Pronounced enhancement of the lower critical field and critical current deep in the superconducting state of PrOs4Sb12.
We have observed an unexpected enhancement of the lower critical field H(c1)(T) and the critical current I(c)(T) deep in the superconducting state below T approximately 0.6 K (T/T(c) approximately 0.3) in the filled skutterudite heavy fermion superconductor PrOs(4)Sb(12). From a comparison of the behavior of H(c1)(T) with that of the heavy fermion superconductors U(1-x)Th(x)Be(13) and UPt(3), we speculate that the enhancement of H(c1)(T) and I(c)(T) in PrOs(4)Sb(12) reflects a transition into another superconducting phase that occurs below T/T(c) approximately 0.3. An examination of the literature reveals unexplained anomalies in other physical properties of PrOs(4)Sb(12) near T/T(c) approximately 0.3 that correlate with the features we have observed in H(c1)(T) and I(c)(T).
Cichorek
T
T
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden, Germany.
Mota
A C
AC
Steglich
F
F
Frederick
N A
NA
Yuhasz
W M
WM
Maple
M B
MB