Effects of two-band superconductivity on the flux-line lattice in magnesium diboride

• Published in: Physical review letters Vol. 91; no. 4; p. 047002
• Main Authors: Cubitt, R, Eskildsen, M R, Dewhurst, C D, Jun, J, Kazakov, S M, Karpinski, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 25-07-2003
• ISSN: 0031-9007; 1079-7114
• DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.91.047002

We present neutron scattering from the flux line lattice (FLL) in MgB2. Between 0.5 and 0.9 T the FLL undergoes a 30 degrees reorientation, and simultaneously the scattered intensity falls sharply consistent with the weaker superconducting pi band being suppressed with increasing field. We speculate that the pi and sigma bands favor different FLL orientations, and that the reorientation is driven by the suppression of the pi band. When the c axis of the crystal is rotated 45 degrees to the applied field the penetration depth anisotropy could be measured, and rises both as a function of applied field and temperature.