Metal-Insulator Transition and Superconductivity in Strongly Correlated Systems

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9305860 Lindenfeld This research will investigate the transition from the metallic, superconducting state to the insulating, magnetically ordered state in layered cuprate oxide materials, the high-Tc systems. Thin films from a few atom-layers to several unit cells in thickness will be grown and characterized by a number of methods. The conducting properties will be changed by varying the composition of the materials which are prepared by laser-ablation techniques. The evolution of spin fluctuations and magnetic order will be investigated as the superconductivity disappears with compositional changes. In collaboration with colleagues, the materials will be characterized by x-ray and neutron diffraction and electrical transport measurements. %%% This project deals with the growth and characterization of high-Tc films. A major interest is how the superconducting properties change or disappear as films of the materials are grown atom by atom. The authors will use structural and electrical techniques to characterize the thin film materials and investigate the interplay between magnetic and superconducting properties of the materials. The results have importance for fundamental aspects of superconductivity as well as technological relevance in the context of preparing new superconducting layered structures. ***