Temperature and field dependence of magnetization of MgB2 polycrystals

We present magnetization properties of magnesium diboride (MgB2). MgB2 polycrystals were fabricated by using the vapor transport method inside a sealed stainless tube. The critical current density J(c) was estimated from the magnetization hysteresis DeltaM by using the Bean model. The temperature dependence of J(c) (T) showed a linear behavior below 15 K and deviated from such behavior in the higher temperature region. This behavior indicates that a flux creep effect influences the wide temperature range for the MgB2 polycrystals. Furthermore, small values of DeltaM show that the pinning force density F-p is very weak. The temperature dependence of the upper critical field H-c2 (T) was also obtained and revealed a linear behavior far from T-c. From our experimental results, we conclude that the MgB2 polycrystals are of good quality with less pinning centers, compared to the commercially available MgB2 powder. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.