Abstract
We report measurements of the microwave surface impedance of the borocarbide family of superconductors RC (R=Y,Er,Tm,Ho). The experiments enable direct measurements of the superfluid density, and are particularly sensitive to the influence of magnetic pair breaking. In C the antiferromagnetic transition is clearly observed at zero field, and leads to a drastic reduction of the superfluid density, which recovers at lower temperatures. In C the antiferromagnetic transition is not seen in zero-field data. Magnetic effects are responsible for anomalies in the low-temperature surface impedance below approximately 4 K in C and C. The temperature dependence of the microwave impedance disagrees with BCS calculations.
- Received 22 June 1995
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.52.R7022
©1995 American Physical Society