title: Enhancement of the critical current density of YBa2Cu3Ox superconductors under hydrostatic pressure.
abstract: The dependence of the critical current density Jc on hydrostatic pressure to 0.6 GPa is determined for a single 25 degrees [001]-tilt grain boundary in a bicrystalline ring of nearly optimally doped melt-textured YBa2Cu3Ox. Jc is found to increase rapidly under pressure at +20%/GPa. A new diagnostic method is introduced (pressure-induced Jc relaxation) which reveals a sizable concentration of vacant oxygen sites in the grain boundary region. Completely filling such sites with oxygen anions should lead to significant enhancements in Jc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Washington University, CB 1105, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Veal
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Claus