Resonant photoemission spectroscopy of the quenched superconductivity system: Y1-xPrxBa2Cu3O7-delta single crystals

Abstract

The electronic structures of the quenched superconductivity system Y1-xPrxBa2Cu3O7-delta (YPrBCO; x=0, 0.4, 0.8) have been investigated by resonant photoemission spectroscopy (PES) measurements near the Pr 4d-->4f absorption edge. With increasing x, PES data exhibit a binding-energy shift away from E-F. The fine structures of YPrBCO (x=0.8) are very similar to those of trivalent PrF3, providing evidence that Pr ions in YPrBCO are predominantly in Pr 3+ states. Comparison of the PES spectra of YPrBCO with x=0.8 to the electronic structure for PrBa2Cu3O7 obtained by using the local spin-density functional approximation incorporating the Coulomb correlation shows good agreement in the bandwidths and the peak positions of the Cu d and O p states.