Flux jump in Y1-xNdxBa2Cu3O7-y superconductors prepared by the MTG method

Flux jump behavior was observed on magnetic hysteresis loops of some MTG-processed Y1-xNdxBa2Cu3O7-y high-temperature superconductors at 5 K. The magnetization was measured by a SQUID magnetometer and the magnetic field was applied parallel to the c axis. This phenomenon may indicate a phase transition of flux lattice in the investigated superconductors. It was also found that flux jump behavior in these textured (Y,Nd)BaCuO superconducting samples correlates with the degree of Nd substitution. The mechanism corresponding to the effect of Nd substitution is now under further investigation. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.