Effects of annealing on the fluctuation conductivity and pseudogap in slightly doped $HoBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta}$ single crystals

Abstract

The effect of annealing at room temperature on the fluctuation conductivity (FLC) $\sigma^\prime(T)$ and pseudogap (PG) $\Delta^*(T)$ in the basal ab plane of $ReBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta}$ (Re = Ho) single crystals with a lack of oxygen has been studied. It is shown that at all stages of annealing, the FLC near $T_c$ can be described by the Aslamazov$-$Larkin and Maki$-$Thompson fluctuation theories, demonstrating a 3D$-$2D crossover with increasing temperature. The crossover temperature $T_0$ was used to determine the coherence length along the $c$-axis, $\xi_c(0)$=2.82 A. At the inter-mediate stage of annealing, an anomalous increase in 2D FLC was revealed, which is associated with the influence of uncompensated magnetic moments in $HoBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta}$ (HoBCO): $\mu_{eff, Ho}$=9.7$\mu_{B}$. For the quenched sample S1, the temperature dependence of the PG has a shape typical of single crystals with a large number of defects. However, $\Delta^*(T)$ has two small additional maxima at high temperature, which is a feature of HoBCO single crystals with pronounced twins and indicates the two-phase nature of the sample. Upon annealing, the shape of $\Delta^*(T)$ noticeably changes, very likely due to an increase in the magnetic interaction (sample S2). More important is the change in the slope of the data at high temperatures, which has become about 3.5 times steeper. The ordering of the oxygen distribution due to the diffusion process during annealing somewhat compensates for the influence of magnetic interaction. Interestingly, the slope turns out to be the same as for FeAs-based superconductors, suggesting the possibility of the existence of spin density waves in HoBCO in the PG state.