THERMODYNAMIC OBSERVATION OF FIRST-ORDER VORTEX-LATTICE MELTING TRANSITION IN BI2SR2CACU2O8

Eli Zeldov (1) , D. Majer (1) , Marcin Konczykowski (2) , Vadim B. Geshkenbein (3, 4) , Valerii M. Vinokur (5) , H. Shtrikman (1)

1 The Weizmann Institute of Science
2 LSI - Laboratoire des Solides Irradiés
3 ITP - Institute for Theoretical Physics [ETH Zürich]
4 L.D. Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics of RAS
5 Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA

The lattice of magnetic flux lines that can permeate a type ii superconductor, such as the high-transition-temperature copper oxide materials, melts from a solid-like stale to a liquid-like state at a temperature below the superconducting transition temperature. Contrary to the predictions of mean-field theory, this phase transition in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 is found to be first-order. The vortex liquid discontinuously expands on freezing.

Keywords: HIGH-TC SUPERCONDUCTORS; JOSEPHSON-COUPLED SYSTEMS; FLUX-LATTICE; SINGLE-CRYSTAL; OXIDE SUPERCONDUCTORS; THERMAL FLUCTUATIONS; II SUPERCONDUCTORS; PHASE-TRANSITIONS; GLASS TRANSITIONS; 1ST-ORDER

Domains: Engineering Sciences [physics]; Mechanics [physics.med-ph]

Eli Zeldov, D. Majer, Marcin Konczykowski, Vadim B. Geshkenbein, Valerii M. Vinokur, et al.. THERMODYNAMIC OBSERVATION OF FIRST-ORDER VORTEX-LATTICE MELTING TRANSITION IN BI2SR2CACU2O8. Nature, 1995, 375 (6530), pp.373-376. ⟨10.1038/375373a0⟩. ⟨hal-01068645⟩