Evidence for conventional superconducting behavior in noncentrosymmetric Mo(3)Al(2)C
| Title | Evidence for conventional superconducting behavior in noncentrosymmetric Mo(3)Al(2)C |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2011 |
| Authors | Bonalde I, Kim H, Prozorov R, Rojas C, Rogl P, Bauer E |
| Journal Title | Physical Review B |
| Volume | 84 |
| Pages | 134506 |
| Date Published | 10 |
| Type of Article | Article |
| ISBN Number | 1098-0121 |
| Accession Number | WOS:000295713600005 |
| Keywords | magnetic-field |
| Abstract | We report on measurements of the magnetic penetration depth of polycrystalline samples of nonmagnetic Mo(3)Al(2)C (T(c) = 9 K) without inversion symmetry. Two previous specific-heat measurements in this compound found different anomalous peaks in the low-temperature limit. One of these peaks was attributed to the superconducting transition at 3 K of the impurity phase Mo(2)C. We argue here that the second anomalous peak may be caused by the superconducting transition of SiC:Al at 1.45 K, another impurity phase possibly present in Mo(3)Al(2)C samples. The temperature-independent behavior of the penetration depth observed below 0.5 K is taken as firm evidence for the presence of a nodeless superconducting gap in Mo(3)Al(2)C. Numerical calculations using the BCS expression for the penetration depth give qualitative support for an isotropic energy gap in Mo(3)Al(2)C. The present results suggest that Mo(3)Al(2)C is a conventional s-wave superconductor, although two-gap or anisotropic-gap superconductivity cannot be ruled out. |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevB.84.134506 |
| Alternate Journal | Phys. Rev. B |
