High temperature mixed state c-axis dissipation in low carrier density Y0.54Pr0.46Ba2Cu3O7−

The nature of the out-of-plane dissipation was investigated in underdoped Y0.54Pr0.46Ba2Cu3O7− single crystals at temperatures close to the critical temperature. For this goal, temperatureand angle-dependent out-of-plane resistivity measurements were carried out both below and above the critical temperature. We found that the Ambegaokar-Halperin relationship V. Ambegaokar and B. I. Halperin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 22, 1364 1969 depicts very well the angular magnetoresistivity in the investigated range of field and temperature. The main finding is that the in-plane phase fluctuations decouple the layers above the critical temperature and the charge transport is governed only by the quasiparticles. We also have calculated the interlayer Josephson critical current density, which was found to be much smaller than the one predicted by the theory of layered superconductors. This discrepancy could be a result of the d-wave symmetry of the order parameter and/or of the non-BCS temperature dependence of the c-axis penetration length.