ABSTRACT
Since the discovery of high-Tc superconducting (HTS) cuprates by Bednorz and Miiller [1], a tremendous amount of work has been devoted to their characterization. Bismuth-based cuprates (BSCCO) deserved special attention owing to their promising critical current densities, a nonequilibrium property. In this review of experimental data, we shall focus on reversible or equilibrium magnetic and thermal properties. These are related by the laws of thermodynamics; for example, d2M/dT2\H = d(C/T)/dH\T. It follows that some physical quantities can be determined both by specific heat (C) and magnetization (M) measurements. One of the techniques is generally more sensitive to some specific aspect of the problem that one wishes to emphasize. Magnetization is preferred when ease of measurement and sensitivity are required, but it is more sensitive to surface effects; specific heat suffers from a large and somewhat uninteresting phonon background but gives access to bulk quantities proportional to the volume. A better understanding of the nature of the superconducting transition is best documented by a simultaneous knowledge of both the specific heat and the magnetization.
