Abstract
exhibits high- superconductivity with an onset temperature near 33 K as measured by resistivity and magnetic susceptibility. The nonsuperconducting end-member compound, , which has an orthorhombic, Cmca structure, exhibits semiconducting behavior. The orthorhombic distortion is proposed to result from a Peierls 2 instability or a soft zone-boundary phonon mode. The role of Ba is to suppress the instability and stabilize a higher-symmetry tetragonal, I4/mmm structure which is metallic and superconducting.
- Received 9 February 1987
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.58.1024
©1987 American Physical Society