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Crystal structure and superconductivity in the Ni-based ternary compound LaNiSi

Journal Article · · Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States)
;  [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Department of Physics, National Chung Cheng University, Ming-Hsiung, Chia-Yi 621, Taiwan (Taiwan, Province of China)
  2. Department of Physics, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan (Taiwan, Province of China)

With powder-x-ray-diffraction methods, the ternary compound LaNiSi has been identified to have a LaPtSi-type crystal structure with four formula units in a unit cell of the space group [ital I]4[sub 1][ital md] with dimensions [ital a]=4.181(1) A, [ital c]=14.069(8) A. The agreement of the transition temperature [ital T][sub [ital c]]=1.20[similar to]1.26 K (10[similar to]90 % values) measured by ac-susceptibility and heat-capacity techniques provides clear evidence of bulk superconductivity in LaNiSi. The normal-state specific-heat data can be fit to the expression [ital C][sub [ital n]]=[gamma][ital T]+[beta][ital T][sup 3] by a least-squares analysis, where [gamma]=8.89 mJ/mol K[sup 2] and [beta]=0.487 mJ/mol K[sup 4], resulting in a Debye temperature [Theta][sub [ital D]]=229 K. Below [ital T][sub [ital c]], the specific-heat data have a dominant low-temperature behavior of the form exp[[minus][Delta](0)/[ital k][sub [ital BT]]], where the order parameter 2[Delta](0)=3.5[ital k][sub [ital BT]][sub [ital c]]. In addition, the measured heat-capacity jump [Delta][ital C] at the transition point is found to be equal to 1.46[gamma][ital T][sub [ital c]], implying that LaNiSi is a weakly coupled superconductor.

OSTI ID:
6881464
Journal Information:
Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States) Vol. 50:9; ISSN 0163-1829; ISSN PRBMDO
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English