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Proximity electron tunneling spectroscopy. IV. Electron-phonon coupling and superconductivity of tantalum

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An extensive superconducting electron tunneling study of Ta, using both a proximity method and an optimized conventional spectroscopy, is reported. The results for Ta confirm the electron-phonon origin of superconductivity in this element, and provide slightly improved superconducting parameters: λ =0.73 and Μph * = 0.11. The results from the PET and optimized conventional methods are in substantial agreement, although the proximity method appears to provide somewhat better resolution of structure in the Eliashberg function α2 F(E).

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Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy by Iowa State University under contract No. W-7405-Eng-82. This research was supported by the Director for Energy Research, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, WPAS-KC-02-02-02.

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Wolf, E.L., Burnell, D.M., Khim, Z.G. et al. Proximity electron tunneling spectroscopy. IV. Electron-phonon coupling and superconductivity of tantalum. J Low Temp Phys 44, 89–118 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00115078

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