Motivated by the recent discovery of the cobalt oxide superconductors, we calculate the temperature dependence of the upper critical field on a triangular lattice. Using the lattice version of the Gor'kov equations we investigate how the applied magnetic field affects singlet and triplet types of superconductivity. We show that in a wide range of model parameters not only Zeeman coupling, but also the diamagnetic pair breaking mechanism favors the triplet pairing. In the cobalt oxide superconductors the symmetry of the order parameter remains an open problem and both singlet and triplet superconductivity should be taken into account. We show that in such a case, an external magnetic field may induce a transition from singlet to triplet superconductivity. We discuss experimental results which may confirm this tempting hypothesis.
The origin of the pseudogap is one of the most puzzling features of the high-temperature superconductors. There are two main scenarios: the first one assumes the presence of a hidden order competing or coexisting with superconductivity; within the framework of the second one the pseudogap is a precursor of the superconducting gap. In this paper we present some aspects of the hidden order pseudogap scenario. In particular, we discuss how the competing order modifies the structure of vortices in high-temperature superconductors. We demonstrate that the presence of the hidden order can explain some features of vortices observed in scanning tunneling microscopy experiments.
We study superconducting properties of highly underdoped Cu_{0.058}TiSe_{2} single crystal by means of bulk magnetization measurements. We extract the upper critical field, H_{c2}, for magnetic field applied parallel, as well as perpendicular to the sample planes. Obtained values, H^{ab}_{c2}(0)=1.03 T and H^c_{c2}(0)=0.54 T, define a moderate anisotropy of the upper critical fields of 1.90. From the upper and lower critical fields we extract the Ginzburg-Landau parameters κ_{ab}(0)=26.3, and κ_c(0)=12.6 that classify Cu_{0.058}TiSe_{2} as an extreme type II superconductor.
The resistivity, magnetoresistance, and magnetic susceptibility are measured in single crystals of FeTe_{0.65}Se_{0.35} with Cu, Ni, and Co substitutions for Fe. The crystals are grown by Bridgman's method. The resistivity measurements show that superconductivity disappears with the rate which correlates with the nominal valence of the impurity. From magnetoresistance we evaluate doping effect on the basic superconducting parameters, such as upper critical field and coherence length. We find indications that doping leads to two component superconducting behavior, possibly because of local charge depression around impurities.
Electron-phonon coupling is one of the most common interaction in superconducting materials ranging from Nb₃Sn, MgB₂, iron-based superconductors and high temperature cuprates such as YBa₂Cu₃O_{7-δ} and HgBa₂Ca₂Cu₃O_{8+δ}. However an importance of the electron-phonon coupling constant, λ_{ep}, should not be underestimated for characterisation of the electronic properties of superconducting materials, but it is important that the enhanced flux pinning mechanism can be hold responsible for the applicability of the A15 superconducting materials in emerging hydrogen cryomagnetic technology where temperature of the liquid H₂ can be as low as 14 K.
Specific heat of superconducting electrons was measured in a melt-processed (Nd_{0.33}Eu_{0.38}Gd_{0.28})Ba_2Cu_3O_{y} superconductor (NEG-123) with 5 mol% of Gd-211, 1 wt% Ag, and 0.035 mol% of Zn. The thermodynamic characteristics of this compound are still not well known. From calorimetric measurements the reversible magnetization, critical fields, penetration depth, and coherence length were deduced. In the vicinity of T_{c}, the reversible magnetic moment was additionally measured by means of SQUID.
The problem of stability of bilayer type II superconductor with different critical current densities of inner part and coating was considered. The optimum thickness of surface layer enabling the maximal increase of the field of first flux jump was found. The field of instability for such bilayer structure was calculated for NbTi superconductor. An increase of the field of the first flux jump by about 60% has been found for optimal coating thickness.
Damage and irreversible damage of YBaCuO tapes with high density current after switching from superconducting to normal state are investigated. Quasi-homogeneous current distribution across the tape in superconducting state can cause perfect tape damage or irreversible damage when current is slightly above critical value. The model of the tape heating during the optically initiated switching from superconducting to normal state is proposed. Analysis of causes inducing damage shows necessity to consider 0.5T_{m} damage criterion because of strong current influence on the damage processes. Possible damage mechanisms are described and crack tips motion simultaneously with switching from superconducting to normal state is considered. Application of optically illuminated YBaCuO tapes with nanosecond duration current pulses on the base of the described mechanisms is proposed.
The c-axis orientation YBa₂Cu₃O_δ thin film was prepared directly on MgO substrate by the pulse laser deposition. The thickness of the film is 170 nm. The superconducting critical temperature is T_{c50%}=87.5 K and the width of superconducting transition is ΔT = 1.8 K. The temperature dependences of magnetoresistance were measured up to 90 kOe. The widths of the transition to the superconducting state versus applied magnetic field were derived and they were fitted using the formula: Δ T=CH^m +Δ T₀. The irreversibility fields as a function of temperature were obtained and fitted by the de Almeida and Thouless-like equation: H_{irr}=H_{irr0}(1-T/T_{c0})^n. The irreversibility field at the liquid nitrogen temperature was calculated and it is H_{irr}=43.8 kOe when the applied magnetic field is parallel to the c-axis.
The recently developed clean cuprate technology was employed to study the effect of tiny amounts of paramagnetic Yb and Sm ions on electromagnetic properties of bulk YBaCuO. Small samples of about 1.5×1.5×0.5 mm³ were measured by vibrating sample magnetometer in the field range ±9 T and temperatures 30 K to 10 K in the non-superconducting tetragonal state and 300 K to 70 K in the orthorhombic, superconducting state. In the latter case, we observed the reversible paramagnetic moment above T_{C}, similar as in the tetragonal state. Below T_{C} an irreversible magnetic moment was observed from which critical current density, J_c, was evaluated using the extended Bean model. The effect of doping by Yb and Sm ions on J_c was studied and a correlation between J_c and the total paramagnetic moment was found. Both J_c(B) and the normalized pinning force density as a function of the reduced magnetic field were analyzed in terms of the classical model and discussed with respect to the material anisotropy, giving us at least a rough idea on the type of the effective pinning type and mechanism.
Electromagnetic properties of YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{y} samples melt-grown in air and doped with small amounts of light rare earth (LRE) ions Gd and Sm were studied. The LRE doping creates a point-like disorder contributing to the second peak on the magnetization curve. In the field range of the second peak the average magnetic moment, M_{av}, deduced from the magnetization curves exhibited strong fluctuations. M_{av} is commonly regarded as an equilibrium moment close to the thermodynamic reversible one, obeying in intermediate fields a logarithmic field dependence. However, in our experiments M_{av}(B) curves failed to follow such a dependence below irreversibility line. M_{av}(B) curves deduced from rather static measurements, done by SQUID magnetometer still showed the disturbance but significantly weaker. It indicates that this feature reflects the vortex dynamics in the second peak region. Its scaling with temperature was found to coincide with that of the pinning force.
YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7-δ } (YBCO, Y-123) bulk superconductors with a nominal composition Y_{1.5}Ba_{2}Cu_{3}O_{x} and 1 wt% CeO_{2} addition were prepared by the Top Seeded Melt Growth (TSMG) process. Small single-crystalline pieces, cut from the SmBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{y} (Sm-123) bulk, were used for seeding of epitaxial growth. Wavelength-dispersive spectrometry (WDS) confirmed the presence of 0.1 wt% Sm from the seed and 0.25 wt% Yb from the substrate, practically in the whole sample volume. The influence of this Sm and Yb contamination on superconducting properties of grown bulk materials is reported.
In this work we numerically modelled a periodic magnetic flux pattern which qualitatively reproduces the so-called sand avalanches scenario in type-II superconductors. To model these sand-pile patterns we consider a perturbation on the critical current which, as a first approximation, follows a periodic function which depends on the position.
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