Effects of high energy electron irradiation on a YBa2Cu3O7-8 high temperature superconductor

Abstract

High quality, single crystalline, high-temperature superconductors (YBa2Cu3 7. g) were irradiated with 88.5 and 92.0 MeV electrons at various fluences to a maximum of 2.5 +/- 0.5 x 1018 electrons/cm2 . The samples were manufactured at the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston and this experiment was in support of a much larger experiment investigating the effects of various irradiations on the critical current. By introducing artificial pinning centers, such as those produced by electron irradiation, in high-temperature superconductors, an applied magnetic flux can be effectively pinned and the current carrying capacity can be increased.