Electronic specific heat of YBa2Cu3O6+x from 1.8 to 300 K

We have determined for the first time the electronic specific heat γ(x, T) of YBa2Cu3O6+x for 0.16 ≤ x ≤ 0.97 from 1.8 to 300 K. Weakly superconducting behavior between x = 0.4 and 0.8 progresses rapidly to strong coupling BCS-like superconducting and metallic normal state behavior for x ≥ 0.9. However, the continuous development of the entropy S(x, T) with x and T across the entire series suggests a progressive modification of the low-energy spin spectrum with hole doping rather than a simple band model. Fermi statistics and k-space pairing for all x is indicated by the magnitude and T-dependence of S(x, T). Pseudogap behavior in S(x, T) is observed over a temperature region above Tc, which increases rapidly with oxygen depletion to around 200 K for x ∼ 0.7. This loss of entropy reflects normal-state correlations apparently unrelated to the superconducting pairing. 16 refs., 9 figs