2013/07/31 by H. Saadaoui, T. Shiroka, A. Amato +8
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #BCS theory #Condensed matter physics #Heusler alloys: electronic and magnetic properties #Lambda #London penetration depth #Magnetic field #Magnetism #Muon spin spectroscopy #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum mechanics #Rare-earth and actinide compounds #Superconductivity #cond-mat.supr-con
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.88.094518
published as Phys. Rev. B 88, 094518 (2013), Erratum Phys. Rev. B 90, 059902(E) (2014) · 9 pages, 11 figures
arxiv created 2013/09/10 · openalex publication_date 2013/09/26 · arxiv updated 2014/08/26 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We report on muon-spin rotation and relaxation (\ensuremathμSR) and 119Sn nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements to study the microscopic superconducting and magnetic properties of the Heusler compound with the highest superconducting transition temperature, YPd2Sn (Tc=5.4 K). Measurements in the vortex state provide the temperature dependence of the effective magnetic penetration depth \ensuremathλ(T) and the field dependence of the superconducting gap \ensuremathΔ(0). The results are consistent with a very dirty s-wave BCS superconductor with a gap \ensuremathΔ(0)=0.85(3) meV, \ensuremathλ(0)=212(1) nm, and a Ginzburg-Landau coherence length \ensuremathξGL(0)\ensuremath≅23 nm. In spite of its very dirty character, the effective density of condensed charge carriers is high compared to that in the normal state. The \ensuremathμSR data in a broad range of applied fields are well reproduced by taking into account a field-related reduction of the effective superconducting gap. Zero-field \ensuremathμSR measurements, sensitive to the possible presence of very small magnetic moments, do not show any indications of magnetism in this compound.