Inelastic scattering of quasiparticles in a superconductor with magnetic impurities

Abstract

We show that inelastic scattering of quasiparticles by trace concentrations of magnetic impurities may result in significant changes in the nonequilibrium properties of superconductors. We used the approach of Müller-Hartmann and Zittartz to model Kondo scattering of conduction electrons by the magnetic impurities, and hence, to calculate the rates of (i) quasiparticle trapping into the localized impurity states, (ii) trap-enhanced recombination, (iii) pair breaking, and (iv) detrapping of localized quasiparticles by phonons, including both deformation-potential and spin-lattice couplings. Our results indicate that these processes will give rise to anomalies in the temperature dependence of kinetic parameters, which should be easily observable. © 2008 The American Physical Society.