Inelastic neutron studies of the low energy phonon excitations in the RENi{sub 2}B{sub 2}C superconductors (RE = Lu, Y, Ho, Er)
- Ames Lab., IA (United States)
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
The authors studied the low-energy phonon excitations for wavevectors close to the Fermi surface nesting vector {rvec {xi}}{sub m} {approx_equal} 0.55{rvec a}. They find that above T{sub c} the frequencies of the {Delta}{sub 4} [{zeta}00] lowest-lying optical and acoustic phonon modes decrease with decreasing temperature, for {rvec {xi}} close to {rvec {xi}}{sub m}, and there is a shift of intensity from the upper to the lower mode, an effect characteristic of coupled modes. From approximately 120K down to temperatures in the vicinity of T{sub c}, only a single unresolved peak is observed. Below T{sub c} the phonon spectra of the Y and Lu compounds change dramatically: they consist of a sharp peak at approximately 4.5 meV with a weak shoulder at the higher energy side. No such sharp peak was observed below T{sub c} in the Ho and Er compounds.
- Research Organization:
- Ames Lab., IA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-82
- OSTI ID:
- 348919
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970814--15; ON: DE99002501
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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