Abstract
BEFORE the discovery of the isotope effect in the superconductivity of mercury1,2, it was generally assumed that the variation in the atomic weight (M) of a substance would not influence its transition temperature (Tc). This assumption was based on measurements by Onnes and Tuyn3, and Justi4, who had compared the transition temperatures of uranium lead and ordinary lead, and had found them to be identical. Observations of isotope shifts in the transition temperature of tin5–7, and their agreement with the general theory of Fröhlich8, make it probable that such an effect should also exist in lead. Assuming the validity of Fröhlich's formula Tc ∝1/M1/2, the isotope shift in lead would be of the order of 0.025° K. This difference will have just escaped notice with the resolution used by Onnes and Tuyn, but could have been observed by Justi, who claimed an accuracy of temperature measurements to within several 1/1,000° K.
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References
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OLSEN, M. Superconductivity of Lead Isotopes. Nature 168, 245–246 (1951). https://doi.org/10.1038/168245a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/168245a0
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