Proton radiation damage in superconducting EuBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/ and GdBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/

Sintered samples of EuBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/ and GdBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/ with xapprox. =7 have been irradiated at 90 /sup 0/C with 800 MeV protons. The superconducting transition temperature decreases 1.7 K/10/sup 17/ pcm/sup -2/ for both materials. The critical magnetization current density, characterizing intragranular conduction, increases a factor of 3 at zero field and relatively larger factors for finite magnetic fields at 7 and 75 K for fluences on the order of 10/sup 17/ pcm/sup -2/. No and only minor differences between irradiated and unirradiated specimens were seen in calorimetric and transmission electron microscopy analyses, respectively.