Enhanced MgB2 Superconductivity Under High Pressure

We report on in situ high-pressure studies up to 1.0GPa on the MgB2 superconductor which was high-pressure synthesized.The as-prepared sample is of high quality in terms of sharp superconducting transition (Tc) at 39K from the magnetic measurements.The in situ high-pressure measurements were carried out using a Be-Cu piston-cylinder-type instrument with mixed oil as the pressure transmitting medium which warrants a quasihydrostatic pressure environment at low temperature.The superconducting transitions were measured using the electrical conductance method.It is found that Tc increases by more than 1K with pressure in the low-pressure range,before the Tc valus decreases with the further increase of the pressure.