Asymmetry of Critical Exponents in YBa2Cu3O7−δ

The critical behavior of YBa2Cu3O7- close to the zero field superconducting critical point (T_c = 92 K) was investigated using a high precision, high resolution micro calorimeter and detwinned single crystals with µg mass. A detailed analysis of the specific heat reveals a pronounced asymmetry of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 1999-09, Vol.83 (10), p.2042-2045
Main Authors: Charalambous, M., Riou, O., Gandit, P., Billon, B., Lejay, P., Chaussy, J., Hardy, W., Bonn, D., Liang, Ruixing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Condensed Matter
Physics
Superconductivity
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The critical behavior of YBa2Cu3O7- close to the zero field superconducting critical point (T_c = 92 K) was investigated using a high precision, high resolution micro calorimeter and detwinned single crystals with µg mass. A detailed analysis of the specific heat reveals a pronounced asymmetry of the critical exponent α above and below T_c: α^+=0.5±0.2, α^-=-0.2±0.3, which does not heal for different choices of the critical temperature T_c or the phonon background C_p, and persists in the overdoped regime. This abnormal behavior cannot be explained within the framework of regular second order phase transitions.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.2042