Low-Frequency Imaginary Impedance at the Superconducting Transition of 2H - NbSe2

Abstract

The superconducting transition leads to a sharp resistance drop in a temperature interval that can be a small fraction of the critical temperature Tc. A superconductor exactly at Tc is thus very sensitive to all kinds of thermal perturbation, including the heat dissipated by the measurement current. We show that the interaction between electrical and thermal currents leads to a sizable imaginary impedance at frequencies of the order of tens of hertz at the resistive transition of single crystals of the layered material 2H-NbSe2. We explain the result using models developed for transition-edge sensors. By measuring under magnetic fields and at high currents, we find that the imaginary impedance is strongly influenced by the heat associated with vortex motion and out-of-equilibrium quasiparticles.