Photothermal imaging of high T/sub c/ superconductor

Abstract

The authors have demonstrated the ability to make high-resolution thermal conductivity measurements of ceramic superconductors. The technique is nondestructive, has submicron resolution, and can measure the conductivity in a specified direction. The authors have measured the anisotropy in thermal conductivity of Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/ and found that the conduction along the Cu-O planes is six times greater than in the perpendicular direction. By incorporating refrigeration in their setup, they plan to measure the full, anisotropic thermal conductivity as a function of temperature, with particular emphasis on the behavior near T/sub c/.<>