Normal State Magnetic Properties of Ni and Zn Substituted in YBa_{2}Cu_{3} O_{6+x}: Hole-Doping Dependence

Abstract

We present SQUID susceptibility data on Zn and Ni substituted YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{6+x}. Cross-checks with NMR yield an unprecedented accuracy in the estimate of the magnetic susceptibility associated with the substituants, from the underdoped to the lightly overdoped case. This allows us to determine the Weiss temperature θfor YBCO: its value is very small for all hole dopings n_h. Since in conventional metals, the Kondo temperature, $T_{K}<θ$, magnetic screening effects would not be expected for $T\gg θ$; in contrast, increasing n_h produces a reduction of the small moment induced by Zn^{2+} and a nearly constant effective moment for Ni^{2+} corresponding to a spin 1/2 rather than to a spin 1.

4 pages, 5 figures, to be published in Europhysics Letters