Stability of the low-temperature tetragonal phase in La2?xBaxCuO4 and related compounds

In La_2–x Ba _x CuO₄ (LBCO), the structural transition to a low-temperature tetragonal phase below 60 K and suppression of superconductivity are observed when the carrier density isp 1 /8 per copper. The replacement by divalent ions smaller than Ba²⁺ suppresses the static deformation of the lattice. We have found that the variationsT _d2 and superconducting transition temperatureT _c are quantitatively characterized by the averaged ionic radius at the La site or lattice parameters. This aspect of substitution could be regarded as the effect of chemical pressure, since similar variations have been reported on applying hydrostatic pressure. In La_2–x–y Nd _y (Ba, Sr) _x CuO₄,T _d2 increases with increasingy in a wide range ofp whileT _c is suppressed only at p l /8. The structural transition atT _d2 here should be ascribed mainly to the crystallochemical origin.     

Microscopic Charge Inhomogeneities in Underdoped La2?xSrxCuO4: Local Structural Evidence

We present local structural evidence for the existence of charge inhomogeneities at low temperature in underdoped and optimally doped La_2–x Sr _x CuO₄. The inhomogeneities disappear for x 0.2. The evidence for the charge inhomogeneities comes from an anomalous increase in the inplane Cu–O bond length distribution in the underdoped samples as well as evidence for CuO₆ octahedral tilt inhomogeneities in the intermediate range structure. Preliminary analysis of the temperature dependence of this phenomenon indicates that the inhomogeneities set in at temperatures in the range 60 K < T _co < 130 K, which depends on doping.     

Point contact spectroscopy in oriented La2?xSrxCuO4 superconductors; energy gap and Fermi velocity

Point contact measurements in oriented La_2–xSr_xCuO₄ samples were performed using metal tips. The current-voltage curves measured along the CuO plane direction (ab) are characteristic of the Andreev reflection phenomenon. The superconducting energy gap in theab plane is determined, _ab = 6± 1 meV, with a possibility for the existence of a lower subgap in the plane. A lower limit for the Fermi velocity in the CuO planes is also set by the measurements;V _F6×10⁷ cm/sec, which is significantly higher than the average velocity obtained by band calculations. The results are discussed in the context of different models for superconductivity in the layered oxides. In particular, we raise the possibility of an anisotropic gap parameter which may indicate a nonstandards-wave pairing in La_2–xSr_xCuO₄. A comparison with previous results obtained on YBa₂Cu₂O_7– is made.     

On the oxygen isotope shift in La2?xSrxCuO4

The anomalous oxygen isotope shift observed in the high-temperature superconductors La_2–xSr_xCuO₄ and La_2–xBa_xCuO₄ is discussed within the model of superconductivity in which the apex oxygen vibrations play the major role in the pairing mechanism. We show that the dependence of both the critical temperature and its isotope shifts on the doping level is consistently described within this model. The anomaly occurring in the isotope shift between x = 0.11 andx=0.15 is traced back to the oxygen mass exponent associated with the apex oxygen frequency.     

High oxygen pressure synthesis of new copper oxide superconductors

The unique coordination of the copper ions in +1, +2, and +3 oxidation states, which are stable in a range of oxygen partial pressure. 10^–6<P(O₂)< 10³ atm, makes possible the formation of a wide variety of distinct structures. By controlling the oxygen pressure during the synthesis and annealing, the distribution of metal and oxygen ions can be modified on an atomic scale to optimize the structural and electronic properties. We present several examples of compounds for which the critical structural elements for superconductivity, i.e., the perfectly ordered CuO₂ planes, have been obtained and doped with holes by means of high oxygen pressure,P(O₂)>1 atm. These materials, La₂CuO₄₊ , La_2–x Ca _x CuO₄, and YSr_2–x La _x Cu₃O₇₊ , offer a unique opportunity to study the relationship between superconductivity and structural, magnetic, and chemical properties.     

Is the tetragonal overdoped phase (La, Sr)2CuO4 superconductive?

Comparative studies of Meissner and shielding processes have been performed on variously sized samples of the solid solution (La_1–x Sr _x )₂CuO₄: (polycrystalline, powder, and single-crystalline) under various magnetic fields in the range 0.03–10 Oe. Considering the kinetics of the two processes, this systematic approach has indicated that the observed Meissner signal can be significantly low with the sample still being wholly superconductive. Based on this comparative study, the tetragonal region of (La_1–x Sr _x )₂CuO₄ withx greater than 0.105 has been concluded to be superconductive, suggesting the nonessential involvement of the buckling of the Cu-O-Cu-O bond in the CuO₂ layer in the manifestation of superconductivity.     

Magnetic order and evolution of the electronic state aroundx=0.12 in La2?xBaxCuO4 and La2?xSrxCuO4

Muon spin rotation ( ⁺SR) measurement provides clear evidence of the antiferromagnetic order of Cu moments below 35 K for La_2–x Ba _x CuO₄ and below 15 K for La_2–x Sr _x CuO₄ in the narrow range ofx where the high-T _c superconductivity (SC) is suppressed remarkably. The results suggest that the change of the electronic state coupled with the lattice instability is relevant to the local suppression of SC and freezing of spin fluctuations of the Cu moment.     

Room-temperature oxidation of La2?xSrxCuO4

A series of oxidized La_2–x Sr _x CuO_4+y compounds has been prepared by treating the starting materials with a solution of Br₂ in NaOH at room temperature. The structural modifications due to the oxidation of the materials have been studied by X-ray diffraction. Some of the observed changes are: (i) a large increase in the long parameter of the unit cell for samples with Sr content and (ii) a slight decrease in a along the whole range ofx. Interesting features have been observed regarding the critical temperatures of these materials: transition temperatures are higher for those containing lower Sr amounts (some of them were even nonsuperconducting before the oxidation treatment) in contrast to materials with x0.15, whoseT _c's do not change very much. The influence of both oxygen and strontium contents on the structural modifications and the superconducting properties of the oxidized materials will be discussed.     

On the high-temperature superconductivity of SrxLa2?xCuO4?δ

The superconducting properties of Sr_xLa_2–xCuO_4– are analyzed by employing the model of interaction between charge carriers and the oxygen-displacive modes of the lattice. The role played by the hole concentration, as related to the Sr content x and oxygen deficiency, is thoroughly emphasized. The critical temperature, the ratio of twice the superconducting gap to the critical temperature, and the isotope shift are estimated as functions of the hole concentration and compared with the experimental data.     

Phononic and spin excitations in Y1?xPrxBa2Cu3O6.9 crystals

The Y_1–x Pr _x Ba₂Cu₃O_6.9 system has been investigated by quantitative-Raman measurements. The magnetic response of the antiferromagnetic ordered Cu spins in the CuO₂ plane has been observed via the two-magnon-Raman scattering. The in-plane exchange energy is determined to 780 cm^–1 in the system withx=1. Phonon behavior as well as magnetic scattering indicate that the band structure of the CuO₂ planes in PrBa₂Cu₃O_6.9 is similar to that in insulating YBa₂Cu₃O₆.     

Magnetism of the LTT phase of Eu-doped La2-x Sr x CuO4

The ESR signal of Gd spin probes (0.5 at.%) as well as the static normal state susceptibility of Eu (J(Eu³⁺) = 0) doped La_2-x-ySr_xEu_yCuO₄ reveal pronounced changes of the Cu magnetism at the structural transition from the orthorhombic to the low-temperature tetragonal phase for all nonsuperconducting compositions. Both a jumplike decrease ofx as well as the ESR data show an increase of the in-plane magnetic correlation length in the LTT phase. From the Gd³⁺ ESR linewidth we find that for specific Eu and Sr concentrations in the LTT phase the correlation length increases up to more than 100 lattice constants and the fluctuation frequency of the CuO₂ spin system slows down to ~10¹⁰-10¹¹ s^-1 However, there is no static order above T~8 K in contrast to the LTT phase of Nd-doped La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO₄ with pinned stripe correlations.     

Dynamic Inhomogeneities in the La2CuO4-Based Superconductors

Polarization-dependent X-ray-absorption fine-structure (XAFS) measurements on the local structure of the La₂CuO₄-based high-T _c superconductors La_2–x Sr _x CuO₄, La_2–x Ba _x CuO₄, and La_1.6–x Sr _x Nd_0.4CuO₄ find, among others, orientation disorder induced in the Cu–O₂ planes by doping Sr, Ba, and alloying Nd atoms, all such atoms residing in La-sites. The orientation disorder is of two types: mostly static-buckling disorder, and dynamic disordering of the tilt angles of the Cu–O₆ octahedra correlated in nanoscale regions, with respect to neighboring nanoscale regions. Buckling disorder in the Cu–O₂ planes has the greatest detrimental effect on T _c and conductivity for such foreign atoms.     

Microscopic Scenario for x = 1/8 Anomaly in La2 ? xSrxCuO4

We adopt a t ₁-t ₂-t ₃-J-G model for explanation of x = 1/8 anomaly in La_{2 – x} Sr _x CuO₄ family compound. The calculated charge susceptibility shows a maximum near Q = (, ) at intermediate temperatures and near (, /2) as temperature approaches zero, in agreement with neutron scattering experiments. Coulomb repulsion G between the first neighbors turns out to be the source of Charge Density Waves (CDW) in narrow band t ^eff ₁, t ^eff ₂, t ^eff ₃ < G. For physically realistic hopping values we obtain the CDW amplitude e _Q = x. The in-phase domain structure as a candidate for stripe picture is proposed.     

Magnetic susceptibility and specific heat of Pr2?xCexCuO4?y

We report here the measurements of magnetic susceptibility of Pr_2–xCe_xCuO_4–y (x=0, 0.05 and 0.15) from 2K to 300K and the specific heat of Pr_1.85Ce_0.15CuO₄ between 6K and 60K. Fitting of the magnetic susceptibility data to a Curie-Weiss law gave effective magnetic moment (p_eff) values close to the free ion value of 3.58_B for Pr³⁺. p_eff was found to decrease with increase in cerium concentration. The site symmetry of Pr³⁺ in Pr_2–xCe_xCuO_4–y (PCCO) host is D_4h and a crystal field (CF) Hamiltonian appropriate to tetragonal symmetry was used to analyze the magnetic susceptibility data. J-mixing of all the thirteen multiplets of Pr³⁺ and intermediate coupled wave functions have been included. A best set of CF parameters obtained not only explains the magnetic susceptibility but also the inelastic neutron scattering spectra (INS) reasonably well. The Schottky component together with Debye and Einstein contributions successfully accounts for the measured specific heat.     

Structural commonalities of high-temperature superconductors

It is shown that all of the presently known high-temperature superconductors belong to one structural type with a basic cell of approximate 4/mmm,D _4h symmetry in tetragonal compounds andmmm,D _2h symmetry in orthorhombic compounds. In the Ba(Pb1–xBi _x )O₃ and YBa₂Cu₃O_7– compounds the basic cell is the unit cell and in the (La_1–x Sr _x )₂CuO₄, BiSrCaCuO and TIBaCaCuO compounds it is half the unit cell. The features of more than one copper oxide layer per basic cell, oxygen-free cation layers (e.g., Ca, Y) between CuO₂ layers, and slightly puckered CuO₂ planes seem to favor higher transition temperatures. The feasibility of several proposed or potentially superconducting structures are analyzed by this scheme.     

Influence of doping on the electronic structure of (La, Sr)2CuO4

High-statistics (>4 × 10⁸ counts), room-temperature measurements of the electron-positron momentum density of La_2–x Sr _x CuO₄ have been performed for samples with Sr concentrations of x=0.0, 0.1, 0.13, and 0.2. These spectra have been analyzed in conjunction with theoretical calculations of the electron-positron momentum density. The metallic samples show features consistent with the presence of a Fermi surface, but its evolution with increasing Sr concentration does not follow the predictions of band theory. These results may indicate the effects of electron-electron correlation on the electron momentum distribution in the Cu-O plane.     

μSR Study of Magnetic Order in LTO and LTT Phase of La2−x M xCu1−y Zn y O4 (M=Sr, Ba)

In order to investigate the origin of so-called 1/8 anomaly in La(Sr,Ba)-214, we have performed SR experiments for the low-temperature orthorhombic (LTO) and low-temperature tetragonal (LTT) structure phases in La_2–x Sr _x Cu_1–y Zn _y O₄ (LSCO) and La_2–x Ba _x Cu_1–y Zn _y O₄ (LBCO), and decided the magnetic order temperature T _m where -spin coherent rotation starts. 1% Zn-substitution depresses magnetic order in the LTT phase of LBCO while it induces or enhances magnetic order in the LTO phase of LSCO. With doping Tm rises first and keeps constant around x=1/8 and decreases in both Zn-substituted LSCO and LBCO. This implies that doped holes are never uniformly distributed on the CuO₂ plane, suggesting the segregation of spin and hole around x=1/8.     

Investigation on the Structure and Superconducting Properties of Mg1 ? xMxB2 (M = deficiency or Ca)

We report the preparation of Mg_{1 – x} M _x B₂ (M = deficiency or Ca) compounds and their structure and superconducting properties. For Mg_{1 – x} B₂, although nearly single-phase samples can be obtained for x = 0, MgB₄ coexists with the MgB₂ phase and some minor impurity phases, and the amount of MgB₄ increases with x for 0 < x 0.5. The lattice parameters a and c of MgB₂ decreases and increases, respectively, with the increase of x, and T _c also decreases. While for Mg_{1 – x} Ca _x B₂, the superconducting transition temperature remains unchanged for x 0.3 and loss of superconductivity occurs for x > 0.3. X-ray diffraction patterns for x 0.3 samples show that MgB₂ phase coexists with CaB₆, Mg, and MgO. With increasing x, the amount of CaB₆, Mg, and MgO increases, while the amount of MgB₂ decreases. The lattice parameters of MgB₂ phase do not show any obvious change in contrast to Mg_{1 – x} B₂. The results were discussed by considering some possible contributions.     

Radiative and Optical Properties of La1−xSrxMnO3 (0≤x≤0.4) in the Vicinity of Metal–Insulator Transition Temperatures from 173 to 413K

Radiative and optical properties of polycrystalline La_1–x Sr _x MnO₃ (0x0.4) in the vicinity of the metal–insulator transition are presented. The temperature dependence of the total hemispherical emittance _H of La_1–x Sr _x MnO₃ was measured by the calorimetric method in the temperature range from 173 to 413K. It was confirmed that _H showed unexpected variation as a result of changes in the hole concentration (x). Especially in the case of La_0.825Sr_0.175MnO₃, _H remains high above the transition temperature T _C due to insulator-like behavior; on the other hand, it decreases sharply below T _C because of metallic behavior. The spectral reflectance was measured by FT-IR in the wavelength range of 0.25 to 100 m at room temperature. The optical constants were calculated by Kramers–Kronig analysis of the spectral reflectance data. An insulator-like character of the optical properties appears at lower Sr²⁺ doping levels while a metallic one exists at higher Sr²⁺ doping levels.