PPMS news I – Elastic properties

This valuable new option in the PPMS measurement portfolio is part of elastic properties. Its full name is ultrasonic elastic constant or simply USEC. The functional principle is the following: an (acoustic) ultrasonic pulse is generated at one side of the sample by a piezoelectric transducer. The pulse travels through the sample and can be detected in either transmission or reflection mode. Highly sensitive measurement electronics detect even the slightest changes in velocity or attenuation. The figure below shows recently measured data from the heavy-fermion Re₁₇S₁₅¹ which has a superconductive transition around 4.5 K.  The brand-new USCE-option is the result of the cooperation between Quantum Design Japan and Professor Yoshizawa from the Iwate University in Japan. The ground-breaking USCE performance together with well-established PPMS features provides researchers with a powerful tool in cutting-edge condensed matter physics. ¹ Data supplied by Professor Yoshizawa, Iwate University, not yet published. Paper is under preparation.