Direct observation of flux-creep in high-Tc superconductors using the high-resolution Faraday effect

Using the capability of the high-resolution Faraday effect (HRF) to allow dynamic observations of the Shubnikov phase, we directly observed effects of flux-creep in high-Tc superconductors. In this paper we show measurements on (RE)Ba2Cu3O7-δ with RE=Y, Dy, Gd and on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-δ single crystals and also on YBaCuO thin films and sintered materials. Furthermore, this technique enables us also to measure the flux creep locally. From the obtained photographs we determine the time dependence of the total flux in the samples. Using these data and the model of Hagen et al. the effective activation energies have been determined for these materials. (orig.)