Enhanced electron-phonon coupling and critical current density in rapid thermally quenched MgB<inf>2</inf> bulk samples

We report Rapid Thermal Quenching (RTQ) studies on MgB2 samples from optimized sintering temperature of 800 °C down to liquid nitrogen temperature with different sintering duration. Superior electron-phonon coupling strength (λe-E2g), critical current density (Jc) and irreversibility fields (Hirr) compared to doped MgB2 were observed without compromising transition temperature Tc. Structural studies showed a contraction of the unit cell due to thermal stress induced by RTQ. Enhanced λe-E2g evaluated from line width, and phonon frequency of Raman spectra using Allen equation was consistent with structural and magnetic studies. Microstructural analysis showed a decrease in grain size resulting in increased Jc and Hirr.