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Vortex fluctuations in underdoped Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta) crystals
Sylvain Colson1, Marcin Konczykowski, Marat B Gaifullin
1Laboratoire des Solides Irradiés, CNRS-UMR 7642 and CEA/DSM/DRECAM, Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France.
Physical Review Letters
|April 12, 2003
Summary
Vortex thermal fluctuations in cuprates were studied using Josephson plasma resonance. This revealed how fluctuations soften vortex line tension, leading to vortex dissociation at the transition.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Superconductivity Research
- High-Temperature Superconductors
Background:
- Vortex thermal fluctuations significantly impact the properties of underdoped cuprates.
- Understanding these fluctuations is crucial for explaining phase transitions in superconductors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate vortex thermal fluctuations in heavily underdoped Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+delta).
- To determine the relationship between vortex line tension renormalization and vortex dissociation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Josephson plasma resonance to study vortex dynamics.
- Analyzed zero-field data to extract key superconducting parameters.
Main Results:
- Determined the c-axis penetration depth (lambda(L,c)(0)=230+/-10 micrometer) and anisotropy ratio (gamma(T)).
- Extracted the vortex pancake wandering length (r(w)) and analyzed its temperature and magnetic field dependence.
- Observed that fluctuations renormalize vortex line tension, causing softening.
Conclusions:
- The softening of vortex line tension by fluctuations is responsible for vortex dissociation.
- This phenomenon explains the first-order phase transition observed in the material.