Fission induced vortex lattice disordering in UPt<sub>3</sub>

ORAL

Abstract

The vortex lattice (VL) in UPt3 was studied using small-angle neutron scattering, and found to undergo a gradual disordering due to neutron beam induced fission of 235U. The fission events temporarily heat regions of the sample above the critical temperature, in which the vortices remain in a disordered state (most likely a quenched vortex glass) upon re-cooling. The disordering rate is proportional to the magnetic field, indicating that it is governed by the collective elastic properties of the vortex matter. An ordered VL can be re-formed by applying a small field oscillation, indicating that the fission does not cause significant radiation damage to UPt3 on the time scale of the neutron scattering experiments. The ability to introduce localized quenched disorder, which at the same time is reversible, presents a novel avenue for vortex matter studies.

*This work was supported by the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Awards DE-SC0005051 and DE-FG02-05ER46248. A portion of this research used resources at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, a DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Part of this work is based on experiments performed at the Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France.

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Presenters

  • Morten Eskildsen

    • University of Notre Dame
    • Dept. of Physics, University of Notre Dame

Authors

  • Keenan Avers

    • Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University

  • Stephen Kuhn

    • Center for Exploration of Energy & Matter, Indiana University
    • Indiana Univ - Bloomington

  • Allan Leishman

    • University of Notre Dame
    • Dept. of Physics, University of Notre Dame

  • William J Gannon

    • Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kentucky

  • Lisa DeBeer-Schmitt

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
    • Neutron Scattering Directorate, Oak Ridge Natrional Laboratory
    • Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
    • Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
    • Oak Ridge National Lab

  • Charles Dewhurst

    • Institut Laue-Langevin

  • Dirk Honecker

    • Institut Laue-Langevin

  • Robert Cubitt

    • Institut Laue-Langevin

  • William Paul Halperin

    • Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University

  • Morten Eskildsen

    • University of Notre Dame
    • Dept. of Physics, University of Notre Dame