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Grain boundary flux pinning in superconducting niobium

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:5932575
Grain boundary flux pinning in superconducting niobium has been investigated in bicrystals produced by two different techniques, recrystallization and electron beam welding, as well as in polycrystalline foils doped with oxygen. The bicrystals allowed the evaluation of the pinning force from a single grain boundary, eliminating the problem of summing the pinning forces of many grain boundaries which is present in polycrystalline samples. A specific pinning force at a reduced field h= 0.3 of Q/sub GB/ = 470 N/m/sup 2/ was found for a bicrystal with an impurity parameter ..cap alpha.. = 1.5 produced by recrystallization and a Q/sub GB/ = 80 N/m/sup 2/ was found for a bicrystal with an impurity parameter ..cap alpha.. = 0.12 produced by electron beam welding. Grain boundary flux pinning was investigated as a function of purity and temperature in the niobium foils. Impurity parameters ..cap alpha.. from 0.03 to 10 were achieved by annealing the foils at different temperatures from 1300 to 1650/sup 0/ C in low oxygen partial pressures. Grain boundary flux pinning force Q/sub GB/ was 60 N/m/sup 2/ at reduced field h = 0.3. The pinning was measured over the temperature range 1.5 to 4.2 K. From the observed temperature dependence and purity dependence of the specific pinning force, it is concluded that the electron scattering interaction mechanism is the dominant grain boundary flux pinning mechanism in niobium for impurity levels above ..cap alpha.. = 0.03.
Research Organization:
Cornell Univ., Geneva, NY (USA)
OSTI ID:
5932575
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English