Weak-localization effect in superconductors from radiation damage

Large reductions of the superconducting transition temperature Tc and the accompanying loss of the thermal electrical resistivity (electron-phonon interaction) due to radiation damage have been observed for several A15 compounds, Chevrel phase and ternary superconductors, and NbSe2 in the high-fluence regime. We examine these behaviors based on a recent theory of the weak localization effect in superconductors. We find a good fitting to the experimental data. In particular, the weak localization correction to the phonon-mediated interaction is derived from the density correlation function. It is shown that weak localization has a strong influence on both the phonon-mediated interaction and the electron-phonon interaction, which leads to the universal correlation of Tc and the resistance ratio. ©2000 The American Physical Society