Vortex Pair Excitation near the Superconducting Transition of Bi sub 2 Sr sub 2 CaCu sub 2 O sub 8.
01 January 1989
The dissipation observed at the superconducting transition of the high-T sub c superconductor Bi sub 2 Sr sub 2 CaCu sub 2 O sub 8 can be explained quantitatively by the Kosterlitz- Thouless (KT) theory in terms of independent vortex-antivortex pair excitations within the CuO sub 2 planes. This conclusion is drawn from a comparison of the pair-breaking effects of applied current and magnetic field. The KT phase transition (T sub c = 85.5+-0.5K) is near the R=O point in the superconducting transition.