Effect of uniaxial strain on the critical current and critical field of Chevrel phase PbMo6S8superconductors

The first measurements of the effect of uniaxial strain on the critical current of a Chevrel phase superconductor, PbMo6S8, have been obtained at 4.2 K in magnetic fields from 2 T to 24 T. The data show there is a very significant reversible effect of elastic strain on the critical current of PbMo6S8, comparable in magnitude to that observed in Nb3Sn. This is because both the peak pinning force and upper critical field are very sensitive to elastic strain. A correlation is noted between the elastic strain effect, radiation sensitivity, and crystal phase.