RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MARTENSITIC PHASE TRANSITION AND THE SUPERCONDUCTING PROPERTIES OF A15 COMPOUNDS.

Abstract

Since the discovery by Batterman and Barrett in 1964 of the 21 K structural transition in V//3Si, soon followed by the discovery of a similar transition in Nb//3Sn, there has been intensive investigation, both theoretical and experimental, of its nature, particularly of its relationship to electronic structure and its coupling to lattice distortions and phonons. The transition consists of a tetragonal distortion of the originally cubic unit cell accompanied by a dimerization of the atoms along the transition metal chains.