Fundamentals Of Superconductivity

The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity has resulted in a remarkable growth in the amount of research and the number of researchers working in this exciting field. Superconductivity is not a new phenomenon: in 1991 it will be 80 years old. Even though it was the newer discoveries which motivated us to write this book, the book itself is mainly a description of the fundamentals of the phenomenon. The book is written for a very broad audience, including students, engin eers, teachers, scientists, and others who are interested in learning about this exciting frontier of science. We have focused on the qualitative aspects, so that the reader can develop a basic understanding of the fundamental physics without getting bogged down in the details. Because of this approach, our list of refer ences is not comprehensive, and it is supplemented with a summary of additional reading consisting of monographs and selected review articles. (The articles we have referenced were either not reflected in the review articles on monographs or were milestones in the development of the field. ) In addition, some of the sections which can be skipped during the first reading have been marked with asterisks (*). Until recently, superconductivity was considered to belong to the field of low-temperature physics. This field was born, simultaneously with quantum physics, at the beginning of this century. Initially these two contemporaneous fields developed independently, but they soon became strongly coupled.

This book presents the basics and applications of superconducting magnets. It explains the phenomenon of superconductivity, theories of superconductivity, type II superconductors and high-temperature cuprate superconductors. The main focus of the book is on the application to superconducting magnets to accelerators and fusion reactors and other applications of superconducting magnets. The thermal and electromagnetic stability criteria of the conductors and the present status of the fabrication techniques for future magnet applications are addressed. The book is based on the long experience of the author in studying superconducting materials, building magnets and numerous lectures delivered to scholars. A researcher and graduate student will enjoy reading the book to learn various aspects of magnet applications of superconductivity. The book provides the knowledge in the field of applied superconductivity in a comprehensive way.

The original Russian edition is based on a lecture course given by the author and provides a modern treatment of the physics of superconductors with special attention paid to the physical interpretation of the phenomena. This revised English translation has been enlarged by the inclusion of such new developments as High Temperature Superconductivity, and, as such, is the most up-to-date textbook on the subject available. The editor, Paul Müller, is himself a winner of the Walter Schottky Award for Solid State Research.

This well-respected and established standard work, which has been successful for over three decades, offers a comprehensive introduction into the topic of superconductivity, including its latest developments and applications. The book has been completely revised and thoroughly expanded by Professor Reinhold Kleiner. By dispensing with complicated mathematical derivations, this book is of interest to both science and engineering students. For almost three decades now, the German version of this book - currently in its sixth edition - has been established as one of the state of the art works on superconductivity.

This iconoclastic book proposes that superconductivity is misunderstood in contemporary science and that this hampers scientific and technological development. Superconductivity is the ability of some metals to carry electric current without resistance at very low temperatures. Properly understanding superconductivity would facilitate finding materials that superconduct at room temperature, providing great benefits to society.The conventional BCS theory of superconductivity, developed in 1957 and awarded the Nobel Prize in 1972, is generally believed to fully explain the lower temperature 'conventional superconductors' but not the more recently discovered 'high temperature superconductors', for which the charge carriers are positive Holes rather than negative electrons. Instead, this book proposes the holistic view that Holes are responsible for superconductivity in all materials. It explains in simple terms how the most fundamental property of all superconductors, that they expel H-fields (the Meissner effect), can be understood with Hole carriers and cannot be explained by BCS. It describes the historical development of the conventional theory and why it went astray, and credits pre-BCS researchers for important insights that were forgotten after BCS but are in fact relevant for the proper understanding of superconductivity.The book's author, Jorge E Hirsch, is a renowned expert in the field of condensed matter physics who has published over 250 articles on the subject. He has developed the theory of 'Hole superconductivity', the focus of this book, over the last 30 years. He is also the inventor of the H-index, a bibliometric measure of scientific impact which, he admits in this book, fails to identify high scientific achievement in the field of superconductivity.

This is the first of three volumes of the extensively revised and updated second edition of the Handbook of Superconductivity. The past twenty years have seen rapid progress in superconducting materials, which exhibit one of the most remarkable physical states of matter ever to be discovered. Superconductivity brings quantum mechanics to the scale of the everyday world where a single, coherent quantum state may extend over a distance of metres, or even kilometres, depending on the size of a coil or length of superconducting wire. Viable applications of superconductors rely fundamentally on an understanding of this intriguing phenomena and the availability of a range of materials with bespoke properties to meet practical needs. This first volume covers the fundamentals of superconductivity and the various classes of superconducting materials, which sets the context and background for Volumes 2 and 3. Key Features: Covers the depth and breadth of the field Includes contributions from leading academics and industry professionals across the world Provides hands-on guidance to the manufacturing and processing technologies A comprehensive reference, this handbook is suitable for both graduate students and practitioners in experimental physics, materials science and multiple engineering disciplines, including electronic and electrical, chemical, mechanical, metallurgy and others.

"Completely revised and updated, the second edition of the Handbook of Superconductivity is now available in three stand-alone volumes. As a whole they cover the depth and breadth of the field, drawing on an international pool of respected academics and industrial engineers. The three volumes provide hands-on guidance to the manufacturing and processing technologies associated with superconducting materials and devices. A comprehensive reference, the handbook supplies a tutorial on techniques for the beginning graduate student and a source of ancillary information for practicing scientists. The past twenty years have seen rapid progress in superconducting materials, which exhibit one of the most remarkable physical states of matter ever to be discovered. Superconductivity brings quantum mechanics to the scale of the everyday world where a single, coherent quantum state may extend over a distance of metres, or even kilometres, depending on the size of a coil or length of superconducting wire. Viable applications of superconductors rely fundamentally on an understanding of this intriguing phenomena and the availability of a range of materials with bespoke properties to meet practical needs. This first volume covers the fundamentals of superconductivity and the various classes of superconducting materials, which sets the context for volumes 2 and 3. Volume 1 ends with a tutorial on phase diagrams, and a glossary relevant to all 3 volumes"--