Superconductivity and magnetism in (HoxY1-x)Ni2B2C

Superconducting and magnetic properties of polycrystalline samples of the pseudoquarternary system (HoxY1-x)Ni2B2C have been investigated by resistance acid susceptibility measurements. A linear depression of the superconducting transition temperature with increasing magnetic ordering temperatures was found by variation of the Ho content providing evidence for magnetic pair breaking. This behaviour is analogous to the known scaling with the de Gennes factor of the rare earth elements in the family of quaternary RNi(2)B(2)C compounds. Both cases are described by a common scaling behaviour including the superconducting and magnetic transition temperatures. A reentrant behaviour observed for Ho contents x > 0.5 results in maxima in the temperature dependence of the upper critical field H-c2(T). These results are compared with H-c2(T) data of the RNi(2)B(2)C family (R = Tm,Er).