Magnetoresistivity and anisotropy along c-axis of ErNi2B2C

Abstract

We have measured the c-axis magnetoresistivity rho(c)(H, T) of quaternary intermetallic compound ErNi2B2C for 2 K < T < 300 K temperature region and 0 G < H < 11 kG magnetic fields with H parallel to ab- and parallel to c-axes, which has the Neel temperature T-N (5.58 K for H=0) and superconducting transition temperature T-c (10.8 K for H=0). From these rho(c)(H, T)'s, the superconducting upper critical field H-C2(T)curves were constructed for H parallel to ab and H parallel to c and its anisotropy in H-c2 (T) is discussed and compared to the result from ab plane rho(ab)(H, T) measurement considering magnetic pair breaking and the anisotropic field dependence of the Neel temperature arisen from the Er+3 sublattice. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3373297]