arXiv subjects

James L. Smith

Publications and source records attributed to James L. Smith.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2013

Spin Gap in Heavy Fermion UBe$_{13}$

Muon spin rotation ($μ^+$SR) experiments have been carried out in the heavy fermion compound UBe$_{13}$ in the temperature range from 0.025 K to 300 K and in magnetic fields up to 7 T, supported by resistivity and magnetization measurements. The $μ^+$SR spectra are characteristic of formation of a spin polaron which persists to the lowest temperature. A gap in the spin excitation spectrum of f-electrons opens up at about 180 K, consistent with anomalies discovered in resistivity, heat capacity, NMR and optical conductivity measurements of UBe$_{13}$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2000

Strong vortex pinning in the low-temperature superconducting phase of (U_1-xTh_x)Be_13

We have found a sharp transition at T_c2=350 mK in the vortex creep rate of a single crystal of (U_1-xTh_x)Be_13 with T_c=523 mK (x=0.0275). For T<<T_c2, no creep of vortices is observed in a time scale of 10^5 s, while for T_c2<T<T_c, vortices creep at very high rates (30 % of decay from a metastable configuration in the first 10^5 s at T=400 mK). The sharp transition occurs at the same temperature at which the second jump in the specific heat appears in these samples. Similar low levels of creep rates have been reported by us in the low-T superconducting phase of UPt_3.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2000

Unconventional strong pinning in the low temperature phase of U_.9725Th_.0275Be_13

We investigated low field vortex dynamics in a single crystal of U_.9725Th_.0275Be_13. We found a sharp transition in the vortex creep rate at the lower transition temperature T_c2, coincident with the second jump in the specific heat. In the high-temperature phase, rather strong creep rates are observed. In the low temperature phase, the rates drop to undetectabely low levels. This behaviour indicates that a very strong pinning mechanism is present in the low temperature phase of U_.9725Th_.0275Be_13, which could be explained by the existence of domain walls, separating discreetly degenerate states of a superconductor, that can sustain fractional vortices and thus act as very strong pinning centers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗