Structural and Magnetic Properties of Untwinned Yba2Cu3O6+x Single Crystals
Keyword(s):
X Ray
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AbstractWe have conducted structural and magnetic investigations on thermomechanically-detwinned YBa2Cu3O6+x single crystals. Single crystal x-ray diffraction studies on a fully untwinned crystal with a superconducting onset temperature of 54 K have revealed that oxygen atoms in the basal plane are offset from the crystallographic mirror plane in the a direction, leading to “zig-zag” Cu-O chains. Magnetic measurements on untwinned and twinned crystals at 77 K indicate low levels of flux pinning in both crystals, with a slightly larger amount of pinning in the twinned crystal.