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 Title: Electrical and magnetic properties of twin-free single-crystal praseodymium-doped yttrium barium copper oxide Author(s): Manson, Jonathan Thompson Doctoral Committee Chair(s): Ginsberg, Donald M. Department / Program: Physics, Condensed MatterEngineering, Materials Science Discipline: Physics, Condensed MatterEngineering, Materials Science Degree Granting Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Degree: Ph.D. Genre: Dissertation Subject(s): Physics, Condensed Matter Engineering, Materials Science Abstract: We have grown high quality single crystals of $\rm Y\sb{1-x}Pr\sb{x}Ba\sb2Cu\sb3O\sb{7-\delta}$ (Pr-doped YBCO), and have succeeded in detwinning them by applying uniaxial stress. The quality of these samples was shown by both magnetic and electrical transport measurements. Each of these methods showed that our samples had sharp superconducting transitions.We measured the magnetic relaxation of four detwinned single crystals of $\rm Y\sb{1-x}Pr\sb{x}Ba\sb2CU\sb3O\sb{7-\delta}$, with x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3, in a magnetic field of 0.5T applied parallel to the c-axis of each sample. Using the Anderson-Kim model of thermally activated flux-creep, we calculated the effective flux pinning energy, U, for each sample. The results show that for $\rm T/T\sb{c}\$ 0.45, U shows a clear maximum at x = 0.2. In addition, we measured magnetic hysteresis loops for each sample at T/T$\sb{\rm c}$ = 0.1, 0.5, and 0.8. We found that the samples exhibit a strong "fish-tail" effect, and, of particular interest, that the sample with x = 0.1 shows two peaks in addition to the zero-field peak. Because of the "fish-tail" effect, we have not been able to obtain a clear picture of the temperature and Pr concentration dependences of the critical current density. However, at temperatures near T$\sb{\rm c}$, our results indicate that a higher flux pinning energy correlates with a higher critical current density.We measured the normal and mixed state Hall and longitudinal resistivities of detwinned $\rm Y\sb{1-x}Pr\sb{x}Ba\sb2Cu\sb3O\sb{7-\delta}$ single crystals, with x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20. Our normal-state measurements show that Pr-doping in YBCO reduces the charge carrier density. Below T$\sb{\rm c}$, the samples with x = 0.05 and 0.10 exhibit a sign reversal of the Hall resistivity as the magnetic field is increased. However, the sign reversal is absent in the samples with x = 0.15 and 0.20. We have calculated the in-plane Hall conductivity, and find that it can be expressed as the sum of two terms, C$\sb1$/H and C$\sb2$H. C$\sb1$ and C$\sb2$ are independent of field, but depend on temperature and Pr concentration. The temperature dependences of C$\sb1$ and C$\sb2$ weaken with increasing Pr concentration up to the disappearance of the sign reversal, at which point C$\sb1$ changes sign and begins to depend more strongly on temperature again.We were the first to analyze Hall effect data in this way (i.e., in terms of C$\sb1$ and C$\sb2$) on a superconductor. Since then, this method of analysis has become one of the standards in high-T$\sb{\rm c}$ Hall effect studies.To date, we are the only group to have published data on twin-free Pr-doped YBCO single crystals. These samples are hard to grow, and detwinning them is a challenging undertaking. Issue Date: 1996 Type: Text Language: English URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/23761 ISBN: 9780591088687 Rights Information: Copyright 1996 Manson, Jonathan Thompson Date Available in IDEALS: 2011-05-07 Identifier in Online Catalog: AAI9702597 OCLC Identifier: (UMI)AAI9702597
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