1,452 research outputs found
Single grain (LRE)-Ba-Cu-O superconductors fabricated by top seeded melt growth in air
We have recently reported a practical processing method for the fabrication in air of large, single grain (LRE)-Ba-Cu-O [where LRE Nd, Sm, Eu and Gd] bulk superconductors that exhibit high Tc and high Jc. The process is based initially on the development of a new type of generic seed crystal that can promote effectively the epitaxial nucleation of any (RE)-Ba-Cu-O system and, secondly, by suppressing the formation of (LRE)/Ba solid solution in a controlled manner within large LRE-Ba-Cu-O grains processed in air. In this paper we investigate the degree of homogeneity of large grain Sm-Ba-Cu-O superconductors fabricated by this novel process. The technique offers a significant degree of freedom in terms of processing parameters and reproducibility in the growth of oriented single grains in air and yields bulk samples with significantly improved superconducting and field-trapping properties compared to those processed by conventional top seeded melt growth (TSMG)
Temperature dependence of the impurity-induced resonant state in Zn-doped Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O by Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy
We report on the temperature dependence of the impurity-induced resonant
state in Zn-doped Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O by scanning tunneling
spectroscopy at 30 mK < T < 52 K. It is known that a Zn impurity induces a
sharp resonant peak in tunnel spectrum at an energy close to the Fermi level.
We observed that the resonant peak survives up to 52 K. The peak broadens with
increasing temperature, which is explained by the thermal effect. This result
provides information to understand the origin of the resonant peak.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
STS Observations of Landau Levels at Graphite Surfaces
Scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements were made on surfaces of two
different kinds of graphite samples, Kish graphite and highly oriented
pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), at very low temperatures and in high magnetic
fields. We observed a series of peaks in the tunnel spectra, which grow with
increasing field, both at positive and negative bias voltages. These are
associated with Landau quantization of the quasi two-dimensional electrons and
holes in graphite in magnetic fields perpendicular to the basal plane. Almost
field independent Landau levels fixed near the Fermi energy, which are
characteristic of the graphite crystalline structure, were directly observed
for the first time. Calculations of the local density of states at the graphite
surfaces allow us to identify Kish graphite as bulk graphite and HOPG as
graphite with finite thickness effectively
Construction of a Versatile Ultra-Low Temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscope
We constructed a dilution-refrigerator (DR) based ultra-low temperature
scanning tunneling microscope (ULT-STM) which works at temperatures down to 30
mK, in magnetic fields up to 6 T and in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). Besides these
extreme operation conditions, this STM has several unique features not
available in other DR based ULT-STMs. One can load STM tips as well as samples
with clean surfaces prepared in a UHV environment to an STM head keeping low
temperature and UHV conditions. After then, the system can be cooled back to
near the base temperature within 3 hours. Due to these capabilities, it has a
variety of applications not only for cleavable materials but also for almost
all conducting materials. The present ULT-STM has also an exceptionally high
stability in the presence of magnetic field and even during field sweep. We
describe details of its design, performance and applications for low
temperature physics.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures. accepted for publication in Rev. Sci. Instru
Brownian molecular motors driven by rotation-translation coupling
We investigated three models of Brownian motors which convert rotational
diffusion into directed translational motion by switching on and off a
potential. In the first model a spatially asymmetric potential generates
directed translational motion by rectifying rotational diffusion. It behaves
much like a conventional flashing ratchet. The second model utilizes both
rotational diffusion and drift to generate translational motion without spatial
asymmetry in the potential. This second model can be driven by a combination of
a Brownian motor mechanism (diffusion driven) or by powerstroke (drift driven)
depending on the chosen parameters. In the third model, elements of both the
Brownian motor and powerstroke mechanisms are combined by switching between
three distinct states. Relevance of the model to biological motor proteins is
discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy of the electronic local density of states of graphite surfaces near monoatomic step edges
We measured the electronic local density of states (LDOS) of graphite
surfaces near monoatomic step edges, which consist of either the zigzag or
armchair edge, with the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy
(STS) techniques. The STM data reveal that the and honeycomb superstructures coexist over a length scale of 3-4 nm
from both the edges. By comparing with density-functional derived nonorthogonal
tight-binding calculations, we show that the coexistence is due to a slight
admixing of the two types of edges at the graphite surfaces. In the STS
measurements, a clear peak in the LDOS at negative bias voltages from -100 to
-20 mV was observed near the zigzag edges, while such a peak was not observed
near the armchair edges. We concluded that this peak corresponds to the
graphite "edge state" theoretically predicted by Fujita \textit{et al.} [J.
Phys. Soc. Jpn. {\bf 65}, 1920 (1996)] with a tight-binding model for graphene
ribbons. The existence of the edge state only at the zigzag type edge was also
confirmed by our first-principles calculations with different edge
terminations.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figure
Superconducting magnesium diboride films with Tc \approx 24K grown by pulsed laser deposition with in-situ anneal
Thin superconducting films of magnesium diboride (MgB2) with Tc \approx 24K
were prepared on various oxide substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD)
followed by an in-situ anneal. A systematic study of the influence of various
in-situ annealing parameters shows an optimum temperature of about 600C in a
background of 0.7 atm. of Ar/4%H2 for layers consisting of a mixture of
magnesium and boron. Contrary to ex-situ approaches (e.g. reacting boron films
with magnesium vapor at 900C), these films are processed below the
decomposition temperature of MgB2. This may prove enabling in the formation of
multilayers, junctions, and epitaxial films in future work. Issues related to
the improvement of these films and to the possible in-situ growth of MgB2 at
elevated temperature are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Effect of La Doping on Microstructure and Critical Current Density of MgB2
In the present study, La-doped MgB_2 superconductors with different doping
level (Mg1-xLaxB2; x=0.00, 0.01, 0.03 & 0.05) have been synthesized by
solid-state reaction route at ambient pressure. Effect of La doping have been
investigated in relation to microstructural characteristics and superconducting
properties, particularly intragrain critical current density (Jc). The
microstructural characteristics of the as synthesized Mg(La)B2 compounds were
studied employing transmission electron microscopic (TEM) technique. The TEM
investigations reveal inclusion of LaB6 nanoparticles within the MgB2 grains
which provide effective flux pinning centres. The evaluation of intragrain Jc
through magnetic measurements on the fine powdered version of the as
synthesized samples reveal that Jc of the samples change significantly with the
doping level. The optimum result on Jc is obtained for Mg0.97La0.03B2 at 5K,
the Jc reaches ~1.4x107A/cm2 in self field, ~2.1 x 106A/cm2 at 1T, ~2.5 x
105A/cm2 at 2.5T and ~1.8 x 104 A/cm2 at 4.5T. The highest value of intragrain
Jc in Mg0.97La0.03B2 superconductor has been attributed to the inclusion of
LaB6 nanoparticles which are capable of providing effective flux pinning
centres
High transport critical current density obtained for Powder-In-Tube-processed MgB2 tapes and wires using stainless steel and Cu-Ni tubes
MgB2 tapes and wires were fabricated by the Powder-In-Tube method. Stainless
steel and Cu-Ni tubes were used as sheath materials, and no heat treatment was
applied. The tapes made of stainless steel showed transport critical current
density Jc of about 10,000A/cm2 at 4.2K and 5T. A high Jc of about 300,000A/cm2
was obtained by extrapolating the Jc-B curves to zero field.
Multifilamentary(7-core) MgB2 wire was successfully fabricated using Cu-Ni
tubes. For both tapes and wires the grain connectivity of MgB2 was as good as a
high-pressure sintered bulk sample. However, the Jc of the Cu-Ni sheathed wire
was lower than the stainless steel sheathed tape due to the lower packing
density of MgB2.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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/
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