Possible origin of the anomalous magnetization behavior in melt-textured Y1Ba2Cu3O7−δ crystallites

Abstract

Magnetization measurements of the hysteresis loop, M(B), of melt-textured Y1Ba2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) crystallites were performed in external magnetic fields up to 10 T. The M(B) curves exhibit, between the superconducting transition temperature Tc and almost 39 K, a peak at a finite field B* which increases with decreasing temperature. The crystallites possess a high density of dislocations which could have been introduced during the high temperature treatment and/or by stresses created due to differences in the lattice parameter of small inclusions and the YBCO matrix. The large dislocation density together with the high sensitivity of the superconducting order parameter on deviations from the regular crystal structure and the small coherence length are suggested to be responsible for the observed fishtail shape of the magnetization curves.