Evidence for a common high-temperature superconducting effect in La(1.85)Sr(0.15)CuO4 and YBa2Cu3O7
The paper reports the positron-annihilation lifetime and Doppler-broadening energy spectra in La(1.85)Sr(0.15)CuO4 superconductors for T = 10-297 K. A strong temperature dependence in positron lifetime and momentum distribution parameters is observed for positron-electron annihilation data while the sample is in the superconducting state, but not while it is in the normal state. Experimental evidence is presented that the superconducting mechanisms in La(1.85)Sr(0.15)CuO4 and YBa2Cu3O7 are similar and it is suggested that this is a consequence of a common physics involving the delicate balance between localized- and itinerant-electron behavior.