Low-energy phonons and superconductivity in Sn0.8In0.2Te.

We present neutron scattering measurements on low-energy phonons from a superconducting (Tc = 2.7 K) Sn0.8In0.2Te single-crystal sample. The longitudinal acoustic phonon mode and one transverse acoustic branch have been mapped out around the (002) Bragg peak for temperatures of 1.7 and 4.2 K. We observe a substantial energy width of the transverse phonons at energies comparable to twice the superconducting gap; however, there is no change in this width between the superconducting and normal states, and the precise origin of this energy width anomaly is not entirely clear. We also confirm that the compound is well ordered, with no indications of structural instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]