Magnetism and Superconductivity in (Er₀.₁₆Ho₀.₈₄)Rh₄B₄

Author

Oran Allan Pringle, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Herbert A. Mook
Steven E. Lambert
M. Brian Maple

Abstract

The superconducting and ferromagnetic phase boundaries in the (Er_1-xHox)Rh₄B₄ mixed ternary alloy system meet in a multicritical point at x_cr ≈ 0.9. For xcr, the compounds first become superconducting as the temperature is lowered, and then lose superconductivity in a transition to ferromagnetism. The coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism for alloys near the erbium-rich end of the phase diagram is well established. It has also been suggested that ferromagnetism and superconductivity coexist in alloys with x just below x_cr. We have carried out neutron-diffraction, ac magnetic susceptibility, and heat-capacity measurements on a sample of (Er_0.16Ho_0.84)Rh₄B₄ to investigate the possibility of coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity for x ≈ x_cr. We find that there are minor discrepancies in the superconducting and magnetic transition temperatures reported for different samples of (Er_0.16Ho_0.84)Rh₄B₄, but that ferromagnetism and superconductivity do occur simultaneously over a narrow temperature range in this sample. We suggest that an inhomogeneous state occurs, consisting of separate ferromagnetic and superconducting regions, rather than microscopic coexistence.

Recommended Citation

O. A. Pringle et al., "Magnetism and Superconductivity in (Er₀.₁₆Ho₀.₈₄)Rh₄B₄," Physical Review B (Condensed Matter), vol. 38, no. 13, pp. 8724 - 8729, American Physical Society (APS), Nov 1988.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.38.8724

Department(s)

Physics

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0163-1829

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Final Version

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 1988 American Physical Society (APS), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Nov 1988