TY - JOUR
T1 - Intrinsic behavior of flux lines in pure niobium near the upper critical field
AU - Forgan, Edward
AU - Levett, SJ
AU - Kealey, PG
AU - Cubitt, R
AU - Dewhurst, CD
AU - Fort, David
PY - 2002/4/1
Y1 - 2002/4/1
N2 - We report small-angle neutron-scattering (SANS) measurements of flux line properties near H-c2 in an ultrapure sample of niobium with weak pinning of flux in the bulk. These confirm in detail the Abrikosov picture of the flux line lattice to within 20 mK of the upper critical field line. However, it has recently been claimed [X. S. Ling et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 712 (2001)], on the basis of SANS observations of a disordering of flux lines in niobium, that the flux lattice melts at temperatures clearly separated from the upper critical field line. This discrepancy may possibly arise from differences in sample purity and pinning.
AB - We report small-angle neutron-scattering (SANS) measurements of flux line properties near H-c2 in an ultrapure sample of niobium with weak pinning of flux in the bulk. These confirm in detail the Abrikosov picture of the flux line lattice to within 20 mK of the upper critical field line. However, it has recently been claimed [X. S. Ling et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 712 (2001)], on the basis of SANS observations of a disordering of flux lines in niobium, that the flux lattice melts at temperatures clearly separated from the upper critical field line. This discrepancy may possibly arise from differences in sample purity and pinning.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0037156894&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.167003
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.167003
M3 - Article
SN - 1079-7114
VL - 88
JO - Physical Review Letters
JF - Physical Review Letters
IS - 16
M1 - 167003
ER -