0000000000172803
AUTHOR
M. Li Vigni
Effects of Weak Links in the Nonlinear Microwave Response of MgB2 Superconductor
We report experimental results of second-harmonic (SH) response at microwave frequency in several ceramic MgB2 samples, prepared by different methods. The SH signal has been investigated as a function of the temperature and DC magnetic field. The investigation has been carried out at low magnetic fields, where nonlinear processes arising from motion of Abrikosov fluxons are ineffective. We show that the low-temperature SH emission is ascribable to processes involving weak links. Comparison among the peculiarities of the SH signal radiated by the different samples shows that the presence of weak links strongly depends on the sample preparation method, as well as the purity and morphology of …
Harmonic emission at microwave frequencies in Ba0.6K0.4BiO3 crystals
Abstract Nonlinear microwave emission by Ba0.6K0.4BiO3 crystals is investigated. Second- and third-harmonic signals are studied as a function of the temperature and the applied magnetic field at different values of the input power level. The experimental data are discussed in the framework of models previously reported in the literature. We show that there are several mechanisms responsible for harmonic emission in Ba0.6K0.4BiO3 crystals: they play a different role depending on the temperature and the intensity of the applied field. We suggest that harmonic emission at temperatures far from Tc is due to nonlinear processes in weak links or flux motion, while nonlinearity near Tc is ascribab…
Magnetic hysteresis in the microwave surface resistance of Nb samples in the critical state
We discuss the hysteretic behavior of the field-induced variations of the microwave surface resistance in superconductors in the critical state. Measurements have been performed in a bulk sample of Nb and a powdered one at different values of the temperature. We discuss a model, based on the Coffey and Clem theory, in which we take into account the flux distribution inside the sample, due to the critical state. The experimental results are justified quantitatively in the framework of our model. We show that by fitting the experimental data it is possible to determine the value of the critical current density and its field dependence.
Tunable coaxial cavity resonator for linear and nonlinear microwave characterization of superconducting wires
We discuss experimental results obtained using a tunable cylindrical coaxial cavity constituted by an outer Cu cylinder and an inner Pb-BSCCO wire. We have used this device for investigating the microwave response of the superconducting wire, both in the linear and nonlinear regimes. In particular, by tuning the different modes of the cavity to make them resonant at exactly harmonic frequencies, we have detected the power emitted by the superconducting inner wire at the second- and third-harmonic frequency of the driving field. The results obtained in the nonlinear regime, whether for the microwave surface impedance or the harmonic emission, are qualitatively accounted for considering inter…
Microwave harmonic emission in MgB2 superconductor: Comparison with YBA2CU3O7
We report results of microwave second-harmonic generation in ceramic samples of MgB2, prepared by different methods. The SH signal has been investigated as a function of the temperature and the static magnetic field. The results are discussed in the framework of models reported in the literature. We show that the peculiarities of the SH signal are related to the specific properties of the sample. A comparison with the results obtained in ceramic and crystalline YBa2Cu3O7 shows that the second-harmonic emission in MgB2 is weaker than that observed in ceramic YBa2CuO7. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Field-induced suppression of the pi-band superconductivity and magnetic hysteresis in the microwave surface resistance of MgB_2 at temperatures near T_c
We report on the magnetic-field-induced variations of the microwave surface resistance, R_s, in a polycrystalline MgB_2 sample, at different values of temperature. We have detected a magnetic hysteresis in R_s, which exhibits an unexpected plateau on decreasing the DC magnetic field below a certain value. In particular, at temperatures near T_c the hysteresis manifests itself only through the presence of the plateau. Although we do not quantitatively justify the anomalous shape of the magnetic hysteresis, we show that the results obtained in the reversible region of the R_s(H) curve can be quite well accounted for by supposing that, in this range of magnetic field, the pi-gap is almost supp…
Near-Tc second-harmonic emission in high-density bulk MgB2 at microwave frequency
We discuss the microwave second-harmonic generation in high-density bulk MgB2, prepared by the reactive liquid Mg infiltration technology. The intensity of the harmonic signal has been investigated as a function of temperature and amplitudes of the DC and microwave magnetic fields. The results are discussed in the framework of a phenomenological theory, based on the two-fluid model, which assumes that both the microwave and static magnetic fields, penetrating in the surface layers of the sample, weakly perturb the partial concentrations of the normal and superconducting fluids. We show that, in order to account for the experimental results, it is essential to suppose that in MgB2 the densit…
Microwave Response of Ceramic MgB2 Samples
The microwave response of ceramic MgB2 has been investigated as a function of temperature and external magnetic field by two different techniques: microwave surface impedance and second-harmonic emission measurements. The measurements of the surface resistance have shown that microwave losses in MgB2 are strongly affected by the magnetic field in the whole range of temperatures below Tc, even for relatively low field values. The results have been accounted for in the framework of the Coffey and Clem model hypothesizing that in different temperature ranges the microwave current induces fluxons to move in different regimes. In particular, the results at temperatures close to Tc have been quan…
Microwave second-harmonic response of ceramic MgB2 samples
Nonlinear microwave response of different ceramic MgB2 samples has been investigated by the technique of second-harmonic emission. The second-harmonic signal has been investigated as a function of temperature, DC magnetic field and input microwave power. The attention has mainly been devoted to the response at low magnetic fields, where nonlinear processes arising from motion of Abrikosov fluxons are ineffective. The results show that different mechanisms are responsible for the nonlinear response in the different ranges of temperature. At low temperatures, the nonlinear response is due to processes involving weak links. At temperatures close to Tc, a further contribution to the harmonic em…
Microwave surface resistance of pristine and neutron-irradiated MgB2 samples in magnetic field
We report on the microwave surface resistance of two polycrystalline Mg11B2 samples; one consists of pristine material, the other has been irradiated at very high neutron fluence. It has already been reported that in the strongly irradiated sample the two gaps merge into a single value. The mw surface resistance has been measured in the linear regime as a function of the temperature and the DC magnetic field, at increasing and decreasing fields. The results obtained in the strongly irradiated sample are quite well justified in the framework of a generalized Coffey and Clem model, in which we take into account the field distribution inside the sample due to the critical state. The results ob…
Microwave response of bulk MgB2 samples of different granularity
The microwave response of three high-density bulk MgB2 samples has been investigated in the linear and nonlinear regimes. The three samples, characterized by different mean size of grains, have been obtained by reactive infiltration of liquid Mg in powdered B preforms. The linear response has been studied by measuring the microwave surface impedance; the nonlinear response by detecting the power radiated by the sample at the second-harmonic frequency of the driving field. Our results suggest that bulk MgB2 prepared by the liquid Mg infiltration technique is particularly promising for manufacturing resonant cavities operating at microwave frequencies.
Superconducting Microwave Cavity Made of Bulk MgB2
We report the successful manufacture and characterization of a microwave resonant cylindrical cavity made of bulk MgB2 superconductor (Tc = 38.5 K), which has been produced by the Reactive Liquid Mg Infiltration technique. The quality factor of the cavity for the TE011 mode, resonating at 9.79 GHz, has been measured as a function of the temperature. At T = 4.2 K, the unloaded quality factor is 2.2x10^5; it remains of the order of 10^5 up to T ~ 30 K. We discuss the potential performance improvements of microwave cavities built from bulk MgB2 materials produced by reactive liquid Mg infiltration.
Depinning frequency in a heavily neutron-irradiated MgB2 sample
The magnetic-field-induced variations of the microwave surface resistance have been investigated in a heavily neutron-irradiated MgB2 sample, in which the irradiation has caused the merging of the two gaps into a single value. The experimental results have been analyzed in the framework of the Coffey and Clem model. By fitting the experimental data, we have determined the field dependence of the depinning frequency, omega_0, at different values of the temperature. Although the pinning is not particularly effective, the value of omega_0 obtained at low temperatures is considerably higher than that observed in conventional low-temperature superconductors.
Effect of boron doping in the microwave surface resistance of neutron irradiated melt-textured Y1.6Ba2.3Cu3.3O7−x samples
We report on the microwave surface resistance of melt-textured Y_1.6Ba_2.3Cu_3.3O_7-x samples, doped with different amount of B_2O_3 and, subsequently, irradiated by thermal neutrons at the fluence of 1.476 \times 10^17 cm^-2. The microwave surface resistance has been measured as a function of temperature and DC magnetic field. The experimental results are quantitatively discussed in the framework of the Coffey and Clem theory, properly adapted to take into account the d-wave nature of cuprate superconductors. By fitting the experimental data at zero DC field, we have highlighted the effects of the induced defects in the general properties of the samples, including the intergranular region.…
Surface-barrier effects in the microwave second-harmonic response of superconductors in the mixed state
We report on transient effects in the microwave second-harmonic response of different type of superconductors in the mixed state. The samples have contemporarily been exposed to a dc magnetic field, varying with a constant rate of 60 Oe/s, and a pulsed microwave magnetic field. The time evolution of the signal radiated at the second-harmonic frequency of the driving field has been measured for about 500 s from the instant in which the dc-field sweep has been stopped, with sampling time of ∼0.3 s. We show that the second-harmonic signal exhibits two relaxation regimes; an initial exponential decay, which endures roughly 10 s, and a logarithmic decay in the time scale of minutes. Evidence is …
Time evolution of the microwave second-harmonic response of MgB2 superconductor
We report on transient effects in the microwave second-order response of two ceramic MgB2 samples. The time evolution of the second-harmonic signal is investigated for about 500 s after the sample has been exposed to a variation of the dc magnetic field. We suggest that during the first seconds the response is determined by diffusive motion of fluxons, while in the time scale of minutes it is ruled by magnetic relaxation over the surface barrier.
Fluxon dynamics in Li–Al codoped MgB2 by microwave surface resistance measurements
The magnetic-field-induced variations of the microwave surface resistance, Rs, have been investigated in ceramic Mg_(1-x)(LiAl)_xB_2, with x in the range 0.1 - 0.4. The measurements have been performed on increasing and decreasing the DC magnetic field, H0, at fixed temperatures. At low temperatures, we have observed a magnetic hysteresis in the Rs(H0) curves in all the investigated samples. On increasing the temperature, the range of H0 in which the hysteretic behavior is visible shrinks; however, in the sample with x=0.1 it is present up to temperatures close to Tc. We show that the field dependence of Rs can be quantitatively justified taking into account the critical-state effects on th…
Critical-state effects on microwave losses in type-II superconductors
We discuss the microwave energy losses in superconductors in the critical state. The field-induced variations of the surface resistance are determined, in the framework of the Coffey and Clem model, by taking into account the distribution of the vortex magnetic field inside the sample. It is shown that the effects of the critical state cannot generally be disregarded to account for the experimental data. Results obtained in bulk niobium at low temperatures are quantitatively justified.
Anomalous magnetic hysteresis in the microwave surface resistance of MgB2 superconductor
We report experimental results of the field-induced variations of the microwave surface resistance in samples of MgB2, produced by different methods. By sweeping the DC magnetic field at increasing and decreasing values, we have detected a magnetic hysteresis that can be ascribed to the different magnetic induction, due to the critical state of the fluxon lattice. The hysteresis observed in the bulk samples has an unusual shape, which cannot be justified in the framework of the critical-state models.
Frequency dependence of the microwave surface resistance of MgB2 by coaxial cavity resonator
Abstract We report on the microwave (mw) properties of a cylindrical MgB2 rod prepared by the reactive liquid Mg infiltration technology. The MgB2 rod, 94.3 mm long, is used as inner conductor of a coaxial cavity having a Cu tube as external conductor. By analyzing the resonance curves of the cavity in the different resonant modes and at different temperatures, we have determined the temperature dependence of the mw surface resistance, R s , of the MgB2 material, at fixed frequencies, and the frequency dependence of R s , at fixed temperatures. Our results show that the R s ( f ) curves follow a f n law, where n decreases on increasing the temperature, starting from n ≈ 2 , at T = 4.2 K , d…
Electromagnetic response of LaO_0.94F_0.06FeAs: AC susceptibility and microwave surface resistance
We discuss on the electromagnetic response of a polycrystalline sample of LaO_0.94F_0.06FeAs exposed to DC magnetic fields up to 10 kOe. The low- and high-frequency responses have been investigated by measuring the AC susceptibility at 100 kHz and the microwave surface resistance at 9.6 GHz. At low as well as high DC magnetic fields, the susceptibility strongly depends on the amplitude of the AC driving field, highlighting enhanced nonlinear effects. The field dependence of the AC susceptibility exhibits a magnetic hysteresis that can be justified considering the intragrain-field-penetration effects on the intergrain critical current density. The microwave surface resistance exhibits a cloc…
Microwave Surface Resistance and Upper-Critical-Field Anisotropy of MgB2 Superconductor
The field-induced variations of the microwave surface resistance are investigated in two different samples of powdered MgB2. The experimental results can be justified in the framework of the Coffey and Clem model with fluxons moving in the flux-flow regime, provided that the anisotropy of the upper critical field is taken into due account. Assuming the angular dependence of the upper critical field expected from the anisotropic Ginzburg-Landau theory, we determine the anisotropy factor by fitting the experimental data of the field dependence of the microwave surface resistance. We show that the anisotropy factor is constant in a range of temperatures of about 3 K below Tc and it takes on di…
Harmonic emission at microwave frequencies in YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals near Tc
Abstract Nonlinear microwave emission by YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 single crystals is investigated at temperatures close to T c . Second- and third-harmonic signals are studied as a function of the temperature and input power, for different values of the external magnetic field. The results are discussed in the framework of a phenomenological theory based on the two-fluid model which assumes that both the microwave and static fields perturb the partial concentrations of the normal and condensate fluids. It is suggested that, at temperatures very close to T c , this mechanism is the only one responsible for the harmonic emission by YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 single crystals in the Meissner state. It is also effect…
Fluxon dynamics by microwave surface resistance measurements in MgB2
Field-induced variations of the microwave surface resistance, Rs(H), have been investigated in high-density ceramic MgB2. At low temperatures, several peculiarities of the Rs(H) curves cannot be justified in the framework of models reported in the literature. We suggest that they are ascribable to the unconventional vortex structure in MgB2, related to the presence of two gaps. On the contrary, the results near Tc can be accounted for by the Coffey and Clem model, with fluxons moving in the flux-flow regime, provided that the anisotropy of the upper critical field is taken into due account.
Complex conductivity in high-Tc single crystal superconductors
The electromagnetic surface impedance of single crystal high-T c superconductors has been examined within the framework of the two-fluid model and the hypothesis that the em field modulates the partial concentrations of both normal and condensate fluids. A comparison with experimental data is reported
Microwave response of a cylindrical cavity made of bulk MgB2 superconductor
We report on the microwave properties of a resonant cylindrical cavity made of bulk MgB2 superconductor, produced by the reactive liquid Mg infiltration process. The frequency response of the cavity has been measured in the range 5-13GHz. Among the various modes, the TE011, resonating at 9.79GHz, exhibits the highest quality factor. For this mode, we have determined the temperature dependence of the quality factor, obtaining values of the order of 10^5 in the temperature range 4.2-30K. The values of the surface resistance deduced from the measurements of the quality factor agree quite well with those independently measured in a small sample of MgB2 extracted from the same specimen from whic…
Ag nanoparticles agargel nanocomposites for SERS detection of cultural heritage interest pigments
Agarose gel (agargel) composites with commercial and laboratory made silver nanoparticles were prepared by a wet solution method at room temperature. The gel composites were used for pigment extraction and detection by Raman spectroscopy. Red (alizarin) and violet (crystal violet) pigments deposited on paper were extracted by the composites and were investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy. Evaluation was carried out of the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) effect induced by the silver nanoparticles embedded in the gel. A kinetic approach as a function of time was used to determine the efficiency of pigments extraction by composites deposition. A non-invasive extraction process of …
Time evolution of the microwave second-order response of YBaCuO powder
Transient effects in the microwave second-order response of YBaCuO powder are investigated. The time evolution of the second harmonic signal has been measured for about 300 s after the sample had been exposed to variations of the DC magnetic field. We show that in different time scales the transient response has different origin. In the time scale of milliseconds the transient response of samples in the critical state is ascribable to processes of flux redistribution induced by the switching on/off of the microwave field. At longer times, the time evolution of the second harmonic signal can be ascribed to motion of fluxons induced by the variation of the DC magnetic field. In particular, di…
Fluxon dynamics in Li–Al codoped by microwave surface resistance measurements
Abstract The magnetic-field-induced variations of the microwave surface resistance, R s , have been investigated in ceramic Mg1−x(LiAl)xB2, with x in the range 0.1 – 0.4 . The measurements have been performed on increasing and decreasing the DC magnetic field, H 0 , at fixed temperatures. At low temperatures, we have observed a magnetic hysteresis in the R s ( H 0 ) curves in all the investigated samples. On increasing the temperature, the range of H 0 in which the hysteretic behavior is visible shrinks; however, in the sample with x = 0.1 it is present up to temperatures close to T c . We show that the field dependence of R s can be quantitatively justified taking into account the critical…
Intergrain Effects in the AC Susceptibility of Polycrystalline LaFeAsO_{0.94}F_{0.06}
The AC susceptibility, chi, at zero DC magnetic field of a polycrystalline sample of LaFeAsO_{0.94}F_{0.06} (Tc ≈ 24 K) has been investigated as a function of the temperature, the amplitude of the AC magnetic field (in the range Hac = 0.003 Oe - 4 Oe) and the frequency (in the range f = 10 kHz - 100 kHz). The chi(T) curve exhibits the typical two-step transition arising from the combined response of superconducting grains and intergranular weak-coupled medium. The intergranular part of chi strongly depends on both the amplitude and the frequency of the AC driving field, from few Kelvin below Tc down to T = 4.2 K. Our results show that, in the investigated sample, the intergrain critical cur…