Electron thermal conductivity of thin films of strong-coupling superconductors and of superconductors containing rare earth impurities
Mrstik, Bernard Joseph
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/29598
Description
Title
Electron thermal conductivity of thin films of strong-coupling superconductors and of superconductors containing rare earth impurities
Author(s)
Mrstik, Bernard Joseph
Issue Date
1973
Department of Study
Physics
Discipline
Physics
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Thin films
rare earth impurities in metals
superconducting films
Language
en
Abstract
We have measured the thermal conductivity of several superconducting films. These films were evaporated onto substrates held at liquid helium temperatures, and therefore the phonon mean free path in these films was very short. Consequently, the phonons contributed very little to the thermal conductivity. The experimentally determined thermal conductivity
was therefore due almost entirely to the conduction of heat by the electrons. The electron thermal conductivity Ke s of a strong-coupling
superconductor and of superconductors containing rare earth impurities has been measured in this way.
We have generalized the theoretical expression for Ke s of strong-coupling superconductors to include elastic scattering of the electrons.
When elastic scattering of the electrons dominates,the expression for K es reduced to that of. Bardeen, Rickayzen, and Tewordt, except for a change in the energy gap width, These results are in good agreement with our experimental measurements on a quench-condensed film of lead. We have also measured the thermal conductivity of thin films of lead or indium containing small amounts of gadolinium, These results are in good agreement with theoretical results of Ambegaokar and Griffin (modified for strong-coupling effects), except at very low temperatures. We believe that the low temperature deviations are related to the properties of the substrate, rather than to the characteristics of the
superconducting films.
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