Absence of vortex lattice melting in a high-purity Nb superconductor
C. J. Bowell, R. J. Lycett, M. Laver, C. D. Dewhurst, R. Cubitt, E. M. Forgan
DOI 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.144508 · Physical Review B
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Abstract
The state of the vortex lattice extremely close to the superconducting to normal transition in an applied magnetic field is investigated in high-purity niobium. We observe that thermal fluctuations of the order parameter broaden the superconducting to normal transition into a crossover but no sign of a first-order vortex lattice melting transition is detected in measurements of the heat capacity or the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) intensity. Direct observation of the vortices via SANS always finds a well-ordered vortex lattice. The fluctuation broadening is considered in terms of the lowest Landau-level theory of critical fluctuations and scaling is found to occur over a large Hc2(T) range.
Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval
| Formula | Reported Tc (K) | Pressure (GPa) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nb Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula. | 9.25 | Pressure not reported | unknown |
| Nb Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula. | 9.25 | Pressure not reported | unknown |
| Nb3Sn Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula. | — | Pressure not reported | unknown |
| YBa2Cu3O7-δ Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula. | — | Pressure not reported | unknown |
| Bi2.15Sr1.95CaCu2O8+x Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula. | — | Pressure not reported | unknown |
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