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Thermodynamics of the Superconducting Phase Transition in Ba0.6K0.4BiO3

P. Kumar, Donavan Hall, and R. G. Goodrich
Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4532 – Published 31 May 1999
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Abstract

We suggest that the transition to superconductivity in a single crystal of Ba0.6K0.4BiO3 with Tc=32K, and having critical fields with anomalous temperature dependencies and vanishing discontinuities in specific heat and magnetic susceptibility, may well be an example of a fourth order (in Ehrenfest's sense) phase transition. We have derived a free energy functional for a fourth order transition and calculated (for the temperature range Tc/2<TTc) the temperature dependence of the critical fields. We find Hc1(T)(1T/Tc)3, H0(T)(1T/Tc)2, and Hc2(T)(1T/Tc)1 in general agreement with experiments.

  • Received 12 October 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.4532

©1999 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

P. Kumar

  • Department of Physics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611

Donavan Hall

  • National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32310

R. G. Goodrich

  • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803-4001

See Also

Superconductor Unfazed by Its Transition

Phys. Rev. Focus 3, 31 (1999)

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Issue

Vol. 82, Iss. 22 — 31 May 1999

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