Spontaneous Vortex Phase and the Meissner-State in the Magneto- Superconductor Eu1.5Ce0.5RuSr2Cu2O 10-σ (Eu-2122)

I. Felner*, E. B. Sonin, T. Machi, N. Koshizuka

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

The superconducting ceramic material R1.5Ce0.5RuSr2Cu2O 10-σ (Eu-2122) is also weak-ferro-magnetically ordered at TM ≫ Tc (Tc=32 and TM ∼ 122 K), thus, superconductivity (SC) coexists with ferromagnetism. SC is confined to the CuO2 planes, whereas the weak-ferromagnetic (WFM) state is due to the Ru sublattice. The observed saturation moment of the Ru sublattice is about 0.7μB per unit cell, which is translated into an internal field Bint= 4πM (higher than Hc1) of a few hundreds of G. This Bint induces vortices in the superconducting planes which have been observed in a ceramic material for the first time by means of magneto-optical imaging. Below Tc, at zero applied field, magnetic flux (the mixed state) is present in the sample in equilibrium and disappear above Tc. On the other hand, under an external field of 50 Oe, the flux density persists up to TM. These measurements confirm our predicted spontaneous vortex phase (SVP) model, which assumes that in WFM-SC materials vortices are present in the sample in equilibrium without an external field. We also show the existence of the Meissner state in the WFM-SC Eu-2122 system in which Ru is substituted by Nb. The reduced Ru moment, and as a result the weak SVP, do not mask the expulsion of the flux lines at Tc.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)715-718
Number of pages4
JournalPhysica C: Superconductivity and its Applications
Volume341-348
Issue numberPART 3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2000

Keywords

  • Coexistence
  • Magnetism
  • Magneto-optical

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