D Wave Superconductivity

This volume provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory of d-wave superconductivity, focused on d-wave pairing symmetry and its physical consequences in the superconducting state. It discusses the basic concepts and methodologies related to high-temperature superconductivity and compares experimental phenomena with theoretical predictions. After a brief introduction to the basic theory of superconductivity and several models for high-temperature superconductivity, this book presents detailed derivations and explanations for various single-particle and collective properties of d-wave superconductors that can be monitored experimentally, including thermodynamics, angular-resolved photo-emission, single-particle and Josephson tunnelling, impurity scattering, magnetic and superfluid responses, transport and optical properties and mixed states. Various universal behaviours of d-wave superconductors are highlighted. Aimed primarily at graduate students and research scientists in condensed matter and materials physics, this text enables readers to understand systematically the physical properties of high-temperature superconductors.

Unconventional superconductivity (or superconductivity with a nontrivial Cooper pairing) is believed to exist in many heavy-fermion materials as well as in high temperature superconductors, and is a subject of great theoretical and experimental interest. The remarkable progress achieved in this field has not been reflected in published monographs and textbooks, and there is a gap between current research and the standard education of solid state physicists in the theory of superconductivity. This book is intended to meet this information need and includes the authors' original results.

Superconductivity covers the nature of the phenomenon of superconductivity. The book discusses the fundamental principles of superconductivity; the essential features of the superconducting state-the phenomena of zero resistance and perfect diamagnetism; and the properties of the various classes of superconductors, including the organics, the buckministerfullerenes, and the precursors to the cuprates. The text also describes superconductivity from the viewpoint of thermodynamics and provides expressions for the free energy; the Ginzburg-Landau and BCS theories; and the structures of the high temperature superconductors. The band theory; type II superconductivity and magnetic properties; and the intermediate and mixed states are also considered. The book further tackles critical state models; various types of tunneling and the Josephson effect; and other transport properties. The text concludes by looking into spectroscopic properties. Physicists and astronomers will find the book invaluable.

Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity with no resistance. This means that, unlike the more familiar conductors such as copper or steel, a superconductor can carry a current indefinitely without losing any energy. They also have several other very important properties, such as the fact that no magnetic field can exist within a superconductor. Superconductors already have drastically changed the world of medicine with the advent of MRI machines, which have meant a reduction in exploratory surgery. Power utilities, electronics companies, the military, transportation, and theoretical physics have all benefited strongly from the discovery of these materials. Superconductors - Materials, Properties and Applications deals with various aspects of superconductivity, both theoretical and experimental. Some of the technological applications of superconductivity include: the production of sensitive magnetometers based on SQUIDs; fast digital circuits (including those based on Josephson junctions and rapid single flux quantum technology); powerful superconducting electromagnets used in maglev trains; Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) machines, magnetic confinement fusion reactors, and the beam-steering and focusing magnets used in particle accelerators; low-loss power cables, etc.

One of the most spectacular consequences of the description of the superfluid condensate in superfluid He or in superconductors as a single macroscopic quantum state is the quantization of circulation, resulting in quantized vortex lines. This book draws no distinction between superfluid He3 and He4 and superconductors. The reader will find the essential introductory chapters and the most recent theoretical and experimental progress in our understanding of the vortex state in both superconductors and superfluids, from lectures given by leading experts in the field, both experimentalists and theoreticians, who gathered in Cargèse for a NATO ASI. The peculiar features related to short coherence lengths, 2D geometry, high temperatures, disorder, and pinning are thoroughly discussed.

This extensive and comprehensive handbook systematically reviews the basic physics, theory and recent advances in superconductivity. Covering the entire field, this unparalleled resource carefully blends theoretical studies with experimental results to provide an indispensable foundation for further research. Leading researchers, including Nobel laureates, describe the state of the art in conventional and unconventional superconductors. In addition to full-coverage of novel materials and underlying mechanisms, the handbook reflects continued, intense research into electron-phone based superconductivity.

Superconductivity is the ability of certain materials to conduct electrical current with no resistance and extremely low losses. High temperature superconductors, such as La2-xSrxCuOx (Tc=40K) and YBa2Cu3O7-x (Tc=90K), were discovered in 1987 and have been actively studied since. In spite of an intense, world-wide, research effort during this time, a complete understanding of the copper oxide (cuprate) materials is still lacking. Many fundamental questions are unanswered, particularly the mechanism by which high-Tc superconductivity occurs. More broadly, the cuprates are in a class of solids with strong electron-electron interactions. An understanding of such "strongly correlated" solids is perhaps the major unsolved problem of condensed matter physics with over ten thousand researchers working on this topic. High-Tc superconductors also have significant potential for applications in technologies ranging from electric power generation and transmission to digital electronics. This ability to carry large amounts of current can be applied to electric power devices such as motors and generators, and to electricity transmission in power lines. For example, superconductors can carry as much as 100 times the amount of electricity of ordinary copper or aluminium wires of the same size. Many universities, research institutes and companies are working to develop high-Tc superconductivity applications and considerable progress has been made. This volume brings together new leading-edge research in the field.

Starting from first principles, this book introduces the closely related phenomena of Bose condensation and Cooper pairing, in which a very large number of single particles or pairs of particles are forced to behave in exactly the same way, and explores their consequences in condensed matter systems. Eschewing advanced formal methods, the author uses simple concepts and arguments to account for the various qualitatively new phenomena which occur in Bose-condensed and Cooper-paired systems, including but not limited to the spectacular macroscopic phenomena of superconductivity and superfluidity. The physical systems discussed include liquid 4-He, the BEC alkali gases, "classical" superconductors, superfluid 3-He, "exotic" superconductors and the recently stabilized Fermi alkali gases. The book should be accessible to beginning graduate students in physics or advanced undergraduates.