Crystal Growth, Transport Properties and Crystal Structure of the Single-Crystal La_{2-x}Ba_xCuO_4 with x=0.11

Abstract

We have attempted the crystal growth by the traveling-solvent floating-zone (TSFZ) method of La_{2-x}Ba_xCuO_4 with x~1/8, where the superconductivity is strongly suppressed. Under flowing O_2-gas of a high pressure (4 bars), we have succeeded in growing single crystals of x=0.11 with 5 mm in diameter and 20 mm in length. It has been found that both in-plane and out-of-plane electrical resistivities of the single-crystal La_{2-x}Ba_xCuO_4 with x=0.11 exhibit a clear jump at ~53 K. The temperature corresponds to the structural phase transition temperature between the orthorhombic mid-temperature (OMT) and tetragonal low-temperature (TLT) phases, T_{d2}. It has also been found that both in-plane thermoelectric power and Hall coefficient drop rapidly at T_{d2} and decrease below T_{d2} with decreasing temperature. These results are quite similar to those observed in the single-crystal La_{1.6-x}Nd_{0.4}Sr_xCuO_4 with x~1/8, suggesting that the so-called static stripe order of holes and spins in the CuO_2 plane is formed below T_{d2} in La_{2-x}Ba_xCuO_4 with x~1/8 as well as in La_{1.6-x}Nd_{0.4}Sr_xCuO_4 with x~1/8.