We present an exhaustive analysis of transport measurements performed in
twinned YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals which stablishes that the vortex solid-liquid
transition is first order when the magnetic field H is applied at an angle
theta away from the direction of the twin planes. We show that the resistive
transitions are hysteretic and the V-I curves are non-linear, displaying a
characteristic s-shape at the melting line Hm(T), which scales as
epsilon(theta)Hm(T,theta). These features are gradually lost when the critical
point H*(theta) is approached. Above H*(theta) the V-I characteristics show a
linear response in the experimentally accessible V-I window, and the transition
becomes reversible. Finally we show that the first order phase transition takes
place between a highly correlated vortex liquid in the field direction and a
solid state of unknown symmetry. As a consequence, the available data support
the scenario for a vortex-line melting rather than a vortex sublimation as
recently suggested [T.Sasagawa et al. PRL 80, 4297 (1998)].Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, submitted to PR
