99 research outputs found
Disorder Induced Effects on the Critical Current Density of Iron Pnictide BaFe_1.8 Co_0.2 As_2 single crystals
Investigating the role of disorder in superconductors is an essential part of
characterizing the fundamental superconducting properties as well as assessing
potential applications of the material. In most cases, the information
available on the defect matrix is poor, making such studies difficult, but the
situation can be improved by introducing defects in a controlled way, as
provided by neutron irradiation. In this work, we analyze the effects of
neutron irradiation on a Ba(FeCo)As single crystal. We
mainly concentrate on the magnetic properties which were determined by
magnetometry. Introducing disorder by neutron irradiation leads to significant
effects on both the reversible and the irreversible magnetic properties, such
as the transition temperature, the upper critical field, the anisotropy, and
the critical current density. The results are discussed in detail by comparing
them with the properties in the unirradiated state.Comment: accepted for Ph
Disorder effects on the superconducting properties of BaFeCoAs single crystals
Single crystals of superconducting BaFeCoAs were exposed
to neutron irradiation in a fission reactor. The introduced defects decrease
the superconducting transition temperature (by about 0.3 K) and the upper
critical field anisotropy (e.g. from 2.8 to 2.5 at 22 K) and enhance the
critical current densities by a factor of up to about 3. These changes are
discussed in the context of similar experiments on other superconducting
materials
Current percolation and anisotropy in polycrystalline MgB
The influence of anisotropy on the transport current in MgB
polycrystalline bulk samples and wires is discussed. A model for the critical
current density is proposed, which is based on anisotropic London theory, grain
boundary pinning and percolation theory. The calculated currents agree
convincingly with experimental data and the fit parameters, especially the
anisotropy, obtained from percolation theory agree with experiment or
theoretical predictions.Comment: 5 pages, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters
(http://prl.aps.org/
Studies of cracking behavior in melt-processed YBCO bulk superconductors
An important phenomenon in bulk superconductors fabricated by top-seeded-melt growth (TSMG) is the formation of cracks due to the inherent brittleness of the YBa2Cu3O7-δ (Y-123) phase matrix. These form during the fabrication of the superconducting monolith and play an important role in the limitation of current flow. However, cracks may also form during cooling cycles of the sample to liquid nitrogen temperatures. In this investigation, macrocracks along the c-direction, in particular were analyzed microscopically before and after cooling. In addition we attempt to resolve the c-axis macrocrack formation pattern using the magnetoscan technique
Impact of dynamic changes in MELD score on survival after liver transplantation : a Eurotransplant registry analysis
Background & Aims: With restricted numbers of available organs, futility in liver transplantation has to be avoided. The concept of dynamic changes in MELD score (DeltaMELD) has previously been shown to be a simple tool to identify patients with the greatest risk of death after transplantation. Aim was to validate this concept with the Eurotransplant (ET) database.
Methods: A retrospective registry analysis was performed on all patients listed for liver transplantation within ET between 2006 and 2011. Patients <18 years of age, acute liver failure, malignancy and patients listed for retransplantation were excluded. Influence of MELD at listing (MELDon), MELD at transplantation (MELDoff), DeltaMELD, age, sex, underlying disease and time on the waiting list on overall survival after liver transplantation were evaluated.
Results: A total of 16 821 patients were listed for liver transplantation, 8096 met the inclusion criteria. Age, MELD on and DeltaMELD showed significant influence on survival on the waiting list. Age and DeltaMELD showed influence on survival after liver transplantation, with DeltaMELD>10 showing a 1.6-fold increased risk of death.
Conclusion: The concept of DeltaMELD was validated in a large, prospective data set. It provides a simple tool to identify patients with increased risk of death after liver transplantation and might help improve long-term results
Anisotropy of the superconducting state properties and phase diagram of MgB2 by torque magnetometry on single crystals
The angular and temperature dependence of the upper critical field Hc2 in
MgB2 was determined from torque magnetometry measurements on single crystals.
The Hc2 anisotropy gamma_H was found to decrease with increasing temperature,
in disagreement with the anisotropic Ginzburg-Landau theory, which predicts
that the gamma_H is temperature independent. This behaviour can be explained by
the two band nature of superconductivity in MgB2. An analysis of measurements
of the reversible torque in the mixed state yields a field dependent effective
anisotropy gamma_eff, which can be at least partially explained by different
anisotropies of the penetration depth and the upper critical field. It is shown
that a peak effect in fields of about 0.85 Hc2 is a manifestation of an
order-disorder phase transition of vortex matter. The H-T phase diagram of MgB2
for H//c correlates with the intermediate strength of thermal fluctuations in
MgB2, as compared to those in high and low Tc superconductors.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, Physica C in print (invited paper for a special
issue on MgB2
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