Evidence for the coexistence of an anisotropic superconducting gap and nonlocal effects in the nonmagnetic superconductor LuNi2B2C

Phys Rev Lett. 2004 Jun 11;92(23):237002. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.237002. Epub 2004 Jun 10.

Abstract

A study of the dependence of the heat capacity C(p)(alpha) on the field angle in LuNi2B2C reveals an anomalous disorder effect. For pure samples, C(p)(alpha) exhibits a fourfold variation as the field H<H(c2) is rotated in the [001] plane, with minima along <100> (alpha=0). A slightly disordered sample, however, develops anomalous secondary minima along <110> for mu(0)H>1 T, leading to an eightfold pattern at 2 K and 1.5 T. The anomalous pattern is discussed in terms of coexisting superconducting gap anisotropy and nonlocal effects.