Magnetization of small lead particles.
The magnetization of an ensemble of isolated lead grains of sizes ranging from 4 to 1000 nm is measured. A sharp disappearance of the Meissner effect with a lowering of the grain size is observed for the smaller grains. This is a direct observation by magnetization measurement of the occurrence of a critical particle size for superconductivity, which is consistent with Anderson's criterion.
Reich
S
S
Department of Materials and Interfaces, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Leitus
G
G
Popovitz-Biro
R
R
Schechter
M
M