure and electronic states are an advantage of the BiCh2 family for designing functionalities, I briefly review recent developments in this family as not only superconductors but also other functional materials. © 2016 The Chemical Society of Japan & Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

IrSr2TbCu2O8, a high-pressure metamagnetic cuprate: Structure, microstructure and properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dos Santos-Garcia, A.J.; Duijn, J. van; Saez-Puche, R.; Heymann, G.; Huppertz, H.; Alario-Franco, M.A.

2008-01-01

The synthesis, structure and microstructure of the IrSr 2 TbCu 2 O 8 cuprate showing metamagnetic properties are described. The sample was prepared at high temperatures and pressures up to 9.2 GPa. The structure is tetragonal, showing a 1212 type structure, that derives from the classical YBaCuO superconductor structure, replacing the tetracoordinated square planar copper [Cu-O 4 ] in the 'chains' by octahedral [Ir-O 6 ] groups that form a perovskite-like layer in the basal plane of the unit cell. A 'simple' cell, ∼a p xa p x3a p , where a p is the basic perovskite unit cell parameter (a p ∼3.8 A), is supported by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and a so-called 'diagonal' one, ∼√2a p x√2a p x3a p , by SAED; a microdomain texture of latter cell and a series of very interesting extended defects have been observed by HREM. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show a magnetic transition, T N ∼6 K, with negative Weiss temperature, that indicates antiferromagnetic interactions among the Tb moments. The magnetic structure has been determined by neutron diffraction. A detailed magnetic study has revealed a metamagnetic behavior, something not previously observed in this type of cuprates. Specific heat and resistivity measurements have also been performed to characterize the transition. - Graphical abstract: Reconstructed image from the SAED of the long c tetragonal axis (3a p ) of a IrSr 2 TbCu 2 O 8 crystal. A unit cell picture is included for comparison. Display Omitted

HREM study of Bi-oxide based high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hewat, E.A.

1988-01-01

A HREM study of the superstructure and structural defects in Bi 2-x Pb x Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 and Bi 2-x Pb x (SrCa) 2 CuO 6 (for x=0 and x=0.4) is presented. The superstructures are shown to involve waves of distortion along the b-axis. These waves are locked on to the lattice positions so that they have a local wave length of 4,5,6,7 or 8 times the basic unit cell. The superstructures are composed of roughly periodic combinations of these basic building blocks (waves). The lead doped superconductors show a less pronounced but more complicated superstructure along b where two distinct periodicities close to 4 and 7 times the basic unit cell predominate. In each of the compounds studied the superstructure, in the better ordered crystals, is shown to be commensurate with a unit cell between 5 and 23 times the basic unit cell. The superstructure in Bi 2-x Pb x Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 is orthorhombic where as the superstructure in Bi 2-x Pb x (SrCa) 2 CuO 6 is monoclinic. All these superconductors have a low ''twin'' density (ie density of 90 0 twist boundaries). They exhibit many dislocations and dislocation arrays associated with the weak bonding between BiO planes. They also form non-stoechiometric stacking faults with local changes in the c-axis spacing between layers

Magnetic studies of current conduction and flux pinning in high-Tc cuprates: Virgin, irradiated, and oxygen deficient materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, J.R.; Civale, L.; Marwick, A.D.; Holtzberg, F.

1992-09-01

To increase the current density and pinning of magnetic flux in high temperature superconductors, defects with point-like and line-like geometries were created in controlled numbers using ion irradiation methods. Single crystals of Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7 and Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 0 8 superconductors were studied using dc magnetic methods. These studies showed greatly increased irreversibility in the vortex state magnetization and enhanced intragrain current density J c following irradiation. Linear defects, created by irradiation with energetic heavy ions, are particularly effective in pinning vortices at higher temperatures and magnetic fields. Further investigations of ''flux creep'' (the time dependence of magnetization) are well described by recent vortex glass and collective pinning theories. Complementary investigations have delineated the role of oxygen deficiency δ on pinning in aligned Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ materials

Impurity band Mott insulators: a new route to high Tc superconductivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ganapathy Baskaran

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Last century witnessed the birth of semiconductor electronics and nanotechnology. The physics behind these revolutionary developments is certain quantum mechanical behaviour of 'impurity state electrons' in crystalline 'band insulators', such as Si, Ge, GaAs and GaN, arising from intentionally added (doped impurities. The present article proposes that certain collective quantum behaviour of these impurity state electrons, arising from Coulomb repulsions, could lead to superconductivity in a parent band insulator, in a way not suspected before. Impurity band resonating valence bond theory of superconductivity in boron doped diamond, recently proposed by us, suggests possibility of superconductivity emerging from impurity band Mott insulators. We use certain key ideas and insights from the field of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates and organics. Our suggestion also offers new possibilities in the field of semiconductor electronics and nanotechnology. The current level of sophistication in solid state technology and combinatorial materials science is very well capable of realizing our proposal and discover new superconductors.

Probing the singlet character of the two-hole states in cuprate superconductors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghiringhelli, G; Brookes, NB; Tjeng, LH; Mizokawa, T; Tjernberg, O; Menovsky, AA; Steeneken, P.G.

Using spin-resolved resonant photoemission we have probed the singlet vs. triplet character of the two-hole state in the layered cuprates Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta La2-xSrxCuO4 and Sr2CuO2Cl2. The combination of the photon circular polarization with the photoelectron spin detection gives access to the

Photoemission perspective on pseudogap, superconducting fluctuations, and charge order in cuprates: a review of recent progress

Science.gov (United States)

Vishik, I. M.

2018-06-01

In the course of seeking the microscopic mechanism of superconductivity in cuprate high temperature superconductors, the pseudogap phase— the very abnormal ‘normal’ state on the hole-doped side— has proven to be as big of a quandary as superconductivity itself. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) is a powerful tool for assessing the momentum-dependent phenomenology of the pseudogap, and recent technological developments have permitted a more detailed understanding. This report reviews recent progress in understanding the relationship between superconductivity and the pseudogap, the Fermi arc phenomena, and the relationship between charge order and pseudogap from the perspective of ARPES measurements.

The two-component spin-fermion model for high-Tc cuprates: its applications in neutron scattering and ARPES experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bang, Yunkyu

2012-01-01

Motivated by neutron scattering experiments in high-T c cuprates, we propose the two-component spin-fermion model as a minimal phenomenological model, which has both local spins and itinerant fermions as independent degrees of freedom (d.o.f.). Our calculations of the dynamic spin correlation function provide a successful description of the puzzling neutron experiment data and show that: (i) the upward dispersion branch of magnetic excitations is mostly due to local spin excitations; (ii) the downward dispersion branch is from collective particle-hole excitations of fermions; and (iii) the resonance mode is a mixture of both d.o.f. Using the same model with the same set of parameters, we calculated the renormalized quasiparticle (q.p.) dispersion and successfully reproduced one of the key features of the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) experiments, namely the high-energy kink structure in the fermion q.p. dispersion, thus supporting the two-component spin-fermion phenomenology. (paper)

Tricrystal tunneling evidence for d-wave pairing symmetry in cuprate superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuei, C.C.; Kirtley, J.R.

1997-01-01

Strong evidence for d-wave pairing symmetry in high-temperature superconductors such as YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 and Tl 2 Ba 2 CuO 6+δ has been obtained by monitoring the presence or absence of the half-integer flux quantum effect in various controlled - orientation tricrystal superconducting systems. New results of a tricrystal tunneling experiment with Gd Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7 will also be presented. (orig.)

The study of some physical properties of high temperature superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ismail, Atif Mahmoud

2008-07-01

The phenomenon of superconductivity, the discovery of high temperature superconductivity in the Cuprates and the properties of these materials is described in the introductory chapter. It also includes a discussion of the pseudogap, which has remained a mystery as has the high transition temperature. Possible applications of high temperature superconductivity are reviewed before the theories by Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer (BCS) and Ginzburg and Landau are briefly sketched. The last section gives excerpts of the by now vast literature on this subject, focussing on the role impurities play in this context. The second chapter develops the mathematical tools and the theoretical background for the description of many-body systems. Various Green's functions are introduced which are then used to describe scattering of quasiparticles off defects of arbitrary strength. They are also required to calculate the a.c. conductivity, for which an expression is derived using linear response theory. The convergence problems one encounters when actually calculating the conductivity are briefly discussed. Detailed calculations for the normal state are presented in the third chapter and in the appendix. The third Chapter begins with a detailed presentation of the tight binding model for the energy dispersion because this model appears to give a more accurate description of the electronic properties of high temperature superconductors than the nearly free electron model. The shape of the two-dimensional Fermi surface is calculated and displayed as function of band filling and the next-nearest neighbor hopping integral B, assuming a rigid band. B plays an important role in the formation of so-called hot spots. The quasiparticle density of states and its Hilbert transform F({omega}) are solved by means of complete elliptic integrals formalism. These results are used to obtain impurity bound states. A simple model for the superconductivity in the cuprate materials is developed on

The study of some physical properties of high temperature superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ismail, Atif Mahmoud

2008-07-01

The phenomenon of superconductivity, the discovery of high temperature superconductivity in the Cuprates and the properties of these materials is described in the introductory chapter. It also includes a discussion of the pseudogap, which has remained a mystery as has the high transition temperature. Possible applications of high temperature superconductivity are reviewed before the theories by Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer (BCS) and Ginzburg and Landau are briefly sketched. The last section gives excerpts of the by now vast literature on this subject, focussing on the role impurities play in this context. The second chapter develops the mathematical tools and the theoretical background for the description of many-body systems. Various Green's functions are introduced which are then used to describe scattering of quasiparticles off defects of arbitrary strength. They are also required to calculate the a.c. conductivity, for which an expression is derived using linear response theory. The convergence problems one encounters when actually calculating the conductivity are briefly discussed. Detailed calculations for the normal state are presented in the third chapter and in the appendix. The third Chapter begins with a detailed presentation of the tight binding model for the energy dispersion because this model appears to give a more accurate description of the electronic properties of high temperature superconductors than the nearly free electron model. The shape of the two-dimensional Fermi surface is calculated and displayed as function of band filling and the next-nearest neighbor hopping integral B, assuming a rigid band. B plays an important role in the formation of so-called hot spots. The quasiparticle density of states and its Hilbert transform F({omega}) are solved by means of complete elliptic integrals formalism. These results are used to obtain impurity bound states. A simple model for the superconductivity in the cuprate materials is developed on the

The study of some physical properties of high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ismail, Atif Mahmoud

2008-01-01

The phenomenon of superconductivity, the discovery of high temperature superconductivity in the Cuprates and the properties of these materials is described in the introductory chapter. It also includes a discussion of the pseudogap, which has remained a mystery as has the high transition temperature. Possible applications of high temperature superconductivity are reviewed before the theories by Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer (BCS) and Ginzburg and Landau are briefly sketched. The last section gives excerpts of the by now vast literature on this subject, focussing on the role impurities play in this context. The second chapter develops the mathematical tools and the theoretical background for the description of many-body systems. Various Green's functions are introduced which are then used to describe scattering of quasiparticles off defects of arbitrary strength. They are also required to calculate the a.c. conductivity, for which an expression is derived using linear response theory. The convergence problems one encounters when actually calculating the conductivity are briefly discussed. Detailed calculations for the normal state are presented in the third chapter and in the appendix. The third Chapter begins with a detailed presentation of the tight binding model for the energy dispersion because this model appears to give a more accurate description of the electronic properties of high temperature superconductors than the nearly free electron model. The shape of the two-dimensional Fermi surface is calculated and displayed as function of band filling and the next-nearest neighbor hopping integral B, assuming a rigid band. B plays an important role in the formation of so-called hot spots. The quasiparticle density of states and its Hilbert transform F(ω) are solved by means of complete elliptic integrals formalism. These results are used to obtain impurity bound states. A simple model for the superconductivity in the cuprate materials is developed on the basis

A study of lattice dynamics in iron-based superconductors by inelastic light scattering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Um, Youngje

2013-12-13

After the discovery of high temperature (high T{sub c}) superconductivity in copper oxide-based materials (cuprates) in 1986, this phenomenon was a unique property of the cuprates for more than 20 years. The origin of high T{sub c} superconductivity is still under debate. In 2008, high T{sub c} superconductivity was discovered in iron-based compounds. This discovery presents new opportunities for the development of a fundamental understanding of high T{sub c} superconductivity. Density functional calculations indicate a weak electron-phonon coupling strength in iron-based superconductors and these suggest that superconductivity is not mediated by phonons. However, experimental report of a large isotope effect of the iron atoms on the superconductivity T{sub c} suggests that phonons play an important role in iron-based superconductors. Motivated by these findings, this thesis presents a Raman scattering study of the lattice dynamics of the iron-based superconductors Fe{sub 1+y}Te{sub 1-x}Se{sub x}, LiFeAs and NaFe{sub 1-x}Co{sub x}As as a function of chemical composition and temperature. In Fe{sub 1+y}Te{sub 1-x}Se{sub x}, an unconventional linewidth broadening of the c-axis polarized Fe phonon of B{sub 1g} symmetry is found with decreasing temperature, which indicates an unusual coupling between the phonon and iron excessinduced magnetic fluctuations in this compound. In LiFeAs, the Raman scattering data provide evidence for a weak electron-phonon coupling, which is consistent with non-phonon mediated Cooper pairing in this compound. In NaFe{sub 1-x}Co{sub x}As, upon cooling two features are observed: (i) an unconventional linewidth broadening of several phonons, which is indicative of spin fluctuation-phonon coupling, and (ii) a superconductivity-induced phonon lineshape renormalization, which can not be explained by standard model calculations.