Thermal conductivity of the pyrochlore superconductor KOs2O6: strong electron correlations and fully gapped superconductivity.
Kasahara. Y Y; Shimono. Y Y; Shibauchi. T T; Matsuda. Y Y; Yonezawa. S S; Muraoka. Y Y; Hiroi. Z Z
Key Findings
- Thermal conductivity measurements show a fully gapped superconducting state in KOs2O6.
- Quasiparticle mean free path increases sharply below 7.8 K, indicating strong electron scattering in the normal state.
- Magnetic field dependence suggests constant low‑temperature conduction up to ~0.4 Hc2, contrary to expectations for anisotropic gaps.
Practical Outcomes
- The findings have no direct relevance for health optimization, dosing, or performance protocols involving selank. They are purely of interest to condensed‑matter physicists studying superconductors.
Summary
This study looks at a crystal called KOs2O6 that becomes superconducting at very low temperatures. It measures how heat moves through it and finds that the superconductivity is fully gapped, meaning it behaves differently from some earlier reports. The work is about physics, not about the peptide selank or any health‑related use.
Abstract
To elucidate the nature of the superconducting ground state of the geometrically frustrated pyrochlore KOs2O6 (Tc=9.6 K), the thermal conductivity was measured down to low temperatures (approximately Tc/100). We found that the quasiparticle mean free path is strikingly enhanced below a transition at Tp=7.8 K, indicating enormous electron inelastic scattering in the normal state. In magnetic fields, the conduction at T-->0 K is nearly constant up to approximately 0.4Hc2, in contrast with the rapid growth expected for superconductors with an anisotropic gap. This unambiguously indicates a fully gapped superconductivity, in contrast with previous studies. These results highlight that KOs2O6 is unique among superconductors with strong electron correlations.
Study Information
pubmed
2006
2006-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
10.1103/physrevlett.96.247004