Abstract
Like whiskers of tin andtin-indium alloys indium whiskers showV-T andV-I characteristics with a large transition width and regular voltage steps. Applied HF-radiation leads to additional steps of zero slope in theV-I characteristics (“current steps”) at voltages related to the applied frequency by the Josephson relation, supporting the assumption that phase-slip processes at Josephson frequency are related to the appearance of voltage steps in the transition curves without radiation. At temperatures very close to the critical temperatureT c0 theV-I characteristics beyond the first voltage step show a differential resistance (dV/dI)1 and a ratioI 0/I c which grow with increasing temperature, contrary to tin andtin-indium alloy whiskers (I c : critical current,I 0: extrapolated zero voltage intercept). A probable explanation for this observation is, that in indium whiskers very close toT c0 nonequilibrium quasiparticles relax by branch crossing processes due to inelastic electron phonon scattering or gap anisotropy.
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Tidecks, R., Slama, G. Breakdown of superconductivity in current-carrying indium whiskers. Z Physik B 37, 103–113 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01365366
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01365366