Mechanism of the electric-field effect in the high-Tc cuprates

The origin of the large electric field effect in the high-Tc superconductors has been identified by measuring the field effects in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x and comparing them with those in YBa2Cu3O7-x. In contrast to the predictions of models based on field-driven oxygen rearrangement, large field effects are observed in the Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x system, providing evidence that the effects arise from field-driven movement of the mobile charge carriers in the superconductor and thus are a generic property of the high-Tc compounds. © 1995 The American Physical Society.