Autori: B Andraka, M E McBriarty, C R Rotundu

Editorial: APS, Physical Review B, 81, p.024517, 2010.

Rezumat:

The electronic specific heat of PrOs4Sb12 was measured on different single crystals at temperatures down to
40 mK using a relaxation method. All investigated crystals exhibited a broad shoulder in specific heat near
0.4 K. This anomaly seems to be related to that found previously in Sb nuclear quadrupolar resonance study
and possibly in lower critical-field and penetration-depth measurements. The onset of the specific-heat anomaly
shows no response to magnetic fields as large as 0.2 T. These results imply a modification of superconducting
properties (and normal-state properties) rather than appearance of a new superconducting phase at low temperatures.
Our measurement detects low-temperature nuclear specific heat, which we suggest might be due to
nuclear quadrupolar specific heat of Pr atoms, frozen in off-center positions.

Cuvinte cheie: PrOs4Sb12, heavy fermion superconductor, heat capacity

URL: http://people.lbl.gov/~rotundu/pdfs/PRB81_024517.pdf