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A remarkable consequence of research on high-temperature superconductors is a new picture of superconductivity in a magnetic field. Research on the conventional superconductors led to the belief that, while the resistance might be immeasurably small, it would never be zero: While there are strong superconducting fluctuations, there is not a true superconducting phase transition in a magnetic field. New experiments and theories since 1989 led to the opposite conclusion, very often based on scaling to analyze current-voltage (I-V) characteristics.

While data should undoubtedly obey scaling if a phase transition exists, work at Maryland argues that the converse is more subtle [D. R. Strachan et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 067007 (2001)]. The work showed that standard I-V scaling is much too flexible to allow conclusions to be drawn about the presence or absence of a phase transition. Based on a new experimental criterion, it appeared that data are actually more consistent with the absence of a phase transition.

The objective of this work is to experimentally study the temperature vs. field phase diagram of type-II superconductors, to determine if there is a transition in non-zero field, and to determine the critical exponents of that transition if there is, as well as the exponents of the zero-field transition. (The exponents reported in the literature vary widely for both transitions.) The methods used include DC current-voltage (I-V) and high-frequency (45 MHz to 45 GHz) conductivity measurements on the same samples, providing independent experiments. Extreme sensitivity of DC measurements to noise, and of both measurements to sample inhomogeneity, is dealt with by improved filtering and sample characterization. In addition, the new experimental criterion proposed above is used to determine when a scaling can be properly used.

Related work has examined the critical behavior of magnetization at the ferromagnetic/paramagnetic second order phase transition in single crystal manganites (paper 73).

The intellectual merit of this work is an improved understanding of phase transitions in superconductors and in other systems. More broadly, the project will reaffirm that questioning and testing widely-accepted results is an essential part of the scientific process. Other broad impacts include continued support for training of graduate and undergraduate students.
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation.

Some relevant papers: (All papers can be downloaded from the full publication list)
73. Andrew Schwartz, Mark Scheffler, and Steven M. Anlage, "Determination of the Magnetization Scaling Exponent for Single Crystal La _0.8Sr_0.2MnO₃ by Broadband Microwave Surface Impedance Measurements," Phys. Rev. B (Rapid Communications) 61, R870-R873 (2000) .

49. J. C. Booth, Dong-Ho Wu, S. Qadri, E. Skelton, M. S. Osofsky, Alberto Pique, and Steven M. Anlage, "Large Dynamical Fluctuations in the Microwave Conductivity of YBa₂Cu₃O_7-d ," Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 4438 (1996). pdf

45. Steven M. Anlage, J. Mao, J. C. Booth, D.-H. Wu, and J. L. Peng, "Fluctuations in the Microwave Conductivity of YBa₂Cu₃O_7-d Single Crystals in zero dc magnetic field," Phys. Rev. B 53, 2792-2796 (1996). pdf

40. Dong-Ho Wu, J. C. Booth, and Steven M. Anlage, "Frequency and Field Variation of Vortex Dynamics in YBa₂Cu₃O_7-d ," Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 525 (1995). pdf