Absence of non-linear Meissner effect in YBa2Cu3O6.95

TL;DR

This study measures the penetration depth in high-purity YBa2Cu3O6.95 crystals and finds no evidence of the non-linear Meissner effect predicted for d-wave superconductors, challenging existing theories.

Contribution

The paper provides experimental evidence that the non-linear Meissner effect is absent or negligible in YBa2Cu3O6.95, contradicting Yip-Sauls theory predictions.

Findings

Linear temperature dependence of lambda down to low temperatures.

Field-dependent correction to lambda is smaller than predicted.

No observable non-linear Meissner effect in the studied crystals.

Abstract

We present measurements the field and temperature dependence of the penetration depth (lambda) in high purity, untwinned single crystals of YBa2Cu3O6.95 in all three crystallographic directions. The temperature dependence of lambda is linear down to low temperatures, showing that our crystals are extremely clean. Both the magnitude and temperature dependence of the field dependent correction to lambda however, are considerably different from that predicted from the theory of the non-linear Meissner effect for a d-wave superconductor (Yip-Sauls theory). Our results suggest that the Yip-Sauls effect is either absent or is unobservably small in the Meissner state of YBa2Cu3O6.95.