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Compression of Bi<sub>2</sub>Sr<sub>2</sub>Ca<sub>n-1</sub>Cu<sub>n</sub>O<sub>2n+4+δ </sub>to Megabar Pressures

ORAL

Abstract

Despite years of intense study, the superconducting mechanism seen in the cuprates is not yet fully understood. In recent years pressure has been used as a tuning parameter to probe the unusual electronic properties of cuprate superconductors, such as anomalous changes in Tc observed in the bismuth-based cuprates. We report the effects of quasi-hydrostatic megabar pressures (>100 GPa) on the structure of bismuth-based high-Tc cuprate superconductors - Bi2Sr2Can-1CunO2n+4+δ (n=1,2,3) - using synchrotron x-ray diffraction and diamond anvil cells. To ensure nearly hydrostatic conditions during compression, neon was used as a pressure transmitting medium. A stiffening of the c axis occurs for n=1 and 2 at 10 GPa and 20 GPa, respectively, but no such incompressibility effect was observed in the n=3 composition. Below the stiffening structural properties agreed with previously reported data, but differ from earlier work as a result of non-hydrostatic stress in those experiments, as confirmed by our own measurements without a pressure transmitting medium. In all three compositions the changes in lattice parameters do not correlate with the changes in Tc including its monotonic rise seen in all compositions above a critical pressure. 

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Presenters

  • Alexander C Mark

    University of Illinois at Chicago

Authors

  • Alexander C Mark

    University of Illinois at Chicago

  • Ravhi S Kumar

    University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois Chicago

  • Muhetaer Aihaiti

    University of Illinois Chicago, Carnegie Inst of Washington, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA

  • Yue Meng

    HPCAT, X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory

  • Dmitry Popov

    HPCAT, X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, High-pressure Collaborative Access Team, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, Argonne National Laboratory

  • Liangzi Deng

    University of Houston, Texas Center for Superconductivity and Department of Physics, University of Houston, Texas Center for Superconductivity and Department of Physics, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA

  • Paul C. W Chu

    University of Houston

  • Russell J Hemley

    University of Illinois Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, George Washington Univ, Departments of Physics and Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA, Department of Physics, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, USA, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA

  • Juan Carlos Campuzano

    University of Illinois at Chicago

  • Changyong Park

    HPCAT, X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory