Strain distortion in anisotropic superconductors

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
We point out that a uniform lattice strain in associated with the superconducting transition when the order parameter is anisotropic. The observation of such a strain would be a decisive signature of an anisotropic phase and may allow different phases to be distinguished. We show, in a simple model, that the effect may be expected to be large in heavy-fermion materials with small shear moduli.