Analysis of the Knight shift data on Li and Zn substituted YBCO

Abstract

The Knight shift data on Li and Zn substituted YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ are analysed using an itinerant model with short-range antiferromagnetic correlations. The model parameters, which are determined by fitting the experimental data on the transverse nuclear relaxation rate $T_2^{-1}$ of pure YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$, are used to calculate the Knight shifts for various nuclei around a nonmagnetic impurity located in the CuO$_2$ planes. The calculations are carried out for Li and Zn impurities substituted into optimally doped and underdoped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$. The results are compared with the $^7$Li and $^{89}$Y Knight shift measurements on these materials.