Tunneling and magnetic characteristics of superconducting ZrB 12 single crystals

MI Tsindlekht, GI Leviev, I Asulin, A. Sharoni, O Millo, I Felner, YB Paderno, VB Filippov, MA Belogolovskii

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Bulk and surface properties of high-quality single crystals of zirconium dodecaboride have been studied in the temperature range from 4.5K up to the superconducting transition temperature, which is found to be nearly 6.06K. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy data, together with dc and ac magnetization measurements, are consistent with the conventional s-wave pairing scenario, whereas they disagree in estimates of the electron-phonon coupling strength. We explain the divergence, supposing a great difference between the surface and bulk superconducting characteristics of the compound. This assertion is supported by our findings of a nonlinear magnetic response to an amplitude-modulated alternating magnetic field, testifying to the presence of surface superconductivity in the ZrB12 samples at dc fields exceeding the thermodynamic critical field.
Original languageAmerican English
JournalPhysical Review B (Condensed Matter and Materials Physics)
Volume69
Issue number21
StatePublished - 2004

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