Advances In Superconductivity Xi

The 11th International Symposium on Superconductivity was held November 16-19, 1998, in Fukuoka, Japan. Convened annually since 1988, the symposium covers the whole field of superconductivity from fundamental physics and chemistry to new applications. At the 11th Symposium, there was increased interest reported in the development of trial devices using bismuth wires and yttrium-based bulk materials. Among the presentations were those that clearly defined the development targets for next-generation yttrium-based wires and bulk materials and single-flux quantum (SFQ) circuits. Other popular topics were high-temperature superconductivity applications such as SQUIDs, microwave filters, and cryocooler-cooled magnets. With more than 600 participants from 18 countries, the symposium provided an excellent forum for exchanges of the most recent information in the field of superconductivity.

The field of high-temperature superconductivity has encouraged an inter disciplinary approach to research. It has required significant cooperation and collaboration among researchers, each of whom has brought to it a rich variety of experience from many other fields. Recently, great improvements have been made in the quality of research. The subject has matured and been launched into the next stage through the resonance between science and technology. The current progress of materials processing and engineering in this field is analogous to that previously seen in the development of semiconductors. These include the appearance of materials taking the place of YBa2Cu307 owing to their improved properties (higher critical temperatures and stronger flux pin ning) in which rare earth ions with large radii (La, Nd, Sm) substitute for Y; the development of technology enabling growth control on the nanometer scale; and precise and reproducible measurements that can be used as rigorous tests of theoretical models, which in turn are expected to lead to the develop ment of new devices. For further progress in high-T research, academics and c technologists must pool their knowledge and experience. I hope that this volume will promote that goal by providing the reader with the latest results of high-temperature superconductor research and will stimulate further discussion and collaboration.

The 12th International Symposium on Superconductivity was held in Morioka, Japan, October 17-19, 1999. Convened annually since 1988, the symposium covers the whole field of superconductivity from fundamental physics and chemistry to a variety of applications. At the 12th Symposium, a mini-symposium focusing on the two-dimensionality of high-temperature superconductors, or the c-axis transport, and a session on vortex physics were organized. There were also many reports on the recent developments of YBCO-based coated conductors both in the United States and in Japan, AC losses of wires and tapes, developments of bulk materials with strong flux pinning, the recent progress in thin film and junction technologies, and the demonstration of various electronics applications using SQUIDs, microwave devices, and single-flux-quantum (SFQ) digital devices. This volume is a valuable resource for all those working in the field of superconductivity.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 2004 University of Miami Workshop on Unconventional Superconductivity. The workshop was the fourth in a series of successful meetings on High-T Superconductivity and C related topics, which took place at the James L. Knight Physics Building on the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, Florida, in January 1991, 1995, 1999, and 2004. The workshop consisted of two consecutive events: 1. NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on New Challenges in Superconductivity: Experimental Advances and Emerging Theories, held on January 11-14, 2004; 2. Symposium on Emerging Mechanisms for High Temperature Superconductivity (SEMHTS), held on January 15-16, 2004. It is hard to write a balanced preface to a volume like this one, yet at least we try to offer the reader a taste of what was happening in this workshop. There were close to a hundred scientists from around the world, albeit fewer Russians than we had originally hoped for. Nevertheless, the workshop was very lively and we trust that this is demonstrated in this volume. The workshop included high-quality presentations on state of the art works, yet a key issue, discussed by many, was how homogeneous the cuprates are. STM data, as well as other reports, showed that the cuprate superconductors (SC’s) studied were inhomogeneous, especially in the underdoped regime; while experiments, like ARPES and magnetoresistance have established the existence of a Fermi Surface (FS), at least above some doping level, in the cuprates.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 2004 University of Miami Workshop on Unconventional Superconductivity. The workshop was the fourth in a series of successful meetings on High-T Superconductivity and C related topics, which took place at the James L. Knight Physics Building on the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, Florida, in January 1991, 1995, 1999, and 2004. The workshop consisted of two consecutive events: 1. NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on New Challenges in Superconductivity: Experimental Advances and Emerging Theories, held on January 11-14, 2004; 2. Symposium on Emerging Mechanisms for High Temperature Superconductivity (SEMHTS), held on January 15-16, 2004. It is hard to write a balanced preface to a volume like this one, yet at least we try to offer the reader a taste of what was happening in this workshop. There were close to a hundred scientists from around the world, albeit fewer Russians than we had originally hoped for. Nevertheless, the workshop was very lively and we trust that this is demonstrated in this volume. The workshop included high-quality presentations on state of the art works, yet a key issue, discussed by many, was how homogeneous the cuprates are. STM data, as well as other reports, showed that the cuprate superconductors (SC’s) studied were inhomogeneous, especially in the underdoped regime; while experiments, like ARPES and magnetoresistance have established the existence of a Fermi Surface (FS), at least above some doping level, in the cuprates.

The Advanced Study Institute on "Advances in Superconductivity" was held at the Ettore Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice, Sicily, during July 3 to July 15, 1982. This Institute was the third course of the International School of Low Tempera ture Physics, which was established at the Centre in 1977 with the guidance and inspiration of T. Regge and A. Zichichi. The 1982 Course was centered on a topic which brought together fundamental basic research and the most recent promising technological applications. Accordingly, the participants represented a wide spectrum of industrial and government laboratories, as well as universities from various countries. The program of topics and speakers was developed with the advice of the Organizing Committee, composed of H. Frohlich, T. Regge, B. Stritzker, and L. Testardi. This Institute emphasized recent developments in the science and technology of superconductivity. A historical perspective was provided by H. Frohlich, whose lectures recall the earliest discoveries and theoretical attempts to understand superconductivity. Ironically, his early suggestion of the electron-phonon coupling as a key to superconductivity was met with initial widespread skepticism. Later, the development of field theory methods for solid state physics problems, and the evolution of the BCS theory has led to a seemingly unanimous concensus regarding the e1ectron phonon mechanism as the predominant source of superconductivity in known materials. Experimental studies of superconductivity exemplify the strong interplay of science and technology in many ways.