Physical properties of the noncentrosymmetric superconductor Mg_10Ir_19B_16

TL;DR

This study characterizes the superconducting properties of Mg10Ir19B16, revealing it as a type-II superconductor with multiple gaps influenced by spin-orbit coupling, through comprehensive thermodynamic and spectroscopic measurements.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed experimental analysis of Mg10Ir19B16's superconducting properties, including evidence for multiple gaps and the role of spin-orbit coupling.

Findings

Mg10Ir19B16 is a type-II superconductor with Tc=4.45K.

Superconductivity is dominated by an s-wave gap.

Evidence of multiple superconducting gaps due to spin-orbit coupling.

Abstract

Specific heat, electrical resistivity, and magnetic susceptibility measurements on a high quality sample of Mg10Ir19B16 provide a self-consistent determination of its superconducting properties. They indicate that Mg10Ir19B16 is a type-II superconductor (Tc=4.45K, k(0)=20), with an electron-phonon coupling constant l_ep=0.66. An analysis of the T-dependent specific heat shows that superconducting properties are dominated by an s-wave gap (D=0.7 meV). Point contact tunneling data provide evidence for multiple superconducting gaps, as expected from strong asymmetric spin-orbit coupling.