91 research outputs found
Critical current anisotropy in Nd-1111 single crystals and the infuence of neutron irradiation
We report on angle-resolved magnetization measurements on
NdFeAsOF (Nd-1111) single crystals. The field dependence of
the critical current density, , is non-monotonous in these crystals at all
orientations and temperatures due to the fishtail effect, which strongly
influences the angular dependence of . The currents decrease as the field
is tilted from the crystallographic c-axis at low fields, but increase at high
fields. A peak occurs in the angular dependence of at intermediate
fields. The critical currents are significantly enhanced after irradiation with
fast neutrons and the fishtail disappears. The different current anisotropies
at low and high fields, however, persist. We discuss the data in the framework
of the anisotropic scaling approach and propose a transition from dominant
pinning by large defects of low density at low fields to pinning by small
defects of high density at high fields in the pristine crystal. Strong pinning
dominates at all fields after the irradiation, and the angular dependence of
can be described by anisotropic scaling only after an appropriate
extension to this pinning regime
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
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/
Origin of superconductivity transition broadening in MgB2
We report resistivity and magnetization of single crystal MgB2, focusing on
the broadening of superconducting (SC) transition in magnetic fields. In-plane
and out-of-plane resistivity indicate that the broadening of superconducting
transition is independent of Lorentz force and that it is merely dependent on
the magnetic field direction. In magnetization, diamagnetic signal begins to
appear at almost the same temperature as the onset temperature of resistivity
transition. These results suggest that the broadening is attributed not to the
surface superconductivity but to the superconducting fluctuation or the
vortex-liquid picture, owing to the short coherence length and the high
transition temperature of MgB2.Comment: 8pages, 6 figures, to be published in Physica
Coherence lengths and anisotropy in MgB2 superconductor
Field and temperature microwave measurements have been carried out on MgB2
thin film grown on Al2O3 substrate. The analysis reveals the mean field
coherence length xi_{MF} in the mixed state and a temperature independent
anisotropy ratio gamma_{MF} = xi_{MF}^{ab} / xi_{MF}^c approximately 2. At the
superconducting transition, the scaling of the fluctuation conductivity yields
the Ginzburg-Landau coherence length with a different anisotropy ratio
gamma_{GL} = 2.8, also temperature independent.Comment: submitted to PR
Anisotropy of the Upper Critical Field and Critical Current in Single Crystal MgB
We report on specific heat, high magnetic field transport and
susceptibility measurements on magnesium diboride single crystals. The
upper critical field for magnetic fields perpendicular and parallel to
the Mg and B planes is presented for the first time in the entire temperature
range. A very different temperature dependence has been observed in the two
directions which yields to a temperature dependent anisotropy with 5 at low temperatures and about 2 near . A peak effect is observed
in susceptibility measurements for 2 T parallel to the axis and
the critical current density presnts a sharp maximum for parallel to the
ab-plane.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Mixed state properties of superconducting MgB2 single crystals
We report on measurements of the magnetic moment in superconducting MgB2
single crystals. We find \mu_0H_{c2}^c(0) = 3.2 T, \mu_0H_{c2}^{ab}(0) = 14.5
T, \gamma = 4.6, \mu_0H_c(0) = 0.28 T, and \kappa(T_c) = 4.7. The standard
Ginzburg-Landau and London model relations lead to a consistent data set and
indicate that MgB2 is a clean limit superconductor of intermediate coupling
strength with very pronounced anisotropy effects
Unusual effects of anisotropy on the specific heat of ceramic and single crystal MgB2
The two-gap structure in the superconducting state of MgB_2 gives rise to
unusual thermodynamic properties which depart markedly from the isotropic
single-band BCS model, both in their temperature- and field dependence. We
report and discuss measurements of the specific heat up to 16 T on ceramic, and
up to 14 T on single crystal samples, which demonstrate these effects in the
bulk. The behavior in zero field is described in terms of two characteristic
temperatures, a crossover temperature Tc_pi ~ 13 K, and a critical temperature
Tc = Tc_sigma ~ 38 K, whereas the mixed-state specific heat requires three
characteristic fields, an isotropic crossover field Hc2_pi ~ 0.35 T, and an
anisotropic upper critical field with extreme values Hc2_sigma_c ~ 3.5 T and
Hc2_sigma_ab ~ 19 T, where the indexes \pi and \sigma refer to the 3D and 2D
sheets of the Fermi surface. Irradiation-induced interband scattering tends to
move the gaps toward a common value, and increases the upper critical field up
to ~ 28 T when Tc = 30 K.Comment: 31 pages, 9 figures. Accepted in the Physica C special issue on MgB
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