Session D28: SPS Undergraduate Research II
2:30 PM–4:42 PM, Monday, March 15, 2010
Room: C124
Sponsoring Unit:
SPS
Chair: Crystal Bailey, American Physical Society
Abstract ID: BAPS.2010.MAR.D28.1
Abstract: D28.00001 : Growth of Superconducting Bulk Single Crystals and their use in Leviation Demonstrations
2:30 PM–2:42 PM
Preview Abstract
MathJax On | Off Abstract 
Authors:
A. Kotlyarevsky
(Department of Physics, Ithaca College, Ithaca NY)
M.C. Sullivan
(Department of Physics, Ithaca College, Ithaca NY)
J. Hunting
(Department of Chemistry, Ithaca College, Ithaca NY)
We present our work on the growth of bulk single-crystal YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$ and a novel superconducting demonstration using our superconductors. We report the first successful fabrication at the undergraduate level of YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$ superconducting pucks with enhanced flux-pinning properties. We follow a bulk superconductor growth recipe developed by Dr. Kazumasa Iida at the Institute for Metallic Materials in Dresden, Germany. In order to grow a puck that is largely single crystalline in phase, it is necessary to mix portions of both superconducting (YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$) and non-superconducting (Y$_2$BaCuO$_5$) phases together and fire them at near liquefying temperatures. This process is known as melt-textured growth. We have also constructed a figure-8 track of strong permanent NdFeB magnets to demonstrate the dramatic effect of flux-pinning. This track is outfitted with an accelerator to keep the puck circling the track. We accelerate the puck to a speed that, without the introduction of enhanced flux-pinning, would cause the puck to be thrown from the track. We will show a video of our puck and novel demonstration.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2010.MAR.D28.1