Enhancement of quasiparticle recombination in Ta and Al superconductors by implantation of magnetic and nonmagnetic atoms

Understand

The quasiparticle recombination time in superconducting films, consisting of the standard electron-phonon interaction and a yet to be identified low temperature process, is studied for different densities of magnetic and nonmagnetic atoms.

• For both Ta and Al, implanted with Mn, Ta and Al, we observe an increase of the recombination rate.
• We conclude that the enhancement of recombination is not due to the magnetic moment, but arises from an enhancement of disorder.