The linear and nonlinear response to a microwave electromagnetic field of two
c-axis oriented polycrystalline samples of the newly discovered superconductor
CaC6 (Tc = 11.5 K) is studied in the superconducting state down to 2 K. The
surface resistance Rs and the third order intermodulation distortion, arising
from a two-tone excitation, have been measured as a function of temperature and
microwave circulating power. Experiments are carried out using a dielectrically
loaded copper cavity operating at 7 GHz in a "hot finger" configuration. The
results confirm recent experimental findings that CaC6 behaves as a
weakly-coupled, fully gapped, superconductor. The weak power dependence of Rs
encourages a further investigation of this novel superconductor as a possible
alternative to Nb in specific microwave applications.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Appl. Phys. Let