Anisotropic superconducting and normal state magnetic properties of single crystals of RNi*2*B*2*C compounds (R = Y, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, and Tm)

The interaction of superconductivity with magnetism has been one of the most interesting and important phenomena in solid state physics since the 1950`s when small amounts of magnetic impurities were incorporated in superconductors. The discovery of the magnetic superconductors RNi{sub 2}B{sub 2}C (R = rare earth, Y) offers a new system to study this interaction. The wide ranges of superconducting transition (T{sub c}) and antiferromagnetic (AF) ordering temperatures (T{sub N}) (0 K {le} T{sub c} {le} 16 K, 0 K {le} T{sub N} {le} 20 K) give a good opportunity to observe a variety of interesting phenomena. Single crystals of high quality with appropriate size and mass are crucial in examining the anisotropic intrinsic properties. Single crystals have been grown successfully by an unusual high temperature flux method and characterized thoroughly by X-ray, electrical transport, magnetization, neutron scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and other measurements.