Title Magnetization measurements and Ginzburg-Landau simulations of micron-size $\beta$-tin samples : evidence for an unusual critical behavior of mesoscopic type-I superconductors Author Müller, André Milošević, Milorad V. Dale, Sara E.C. Engbarth, Miles A. Bending, Simon J. Faculty/Department Faculty of Sciences. Physics Publication type article Publication 2012 New York, N.Y. , 2012 Subject Physics Source (journal) Physical review letters. - New York, N.Y. Volume/pages 109(2012) :19 , 5 p. ISSN 0031-9007 Article Reference 197003 Carrier E-only publicatie Target language English (eng) Full text (Publishers DOI) Affiliation University of Antwerp Abstract We describe investigations of the largely unexplored field of mesoscopic type-I superconductors. Micromagnetometry and 3D Ginzburg-Landau simulations of our single crystal β-tin samples in this regime reveal size- and temperature-dependent supercritical fields whose behavior is radically different from the bulk critical field HcB. We find that complete suppression of the intermediate state in medium-size samples can result in a surprising reduction of the critical field significantly below HcB. We also reveal an evolution of the superconducting-to-normal phase transition from the expected irreversible first order at low temperatures through the previously unobserved reversible first-order to a second-order transition close to Tc, where the critical field can be many times larger than HcB. Finally, we have identified striking correlations between the mesoscopic Hc3 for nucleation of surface superconductivity and the thermodynamic Hc near Tc. All these observations are entirely unexpected in the conventional type-I picture. Full text (open access) https://repository.uantwerpen.be/docman/irua/50655f/416c3325.pdf E-info http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000310853100017&DestLinkType=RelatedRecords&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=ef845e08c439e550330acc77c7d2d848 http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000310853100017&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=ef845e08c439e550330acc77c7d2d848 http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000310853100017&DestLinkType=CitingArticles&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=ef845e08c439e550330acc77c7d2d848 Handle