CA AND PR SUBSTITUTION IN Y-BASED AND SM-BASED 1-2-3 COMPOUNDS

• Substitution with equal amounts of Ca and Pr has been studied mainly in Y- and Sm-based 1:2:3 samples and with some results also for Nd-based samples. Structural and chemical analysis and measurements of the superconducting T(c) and the upper critical magnetic field were performed. It was found that Ca and Pr can be dissolved in the orthorhombic structure up to about 25 at. % each in both Y- and Sm-based samples while for larger concentrations, only Pr continued to enter into the 1:2:3 structure. The depression of T(c) with Ca-Pr doping was found to be linear in concentration in contrast to the accelerated decrease in samples doped with only Pr. The rate of depression of T(c) increased in the sequence Y-, Sm-, and Nd-based hosts. The results suggest that Ca-Pr doping isolates a characteristic Pr-impurity effect in 1:2:3 samples. The critical magnetic-field slopes of Y- and Sm-based samples were almost independent of Ca-Pr content in the cosolubility region while a strong decrease was observed for larger Pr content, similar to 1:2:3 samples doped with Pr only. These results suggest an almost-temperature-independent magnetic pair-breaking effect by Pr.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Den kondenserade materiens fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Condensed Matter Physics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

NORMAL-STATE PROPERTIES

MUON-SPIN RELAXATION

UPPER CRITICAL-FIELD

PAIR BREAKING

Y1-XPRXBA2CU3O7-DELTA

SUPERCONDUCTIVITY

TC

GD

YBA2CU3O7

VALENCE

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)