Thermal expansion of the magnetic superconductor Er0.4Ho0.6Rh4B4

✍ Scribed by R. Villar; S. Bourgeal; M.A.Lopez de la Torre; S. Vieira; M.B. Maple; M.S. Torikachvili

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1987
• Weight: 239 KB
• Volume: 148
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0378-4363
• DOI: 10.1016/0378-4363(87)90178-1

✦ Synopsis

We have measured the thermal expansion of a polycrystalline sample of Er0.4Ho06Rh4B4 in the temperature range 0.6-35 K and in the vicinity of 77 K. Our measurements show distinct features which appear to be associated with the ferromagnetically induced reentrant superconductivity exhibited by this compound. The coefficient a increases by an order of magnitude at the ferromagnetic ordering temperature (3.7 K), decreases to a very low and nearly constant value throughout the superconducting phase, becomes negative when superconductivity is destroyed at To. = 7.3 K, and recovers a positive value at 30 K. The superconducting energy gap is deduced from these measurements.