Anisotropic magnetotransport of superconducting and normal state in an electron-doped Nd_{1.85}Ce_{0.15}CuO_{4-\delta} single crystal

Abstract

The anisotropic properties of an optimally doped Nd_{1.85}Ce_{0.15}CuO_{4-\delta} single crystal have been studied both below and above the critical temperature Tc via the resistivity measurement in magnetic field H up to 12 T. By scaling the conductivity fluctuation around the superconducting transition, the upper critical field H_{c2}(T) has been determined for field parallel to the c-axis or to the basal ab-plane. The anisotropy factor \gamma={H_c2||ab}/{H_c2||c} is estimated to be about 8. In the normal state (50=<T=<180 K), the magnetoresistance (MR) basically follows an H^2 dependence and for H||c it is almost 10 times larger than that for H||ab. Comparing with hole-doped cuprates it suggests that the optimally doped Nd_{1.85}Ce_{0.15}CuO_{4-\delta} cuprate superconductor has a moderate anisotropy.