Flux-line pinning by the grain boundary in niobium bicrystals

Conference · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6490171

Kerchner, H R; Christen, D K; Lee, E M; DasGupta, A; Cai, B C; Chou, Y T

Flux-line pinning by the grain boundary in niobium bicrystals was investigated by making four-terminal measurements of the critical current and neutron diffraction measurements of the flux-line bending. The elementary pinning interaction is estimated from the critical current data by using an approximate theory of the current distribution on the grain boundary. The data reported here are mainly for a sample in which the applied magnetic field is parallel to the (111) and the (001) crystal directions in the two grains when it is in the plane of the boundary and perpendicular to the current direction. Evidence is seen of grain boundary faceting and of a flux-flow rectification effect that peaks as a function of temperature below 3/sup 0/K. The scale of the grain-boundary pinning is consistent with the quasiparticle-scattering theory.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA); Lehigh Univ., Bethlehem, PA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6490171
• Report Number(s): CONF-8511126-1; ON: DE86003090
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360104* -- Metals & Alloys-- Physical Properties
656102 -- Solid State Physics-- Superconductivity-- Acoustic
Electronic
Magnetic
Optical
& Thermal Phenomena-- (-1987)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
BICRYSTALS
CRITICAL CURRENT
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALS
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELEMENTS
GRAIN BOUNDARIES
MAGNETIC FLUX
METALS
MICROSTRUCTURE
NIOBIUM
POLYCRYSTALS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS