Coincidence between energy gaps and Kohn anomalies in conventional superconductors

S. Johnston, A. P. Sorini, B. Moritz, T. P. Devereaux, and D. J. Scalapino
Phys. Rev. B 84, 174523 – Published 23 November 2011

Abstract

Recently, neutron scattering spin-echo measurements have provided high-resolution data on the temperature dependence of the linewidth Γ(q,T) of acoustic phonons in conventional superconductors Pb and Nb [see P. Aynajian et al., Science 319, 1509 (2008)]. At low temperatures, the merging of the 2Δ(T) structure in the linewidth with a peak associated with a low-lying ωqKA Kohn anomaly suggested a coincidence between 2Δ(0) and ωqKA in Pb and Nb. Here we carry out a standard BCS calculation of the phonon linewidth to examine its temperature evolution and explore how close 2Δ(0)/ωqKA must be to unity in order to be consistent with the neutron data.

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  • Received 22 June 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.84.174523

©2011 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

S. Johnston1,2, A. P. Sorini2,*, B. Moritz2,3, T. P. Devereaux2,4, and D. J. Scalapino5

  • 1IFW Dresden, P.O. Box 27 01 16, D-01171 Dresden, Germany
  • 2Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
  • 3Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58202, USA
  • 4Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
  • 5Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9530, USA

  • *Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA.

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Vol. 84, Iss. 17 — 1 November 2011

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