XPS and ion beam scattering studies of leaching in simulated waste glass containing uranium

Glass samples (consisting of 2 mole % UO/sub 3/ dissolved in a number of complex borosilicate simulated waste glasses including Battelle 76-68) were leached for varying times in distilled water at 75/sup 0/C. The glass surfaces were examined before and after leaching using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and back-scattered ion beam profiling. Leached samples showed enhanced surface layer concentrations of several elements including uranium, titanium, zinc, iron and rare earths. An experiment involving the leaching of two glasses in the same vessel showed that the uranium surface enhancement is probably not due to redeposition from solution

Magnetotransport Mechanisms in Strongly Underdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_x Single Crystals

We report magnetoresistivity measurements on strongly underdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_x (x=6.25, 6.36) single crystals in applied magnetic fields H || c-axis. We identify two different contributions to both in-plane and out-of-plane magnetoresistivities. The first contribution has the same sign as the temperature coefficient of the resistivity \partial ln(\rho_i)/\partial T (i={c,ab}). This contribution reflects the incoherent nature of the out-of-plane transport. The second contribution is positive, quadratic in field, with an onset temperature that correlates to the antiferromagnetic ordering.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

A comparative study of high-field diamagnetic fluctuations in deoxygenated YBa2Cu3O(7-x) and polycrystalline (Bi-Pb)2Sr2Ca3O(10)

We studied three single crystals of YBa2Cu3O{7-x} with Tc= 62.5, 52, and 41 K, and a textured specimen of (Bi-Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 with Tc=108 K, for H//c axis. The reversible data were interpreted in terms of 2D lowest-Landau-level fluctuation theory. The data were fit well by the 2D LLL expression for magnetization obtained by Tesanovic etal., producing reasonable values of kappa but larger values of dHc2/dT. Universality was studied by obtaining a simultaneous scaling of Y123 data and Bi2223. An expression for the 2D x-axis LLL scaling factor used to obtain the simultaneous scaling was extracted from theory, and compared with the experimental values. The comparison between the values of the x-axis produced a deviation of 40% which suggests that the hypothesis of universality of the 2D-LLL fluctuations is not supported by the studied samples. We finaly observe that Y123 magnetization data for temperatures above $T_c$ obbey a universal scaling obtained for the diamagnetic fluctuation magnetization from a theory considering non-local field effects. The same scaling was not obbeyed by the corresponding magnetization calculated from the two-dimensional lowest-Landau-level theory.Comment: 7 pages 5 figures, accept in Journ. Low Temp. Phy

Ba 4d core-level spectroscopy in the YBa2Cu3O6.9 high-Tc superconductor: Existence of a surface-shifted component

Two sets of spin-orbit split Ba 4d core-level photoemission peaks were observed in a crystal of YBa2Cu3O6.9. From constant final-state measurements taken as a function of kinetic energy, the low-binding-energy doublet is identified as a surface component. Possible origins of the surface shift are discussed

Influence of oxygen ordering kinetics on Raman and optical response in YBa_2Cu_3O_{6.4}

Kinetics of the optical and Raman response in YBa_2Cu_3O_{6.4} were studied during room temperature annealing following heat treatment. The superconducting T_c, dc resistivity, and low-energy optical conductivity recover slowly, implying a long relaxation time for the carrier density. Short relaxation times are observed for the B_{1g} Raman scattering -- magnetic, continuum, and phonon -- and the charge transfer band. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that these two relaxation rates are related to two length scales corresponding to local oxygen ordering (fast) and long chain and twin formation (slow).Comment: REVTeX, 3 pages + 4 PostScript (compressed) figure

Vortex Dynamics Differences Due To Twin-boundary Pinning Anisotropy In Yba 2cu 3o X At Low Temperatures For H∥ab Planes

We measured the magnetization M of a twin-aligned single crystal of YBa 2Cu 3O x (YBaCuO), with T c =91 K, as a function of temperature T and magnetic field H, with H applied along the ab planes. Isothermal M-vs-H and M-vs-time curves were obtained with H applied parallel (∥) and perpendicular (⊥) to the twin boundary (TB) direction. M-vs-H curves exhibited two minima below 38 K, which resembled similar curves that have been obtained in YBaCuO for H∥c axis. Above 12 K, the field positions of the minima for H∥TB and H⊥TB were quite similar. Below 12 K, the position of the second minimum H min occurred at a higher field value with H∥TB. Below 6 K, only one minimum appeared for both field directions. At low temperatures, these minima in the M-vs-H curves produced maxima in the critical current. It was determined that vortex lines were expelled more easily for H∥TB than for H⊥TB and, therefore, below a certain field value, that J c(H⊥TB) was larger than J c(H∥TB). At T<12 K with H∥TB, the relaxation rate for flux lines leaving the crystal was found to be different from that for flux entering the crystal. We also observed flux jumps at low temperatures, with their sizes depending on the orientation of magnetic field with respect to the TB's. © 2005 The American Physical Society.712Sarikaya, M., Stern, E.A., (1988) Phys. Rev. B, 37, p. 9373Van Bakel, G.P.E.M., Hof, P.A., Van Engelen, J.P.M., Bronsveld, P.M., De Hosson, J.Th.M., (1990) Phys. Rev. B, 41, p. 9502Liu, J.Z., Jia, Y.X., Shelton, R.N., Fluss, M.J., (1991) Phys. Rev. Lett., 66, p. 1354Swartzendruber, L.J., Roitburd, A., Kaiser, D.L., Gayle, F.W., Bennett, L.H., (1990) Phys. Rev. Lett., 64, p. 483Kwok, W.K., Welp, U., Crabtree, G.W., Vandervoort, K.G., Hulscher, R., Liu, J.Z., (1990) Phys. Rev. Lett., 64, p. 966Duran, C.A., Gammel, P.L., Wolfe, R., Fratello, V.J., Bishop, D.J., Rice, J.P., Ginsberg, D.M., (1992) Nature (London), 357, p. 474Gyorgy, E.M., Van Dover, R.B., Schneemeyer, L.F., White, A.E., O'Bryan, H.M., Felder, R.J., Waszczak, J.V., Rhodes, W.W., (1990) Appl. Phys. Lett., 56, p. 2465Oussena, M., De Groot, P.A.J., Porter, S.J., Gagnon, R., Taillefer, L., (1995) Phys. Rev. B, 51, p. 1389Oussena, M., De Groot, P.A.J., Deligiannis, K., Volkozub, A.V., Gagnon, R., Taillefer, L., (1996) Phys. Rev. Lett., 76, p. 2559Vlasko-Vlasov, V.K., Dorosinskii, L.A., Polyanskii, A.A., Nikitenko, V.I., Welp, U., Veal, B.W., Crabtree, G.W., (1994) Phys. Rev. Lett., 72, p. 3246Wijngaarden, R.J., Griessen, R., Fendrich, J., Kwok, W.K., (1997) Phys. Rev. B, 55, p. 3268Duran, C.A., Gammel, P.L., Bishop, D.J., Rice, J.P., Ginsberg, D.M., (1995) Phys. Rev. Lett., 74, p. 3712Pastoriza, H., Candia, S., Nieva, G., (1999) Phys. Rev. Lett., 83, p. 1026Herbsommer, J.A., Nieva, G., Luzuriaga, J., (2000) Phys. Rev. B, 62, p. 3534Jorge, G.A., Rodriguez, E., (2000) Phys. Rev. B, 61, p. 103Bondareko, A.V., (2001) Low Temp. Phys., 27, p. 339(2001) Phys. Rev. B, 27, p. 201Esquinazi, P., Setzer, A., Fuchs, D., Kopelevich, Y., Zeldov, E., Assmann, C., (1999) Phys. Rev. B, 60, p. 12454Mints, R.G., Brandt, E.H., (1996) Phys. Rev. B, 54, p. 12421Muller, K.-H., Andrikidis, C., (1994) Phys. Rev. B, 49, p. 1294Guillot, M., Potel, M., Gougeon, P., Noel, H., Levet, J.C., Chouteau, G., Tholence, J.L., (1988) Phys. Lett. A, 127, p. 363Salem-Sugui Jr., S., Alvarenga, A.D., Friesen, M., Veal, B., Paulikas, P., (2001) Phys. Rev. B, 63, p. 216502Bean, C.P., (1962) Phys. Rev. Lett., 8, p. 250Tinkham, M., (1996) Introduction to Superconductivity, 2nd Ed., , McGraw-Hill, New YorkDe Andrade, M.C., Dilley, N.R., Ruess, F., Maple, M.B., (1998) Phys. Rev. B, 57, pp. R708Abulafia, Y., Shaulov, A., Wolfus, Y., Prozorov, R., Burlachkov, L., Yeshurun, Y., Majer, D., Vinokur, V.M., (1995) Phys. Rev. Lett., 75, p. 2404Maley, M.P., Willis, J.O., Lessure, H., McHenry, M.E., (1990) Phys. Rev. B, 42, p. 2639Shi, D., Salem-Sugui Jr., S., (1991) Phys. Rev. B, 44, p. 7647Beasley, M.R., Labash, R., Weeb, W.W., (1969) Phys. Rev., 181, p. 682Burlachkov, L., (1993) Phys. Rev. B, 47, p. 8056Alvarenga, A.D., Salem-Sugui Jr., S., (1994) Physica C, 235, p. 2811Junod, A., (1989) Physica C, 162-164, p. 482Triscone, G., (1990) Physica C, 168, p. 40Genoud, J.Y., (1991) Physica C, 177, p. 31

Direct evidence for, and the nature of, Josephson coupling between Cu-O bilayers in a highly-anisotropic superconductor

The angular-dependent, c-axis resistivity for oxygen-deficient YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}} single crystals is shown to be a maximum for fields parallel to the c-axis, i.e., for zero macroscopic Lorentz force, and agrees with a series stack of Josephson tunnel junctions. The c-axis component of field dominates the c-axis dissipation in most cases. The results indicate the possibility of an unusual normal-state c-axis conductance and that the c-axis junctions may be extremely underdamped