Kosterlitz-Thouless Transition in Bi${}_2$Sr${}_2$CaCu${}_2$O${}_8+\delta$ Thin Films

Abstract

Current-voltage ($I-V$) characteristics and the increase of superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ as a function of the number of half-unit-cell layers $n$ are studied on Bi${}_2$Sr${}_2$CaCu${}_2$O${}_{8+\delta }$ thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. These observations are interpreted in terms of Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) transition associated with vortex string threading the film. Considering the change in the types of the lowest free-energy excitations as a function of the size of vortex pair, we have formulated KT renormalization-group (RG) equations. Using experimental data obtained with Bi${}_2$Sr${}_2$CaCu${}_2$O${}_{8+\delta }$ thin films, we have solved the RG equations. It is shown that the KT transition occurs in the vortex-string region with interstring $\ln r$ interaction only. Our calculation successfully explains KT scaling in $I-V$ characteristics and the relation between $T_c$ and $n$. These results indicate that the interlayer interaction plays an important role in Bi${}_2$Sr${}_2$CaCu${}_2$O${}_{8+\delta }$ thin films.

27 pages and 10 figures (uuencoded postscript files) appended, RevTeX 3.0 (Minor corrections are made concerning citations.)