Compressibility and thermal expansion of YBa₂Cu₃O _x

Abstract

The linear compressibilities and the thermal expansion of an untwinned, nearly optimal doped YBa ₂ Cu ₃ O _6.94 single crystal were measured along the three crystallographic axes with a high-resolution dilatometer mounted in a high-pressure cell. The measurements were performed in a temperature range from 50 K to 320K under hydrostatic gas pressure of maximal 0.65 GPa. At a temperature of 300 K the measured bulk modulus is reduced and shows a very strong enhancement under increasing pressure due to pressure-induced oxygen ordering. This ordering process can also be related to a glass transition seen in the thermal expansion above 225 K. At lower temperatures, when oxygen ordering is frozen, the bulk modulus is increased and shows a significantly reduced enhancement under pressure. This pressure dependence, however, is still anomalous high, probably caused by bonds of extremely different compressibilities within the unit cell. The widely spread literature data of the bulk modulus can be explained by this high pressure dependence.