Elastic anomalies and phase transitions in high-Tc superconductors

Ultrasound propagation in both known classes of high-Tc ceramic superconductors reveals the presence of an anomaly above Tc, at Ts of about 95 K in La(1.8)Sr(0.2)CuO(4-y) and at about 120 K in YBa2Cu3O(7-delta), suggesting that the state between Ts and Tc is the 'normal' state preceding su...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 1988-03, Vol.60 (12), p.1181-1184
Main Authors: Bhattacharya, S, Higgins, MJ, Johnston, DC, Jacobson, AJ, Stokes, JP, Goshorn, DP, Lewandowski, JT
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Ultrasound propagation in both known classes of high-Tc ceramic superconductors reveals the presence of an anomaly above Tc, at Ts of about 95 K in La(1.8)Sr(0.2)CuO(4-y) and at about 120 K in YBa2Cu3O(7-delta), suggesting that the state between Ts and Tc is the 'normal' state preceding superconductivity. The anomalous elastic behavior at and below Tc is dominated by the shear modulus and not by the bulk modulus, implying an unusually strong coupling of the order parameter to shear distortions. Implications of these results for superconductivity are discussed. (Author)
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.60.1181