Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Observation of a Square Abrikosov Lattice in LuNi{sub 2}B{sub 2}C

Journal Article · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.4273· OSTI ID:656098

De Wilde, Y; Iavarone, M; Welp, U; Metlushko, V; Koshelev, A E; Aranson, I; Crabtree, G W ^[1]; Canfield, P C ^[2]

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1. Material Science Division-Science and Technology Center for Superconductivity, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States)
2. Ames Laboratory and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 (United States)

We present scanning tunneling microscopy measurements of the (001) surface of a LuNi{sub 2}B {sub 2}C borocarbide single crystal at 4.2K. In zero field, the conductance versus voltage characteristics recorded at various locations on the sample reproducibly provide a gap value of 2.2meV. In a magnetic field of 1.5 and 0.375T, the recordings of the conductance as a function of position reveal a regular square vortex lattice tilted by 45{degree} with respect to the crystalline a axis. This unusual result is correlated with an in-plane anisotropy of the upper critical field H{sup {parallel}}{sub c2}(45{degree})/H{sup {parallel}}{sub c2}(0)=0.92 at 4.2K and is analyzed within the framework of Ginzburg-Landau theory. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38; W-7405-ENG-82
• OSTI ID: 656098
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 22 Vol. 78; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
66 PHYSICS
ABRIKOSOV THEORY
ANISOTROPY
CRITICAL FIELD
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ENERGY GAP
GINZBURG-LANDAU THEORY
LUTETIUM BORIDES
LUTETIUM CARBIDES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
NICKEL BORIDES
NICKEL CARBIDES
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0000-0013 K
TUNNEL EFFECT
VORTICES