Enhancement of quasiparticle recombination in Ta and Al superconductors by implantation of magnetic and nonmagnetic atoms

TL;DR

This study investigates how implanting magnetic and nonmagnetic atoms affects quasiparticle recombination times in Ta and Al superconductors, revealing that increased disorder, not magnetic moments, enhances recombination rates.

Contribution

It demonstrates that impurity-induced disorder, rather than magnetic moments, enhances quasiparticle recombination in superconducting films.

Findings

Implantation of Mn increases recombination rate in Ta and Al.

Enhanced disorder, not magnetism, causes faster recombination.

Recombination involves electron-phonon interaction and an unidentified low-temperature process.

Abstract

The quasiparticle recombination time in superconducting films, consisting of the standard electron-phonon interaction and a yet to be identified low temperature process, is studied for different densities of magnetic and nonmagnetic atoms. For both Ta and Al, implanted with Mn, Ta and Al, we observe an increase of the recombination rate. We conclude that the enhancement of recombination is not due to the magnetic moment, but arises from an enhancement of disorder.