Electron and proton radiation effects in the high temperature superconductor YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta)

The particle-induced depression of the superconducting critical temperature, < e1 > T < /e1 > (c), of YBa(2)Cu(3)O (7-delta) is shown to be directly proportional to the nonionizing energy loss (NIEL) of primary knock-on atoms (PKAs) displaced by incident electrons, protons, and heavy ions, which cover a NIEL range of over seven orders of magnitude. Calculations of the NIEL for electrons and protons are given for YBa(2)Cu(3)O (7) over the range 1-1000 MeV. The partition of NIEL among the elements as a function of incident electron energy is discussed. For a given particle fluence {Phi}, it is concluded that < e1 > dT < /e1 > (c )/ < e1 > d < /e1 > {Phi} is proportional to the average number of defects produced, is not affected by the formation of defects in cascades, and is independent of the PKA spectrum. This means that the particle-induced depression of < e1 > T < /e1 > (c) can be predicted for any particle type, for any energy, and for any fluence