Crystal field potential of PrOs4Sb12: consequences for superconductivity
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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Comparison of Two Different Synthesis Methods of Single Crystals of Superconducting Uranium Ditelluride
Published on: July 8, 2021
E A Goremychkin1, R Osborn, E D Bauer
1Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.
Abstract:
The results of inelastic neutron scattering provide a solution for the crystal field level scheme in PrOs4Sb12, in which the ground state in the cubic crystal field potential of T(h) symmetry is a Gamma(1) singlet. The conduction electron mass enhancement is consistent with inelastic exchange scattering, and we propose that inelastic quadrupolar, or aspherical Coulomb, scattering is responsible for enhancing the superconducting transition temperature. PrOs4Sb12 appears to be the first compound in which aspherical Coulomb scattering is strong enough to overcome magnetic pair breaking and increase T(c).
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