We have studied the normal-to-superconducting phase transition in optimally-doped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-delta}$ in zero external magnetic field using a variety of different samples and techniques. Using DC transport measurements, we find that the dynamical critical exponent $z=1.54pm0.14$, and the static critical exponent $ u=0.66pm0.10$ for both films (when finite-thickness effects are included in the data analysis) and single crystals (where finite-thickness effects are unimportant). We also measured thin films at different microwave frequencies and at different powers, which allowed us to systematically probe different length scales to avoid finite-thickness effects. DC transport measurements were also performed on the films used in the microwave experiments to provide a further consistency check. These microwave and DC measurements yielded a value of z consistent with the other results, $z=1.55pm0.15$. The neglect of finite-thickness, finite-current, and finite-frequency effects may account for the wide ranges of values for $ u$ and $z$ previously reported in the literature.
We study dynamic fluctuation effects of $YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-delta}$ thin films in zero field around $T_c$ by doing frequency-dependent microwave conductivity measurements at different powers. The length scales probed in the experiments are varied systematically allowing us to analyze data which are not affected by the finite thickness of the films, and to observe single-parameter scaling. DC current-voltage characteristics have also been measured to independently probe fluctuations in the same samples. The combination of DC and microwave measurements allows us to precisely determine critical parameters. Our results give a dynamical scaling exponent $z=1.55pm0.15$, which is consistent with model E-dynamics.
