1. Quantum interference of electrons in Nb_{5-\delta}Te_4 single crystals
- Author
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Stolovits, A., Sherman, A., Kremer, R. K., Mattausch, Hj., Okudera, H., Ren, X-M., Simon, A., and O'Brien, J. R.
- Subjects
Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics ,Condensed Matter - Disordered Systems and Neural Networks ,Condensed Matter - Superconductivity - Abstract
The compound $Nb_{5-\delta}Te_4$ ($\delta=0.23$) with quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure undergoes a transition to superconductivity at $T_c$=0.6--0.9 K. Its electronic transport properties in the normal state are studied in the temperature range 1.3--270 K and in magnetic fields up to 11 T. The temperature variation of the resistivity is weak ($<2%$) in the investigated temperature range. Nonmonotonic behavior of the resistivity is observed which is characterized by two local maxima at $T\sim$2 K and $\sim$30 K. The temperature dependence of the resistivity is interpreted as an interplay of weak localization, weak antilocalization, and electron-electron interaction effects in the diffusion and the Cooper channel. The temperature dependence of the dephasing time $\tau_\phi$ extracted from the magnetoresistance data is determined by the electron-phonon interaction. The saturation of $\tau_\phi$ in the low-temperature limit correlates with $T_c$ of the individual crystal and is ascribed to the scattering on magnetic impurities., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures
- Published
- 2004
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