Vortex dynamics and phase diagram in the electron-doped cuprate superconductor Pr0.87LaCe0.13CuO4

Second magnetization peak (SMP) in hole-doped cuprates and iron pnictide superconductors has been widely explored. However, similar feature in the family of electron-doped cuprates is not common. Here, we report the vortex dynamics study in the single crystal of an electron-doped cuprate Pr0.87LaCe0.13CuO4 superconductor using dc magnetization measurements. A second magnetization peak feature in the isothermal M(H) was observed for H parallel to ab planes. On the other hand, no such feature was observed for the H parallel to c axis in the crystal. Using magnetic relaxation data, a detailed analysis of activation pinning energy via collective creep theory suggests an elastic to plastic creep crossover across the SMP. Moreover, for the H parallel to ab, a peak in the temperature dependence of critical current density is also observed near 7 K, which is likely be related to a dimensional crossover [three-dimensional-two dimensional (3D-2D)] associated with the emergence of Josephson vortices at low temperatures. The anisotropy parameter obtained gamma approximate to 8-11 indicates the 3D nature of vortex lattice mainly for the H parallel to c axis. The H-T phase diagrams for H parallel to c and H parallel to ab are presented.