Paramagnetic magnetization signals and curious metastable behaviour in field-cooled magnetization of a single crystal of superconductor 2H-NbSe2

Abstract

We present here some newer characteristics pertaining to paramagnetic Meissner effect like response in a single crystal of the low Tc superconducting compound 2H-NbSe2 via a detailed study of effects of perturbation on the field-cooled magnetization response. In the temperature range, where an anomalous paramagnetic magnetization occurs, the field-cooled magnetization response is found to be highly metastable: it displays a curious tendency to switch randomly from a given paramagnetic value to a diamagnetic or to a different paramagnetic value, when the system is perturbed by an impulse of an externally applied ac field. The new facets revealed in a single crystal of 2H-NbSe2 surprisingly bear a marked resemblance with the characteristics of magnetization behaviour anticipated for the giant vortex states with multiple flux quanta predicted to occur in mesoscopic-sized superconducting specimen and possible transitions amongst such states.