Muon spin relaxation studies of superconductivity in a crystalline array of weakly coupled metal nanoparticles.
We report muon-spin-relaxation studies in weak transverse fields of the superconductivity in the metal cluster compound, Ga84[N(SiMe3)2]20-Li6Br2(thf)20.2 toluene. The temperature and field dependence of the muon-spin-relaxation rate and Knight shift clearly evidence type II bulk superconductivity below Tc approximately 7.8 K, with Bc1 approximately 0.06 T, Bc2 approximately 0.26 T, kappa approximately 2, and weak flux pinning. The data are well described by the s-wave BCS model with weak electron-phonon coupling in the clean limit. A qualitative explanation for the conduction mechanism in this novel type of narrow-band superconductor is presented.
Bono
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Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9504, 2300RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
Schnepf
A
A
Hartig
J
J
Schnöckel
H
H
Nieuwenhuys
G J
GJ
Amato
A
A
de Jongh
L J
LJ