Specific Heat of a Spherical Type-II Superconductor

Specific-heat measurements on a spherical 7.05 wt% Pb-In alloy [type-II superconductor with κ(Tc)=0.72] are discussed, with special emphasis on the difference in the effect of irreversibility on the determination of Maki's parameters κ₁ and κ₂ in calorimetric and magnetization measurements. Evidence is presented to show that κ₁ can be extracted reliably from specific-heat measurements even in the presence of severe irreversibility. κ₁(T)κ₁(Tc) showed a much stronger temperature dependence than that predicted by current theories for the case of noninfinite mean free path of the electrons.