Thermodynamics of a heavy-ion-irradiated superconductor : The zero-field transition

• Specific heat measurements show that the introduction of amorphous columnar defects considerably affects the transition from the normal to the superconducting state in zero magnetic field. Experimental results are compared to numerical simulations of the three-dimensional XY model for both the pure system and the system containing random columnar disorder. The numerics reproduce the salient features of experiment, showing in particular that the specific heat peak changes from cusplike to smoothly rounded when columnar defects are added. By considering the specific heat critical exponent alpha, we argue that such behavior is consistent with recent numerical work [A. Vestergren , Phys. Rev. B 70, 054508 (2004)] showing that the introduction of columnar defects changes the universality class of the transition.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Annan fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Other Physics Topics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

high-temperature superconductors

bose-glass transition

correlated disorder

columnar defects

ybacuo crystals

single-crystals

high-density

upper limit

yba2cu3o7-delta

localization

Fysik

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)