Possible origin of 60-K plateau in the YBa2Cu3O(6+y) phase diagram

We study a model of YBa2Cu3O(6+y) to investigate the influence of oxygen ordering and doping imbalance on the critical temperature Tc(y) and to elucidate a possible origin of well-known feature of YBCO phase diagram: the 60-K plateau. Focusing on "phase only" description of the high-temperature superconducting system in terms of collective variables we utilize a three-dimensional semi microscopic XY model with two-component vectors that involve phase variables and adjustable parameters representing microscopic phase stiffnesses. The model captures characteristic energy scales present in YBCO and allows for strong anisotropy within basal planes to simulate oxygen ordering. Applying spherical closure relation we have solved the phase XY model with the help of transfer matrix method and calculated Tc for chosen system parameters. Furthermore, we investigate the influence of oxygen ordering and doping imbalance on the shape of YBCO phase diagram. We find it unlikely that oxygen ordering alone can be responsible for the existence of 60-K plateau. Relying on experimental data unveiling that oxygen doping of YBCO may introduce significant charge imbalance between CuO2 planes and other sites, we show that simultaneously the former are underdoped, while the latter -- strongly overdoped almost in the whole region of oxygen doping in which YBCO is superconducting. As a result, while oxygen content is increased, this provides two counter acting factors, which possibly lead to rise of 60K plateau. Additionally, our result can provide an important contribution to understanding of experimental data supporting existence of multicomponent superconductivity in YBCO.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, submitted to PRB, see http://prb.aps.or

Shock structures in time averaged patterns for the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation

The Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation with fixed boundary conditions is numerically studied. Shocklike structures appear in the time-averaged patterns for some parameter range of the boundary values. Effective diffusion constant is estimated from the relation of the width and the height of the shock structures.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

SO(5) superconductor in a Zeeman magnetic field: Phase diagram and thermodynamic properties

In this paper we present calculations of the SO(5) quantum rotor theory of high-T$_{c}$ superconductivity in Zeeman magnetic field. We use the spherical approach for five-component quantum rotors in three-dimensional lattice to obtain formulas for critical lines, free energy, entropy and specific heat and present temperature dependences of these quantities for different values of magnetic field. Our results are in qualitative agreement with relevant experiments on high-T$_{c}$ cuprates.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B, see http://prb.aps.or

Magnetic and transport parameters of LSMO and YBCO/LSMO films deposited on sapphire substrates

The La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) layers and YBa2Cu3O7-{\delta}/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (YBCO/LSMO) bilayers were grown by magnetron sputtering on sapphire (Al2O3 or ALO) substrates. Temperature dependences of resistance of single LSMO films, grown on ALO substrates were typical for polycrystalline manganite materials and the resistance decreased with decrease of the temperature at medium temperatures and increased at lower and higher temperatures. Deposition of a top YBCO layer led to a drastic increase of the sample resistance. These bilayers did not demonstrate a decreasing of the resistance with decrease of temperature. Temperature dependence of the resistance of these samples was interpreted in the framework of a phenomenological model of two intergrain conduction channels. In framework of this model, parameters of the samples were determined and discussed

Dependence of the superconducting critical temperature on the number of layers in homologous series of high-Tc cuprates

We study a model of $n$-layer high-temperature cuprates of homologous series like HgBa_2Ca_(n-1)Cu_nO_(2+2n+\delta) to explain the dependence of the critical temperature Tc(n) on the number $n$ of Cu-O planes in the elementary cell. Focusing on the description of the high-temperature superconducting system in terms of the collective phase variables, we have considered a semi-microscopic anisotropic three-dimensional vector XY model of stacked copper-oxide layers with adjustable parameters representing microscopic in-plane and out-of-plane phase stiffnesses. The model captures the layered composition along c-axis of homologous series and goes beyond the phenomenological Lawrence-Doniach model for layered superconductors. Implementing the spherical closure relation for vector variables we have solved the phase XY model exactly with the help of transfer matrix method and calculated Tc(n) for arbitrary block size $n$, elucidating the role of the c-axis anisotropy and its influence on the critical temperature. Furthermore, we accommodate inhomogeneous charge distribution among planes characterized by the charge imbalance coefficient $R$ being the function of number of layers $n$. By making a physically justified assumption regarding the doping dependence of the microscopic phase stiffnesses, we have calculated the values of parameter $R$ as a function of block size $n$ in good agreement with the nuclear magnetic resonance data of carrier distribution in multilayered high-Tc cuprates.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures. Submitted to Physical Review