Specific heat of the electronic superconductor Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4

We have investigated the specific heat of the ceramic Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4 in t he temperature range 2-800 K in magnetic fields up to 8 T. We have determin ed the magnitude of the specific-heat discontinuity at the superconducting transition Delta C/T-c and estimate the coefficient of the electronic speci fic heat. In the temperature interval 5-800 K we have separated out the pho non contribution to the specific heat, determined the temperature dependenc e of the characteristic Debye temperature Theta, and calculated the mean fr equencies (moments) of the phonon spectrum. We compare the parameter values obtained in this way with data for the compound La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 having si milar crystal structure, but hole conductivity. The magnitude of the specif ic-heat discontinuity and consequently the effective electron mass in the " electronic" superconductor Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4 is several times smaller than i n the "hole" superconductor La1.85Sr0.15CuO4. The phonon spectrum in Pr1.85 Ce0.15CuO4 in the low-energy region is somewhat "more rigid," and in the hi gh-energy region somewhat "softer" than in La1.85Sr0.15CuO4. (C) 1999 Ameri can Institute of Physics. [S1063-7834(99)00607-3].