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. 

*This work was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under grant DMR-1933622 and the Chicago/DOE Alliance Center (CDAC) which is supported by DOE-NNSA under grant DE-NA0003975.The work performed at the Texas Center of Superconductivity at the University of Houston is supported by US Air Force Office of Scientific Research Grants FA9550-15-1-0236 and FA9550-20-1-0068, the T. L. L. Temple Foundation, the John J. and Rebecca Moores Endowment, and the State of Texas through the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston.

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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