Observation of partial Meissner effect and flux pinning in superconducting lead containing non-superconducting parts

Partially suppressed Meissner effect and magnetic flux trapping in the bulk of poly-crystalline Pb samples with virtually zero demagnetization and large (cm(3)) volume containing non-superconducting parts could be visualized by polarized neutrons and quantified with respect to the shape and amount of the trapped flux in the intermediate state of lead. These measurements provided a unique look at the macroscopic Quantum mechanics effects and the coexistence of superconducting state, intermediate state, and normal conducting parts in the same sample, respectively. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4762860]