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Competition between magnetism and superconductivity in TmNi2B2C observed by muon-spin rotation

D. W. Cooke, J. L. Smith, S. J. Blundell, K. H. Chow, P. A. Pattenden, F. L. Pratt, S. F. J. Cox, S. R. Brown, A. Morrobel-Sosa, R. L. Lichti, L. C. Gupta, R. Nagarajan, Z. Hossain, C. Mazumdar, and C. Godart
Phys. Rev. B 52, R3864(R) – Published 1 August 1995
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Abstract

We report muon-spin-rotation measurements of the internal field in the rare-earth nickel boride carbide superconductor TmNi2B2C from 100 mK up to well above the superconducting transition temperature (Tc=9.5 K). An oscillatory muon response indicates that the muon is affected by a quasistatic local field that follows a T1 dependence over a wide temperature range and without interruption at the superconducting transition. The corresponding relaxation rate remains constant in the normal state, but begins to rise very sharply with decreasing temperature below Tc scaling approximately with the local field down to its maximum at 2.5 K. The quasistatic internal field may be attributed to a spiral structure or slow three-dimensional correlations of the Tm moments. Decoupling experiments reveal a dynamic depolarization mechanism which may tentatively be ascribed to fast two-dimensional correlations of the Ni moments, slowed by the onset of superconductivity.

  • Received 6 April 1995

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.52.R3864

©1995 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

D. W. Cooke and J. L. Smith

  • Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545

S. J. Blundell, K. H. Chow, P. A. Pattenden, and F. L. Pratt

  • Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom

S. F. J. Cox and S. R. Brown

  • ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxon OX11 0QX, United Kingdom

A. Morrobel-Sosa

  • California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California 93407

R. L. Lichti

  • Department of Physics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409

L. C. Gupta, R. Nagarajan, and Z. Hossain

  • Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Bombay 400 005, India

C. Mazumdar

  • Indian Institute of Technology, Powai, Bombay 400 076, India

C. Godart

  • UPR-209, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 92195 Meudon Cedex, France

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Issue

Vol. 52, Iss. 6 — 1 August 1995

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