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Superconducting transition in Nb/sub 3/Ge irradiated with fast neutrons

Journal Article · · Sov. Phys. - Solid State (Engl. Transl.); (United States)
OSTI ID:6462104
An experimental investigation was made of the superconducting transition in the intermetallic compound Nb/sub 3/Ge irradiated in the superconducting state in a cryochannel of a nuclear reactor. The critical temperature T/sub c/ of the superconducting transition in a thin (2 ..mu..) film of this intermetallic compound, deposited on a molybdenum wire 0.5 mm in diameter, was determined by an intrareactor resistance method. It was found that T/sub c/ of the Nb/sub 3/Ge--Mo composite was only slightly affected right up to the fast-neutron fluence 2.3 x 10/sup 18/ cm/sup -2/ (E>1 MeV) at the irradiation temperature of 12 K: the transition temperature decreased from 19.5 K to 18.8 K. It was established that a significant degradation of T/sub c/ occurred during the subsequent prologed annealing at 300 K and this was accompanied by an increase in the width of the superconducting transition, indicating that inhomogeneities in the form of disordered or nonstoichiometric clusters appeared in the matrix.
Research Organization:
Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR, Tbilisi
OSTI ID:
6462104
Journal Information:
Sov. Phys. - Solid State (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Journal Name: Sov. Phys. - Solid State (Engl. Transl.); (United States) Vol. 27:8; ISSN SPSSA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English