Thermal activation and viscosity

Creep behavior in superconductors is used to show how viscosity can affect thermally activated processes. In the case of a number of lead alloys the c reep rate in the normal state is substantially less than in the superconduc ting state, in the temperature range where barriers control the creep proce ss. This is explained through the temperature dependence of the electron da mping of dislocations in the normal state compared to the superconducting s tate, and in the mixed superconducting state. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V . All rights reserved.