145 research outputs found
The Doping Phase Diagram of Y1-xcaxba2(Cu1-yzny)3O7-d from Transport Measurements: Tracking the Pseudogap Below Tc (y = 0)
The effects of planar hole concentration, p, on the resistivity, r(T), of
sintered Y1-xCaxBa2(Cu1-yZny)3O7-d samples were investigated over a wide range
of Ca, Zn, and oxygen contents. Zn was used to suppress superconductivity and
this enabled us to extract the characteristic pseudogap temperature, T*(p),
from r(T,p) data below Tco(p) [ = Tc (y = 0)]. We have also located the
characteristic temperature, Tscf, marking the onset of significant
superconducting fluctuations above Tc, from the analysis of r(T,H,p) and r(T,p)
data. This enabled us to identify T*(p) near the optimum doping level where the
values of T*(p) and Tscf(p) are very close and hard to distinguish. We again
found that T*(p) depends only on the hole concentration p, and not on the level
of disorder associated with Zn or Ca substitutions. We conclude that (i) T*(p)
(and therefore, the pseudogap) persists below Tco(p) on the overdoped side and
does not merge with the Tco(p) line and (ii) T*(p), and thus the pseudogap
energy, extrapolates to zero at the doping p = 0.19 +/- 0.01.
PACS numbers: 74.25.Dw, 74.25. 74.62.Dh, 74.72.-h Key words: Pseudoap,
Superconducting fluctuationsComment: 14 pages (Text), 7 figure
Influence of the pseudogap on the superconductivity-induced phonon renormalization in high-T superconductors
We investigate the influence of a d-density wave (DDW) gap on the
superconductivity-induced renormalization of phonon frequency and linewidth.
The results are discussed with respect to Raman and inelastic neutron
scattering experiments. It turns out that the DDW gap can enhance the range of
frequencies for phonon softening depending on the underlying band
structure. Moreover we show that an anisotropic 'd-wave' pseudogap can also
contribute to the q-dependent linewidth broadening of the 340cm phonon
in YBaCuO.Comment: 4 page
Temperature dependence of electrical resistivity of high-Tc cuprates - from pseudogap to overdoped regions
The effects of planar hole concentration, p, and in-plane disorder, Zn (y),
on the DC resistivity, r(T), of sintered samples of
Y_{1-x}Ca_xBa_2(Cu_{1-y}Zn_y)_3O_{7-d} were investigated over a wide doping
range by changing both the oxygen deficiency (d) and Ca content (x). From the
r(T,p) data we extracted characteristic crossover temperatures on the
underdoped and overdoped sides, T* and T_m respectively, above which r(T) is
linear. We compare our results with a number of other polycrystalline, thin
film and single crystal cuprate superconductors and find similar behavior in
the p-dependence of T*(p), T_m(p), and the resistivity exponent, m(p), in fits
to r(T) = r_0 + aT^m on the overdoped side. Our findings point towards the
possible existence of a quantum critical point (QCP) at the doping p=0.19 +/-
0.01.Comment: Text in pdf (12 pages)and six ps figure
The doping dependence of T* - what is the real high-Tc phase diagram?
Underdoped high-Tc superconductors are frequently characterised by a
temperature, T*, below which the normal-state pseudogap opens. Two different
"phase diagrams" based on the doping (p) dependence of T* are currently
considered: one where T* falls to zero at a critical doping state and the other
where T* merges with Tc in the overdoped region. By examining the temperature
dependence of the NMR Knight shift and relaxation rate, entropy, resistivity,
infrared conductivity, Raman scattering, ARPES and tunnelling data it is
concluded that the second scenario is not at all supported. Neither can one
distinguish a small and a large pseudogap as is often done. T* is an energy
scale which falls abruptly to zero at p=0.19.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, a response to confusion at M^2S Conference,
Houston, regarding the phase behaviour of the HTS cuprates. Submitted to
Physica C, 2 May 2000. More references added as well as section on c-axis
resistivit
Synthesis effects on the magnetic and superconducting properties of RuSr2GdCu2O8
A systematic study on the synthesis of the Ru-1212 compound by preparing a
series of samples that were annealed at increasing temperatures and then
quenched has been performed. It results that the optimal temperature for the
annealing lies around 1060-1065 C; a further temperature increase worsens the
phase formation. Structural order is very important and the subsequent grinding
and annealing improves it. Even if from the structural point of view the
samples appear substantially similar, the physical characterization highlight
great differences both in the electrical and magnetic properties related to
intrinsic properties of the phase as well as to the connection between the
grains as inferred from the resistive and the Curie Weiss behaviour at high
temperature as well as in the visibility of ZFC anf FC magnetic signals.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures. Proc. Int. Workshop " Ruthenate and
rutheno-cuprate materials: theory and experiments", Vietri, October 2001. To
be published on LNP Series, Springer Verlag, Berlin, C. Noce, A. Vecchione,
M. Cuoco, A. Romano Eds, 200
Observation of Magnetic Moments in the Superconducting State of YBaCuO
Neutron Scattering measurements for YBaCuO have identified
small magnetic moments that increase in strength as the temperature is reduced
below and further increase below . An analysis of the data shows
the moments are antiferromagnetic between the Cu-O planes with a correlation
length of longer than 195 \AA in the - plane and about 35 \AA along the
c-axis. The origin of the moments is unknown, and their properties are
discusssed both in terms of Cu spin magnetism and orbital bond currents.Comment: 9 pages, and 4 figure
Habenular expression of rare missense variants of the β4 nicotinic receptor subunit alters nicotine consumption
The CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 gene cluster, encoding the {alpha}5, {alpha}3, and {beta}4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits, has been linked to nicotine dependence. The habenulo-interpeduncular (Hb-IPN) tract is particularly enriched in {alpha}3{beta}4 nAChRs. We recently showed that modulation of these receptors in the medial habenula (MHb) in mice altered nicotine consumption. Given that {beta}4 is rate-limiting for receptor activity and that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CHRNB4 have been linked to altered risk of nicotine dependence in humans, we were interested in determining the contribution of allelic variants of {beta}4 to nicotine receptor activity in the MHb. We screened for missense SNPs that had allele frequencies >0.0005 and introduced the corresponding substitutions in Chrnb4. Fourteen variants were analyzed by co-expression with {alpha}3. We found that {beta}4A90I and {beta}4T374I variants, previously shown to associate with reduced risk of smoking, and an additional variant {beta}4D447Y, significantly increased nicotine-evoked current amplitudes, while {beta}4R348C, the mutation most frequently encountered in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS), showed reduced nicotine currents. We employed lentiviruses to express {beta}4 or {beta}4 variants in the MHb. Immunoprecipitation studies confirmed that {beta}4 lentiviral-mediated expression leads to specific upregulation of {alpha}3{beta}4 but not {beta}2 nAChRs in the Mhb. Mice injected with the {beta}4-containing virus showed pronounced aversion to nicotine as previously observed in transgenic Tabac mice overexpressing Chrnb4 at endogenous sites including the MHb. Habenular expression of the {beta}4 gain-of-function allele T374I also resulted in strong aversion, while transduction with the {beta}4 loss-of function allele R348C failed to induce nicotine aversion. Altogether, these data confirm the critical role of habenular {beta}4 in nicotine consumption, and identify specific SNPs in CHRNB4 that modify nicotine-elicited currents and alter nicotine consumption in mice
Carrier concentrations in Bi_{2}Sr_{2-z}La_{z}CuO_{6+\delta} single crystals and their relation to Hall coefficient and thermopower
We measured the thermopower S and the Hall coefficients R_H of
Bi_{2}Sr_{2-z}La_{z}CuO_{6+\delta} (BSLCO) single crystals in a wide doping
range, in an effort to identify the actual hole concentrations per Cu, p, in
this system. It is found that the "universal" relation between the
room-temperature thermopower and T_c does not hold in the BSLCO system.
Instead, comparison of the temperature-dependent R_H data with other cuprate
systems is used as a tool to identify the actual p value. To justify this
approach, we compare normalized R_H(T) data of BSLCO, La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4}
(LSCO), YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{y}, and Tl_{2}Ba_{2}CuO_{6+\delta}, and demonstrate
that the R_H(T) data of the LSCO system can be used as a template for the
estimation of p. The resulting phase diagram of p vs T_c for BSLCO suggests
that T_c is anomalously suppressed in the underdoped samples, becoming zero at
around p ~ 0.10, while the optimum T_c is achieved at p ~ 0.16 as expected.Comment: 4 pages including 5 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
B, Rapid Communication
Absolute values of the London penetration depth in YBa2Cu3O6+y measured by zero field ESR spectroscopy on Gd doped single crystals
Zero-field electron spin resonance (ESR) of dilute Gd ions substituted for Y
in the cuprate superconductor YBaCuO is used as a novel
technique for measuring the absolute value of the low temperature magnetic
penetration depth . The Gd ESR spectrum of samples with
substitution was obtained with a broadband microwave technique
that measures power absorption bolometrically from 0.5 GHz to 21 GHz. This ESR
spectrum is determined by the crystal field that lifts the level degeneracy of
the spin 7/2 Gd ion and details of this spectrum provide information
concerning oxygen ordering in the samples. The magnetic penetration depth is
obtained by relating the number of Gd ions exposed to the microwave magnetic
field to the frequency-integrated intensity of the observed ESR transitions.
This technique has allowed us to determine precise values of for
screening currents flowing in the three crystallographic orientations (, and ) in samples of GdYBaCuO of three different oxygen contents ( K), ( K) and
( K). The in-plane values are found to depart substantially from the
widely reported relation .Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures; version to appear in PR
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