Superconductivity And Magnetism In Skutterudites

Superconductivity and Magnetism in Skutterudites discusses superconducting and magnetic properties of a class of materials called skutterudites. With a brief introduction of the fundamental structural features of skutterudites, the book then provides a detailed assessment of the superconducting and magnetic properties, focusing particularly on the rare earth-filled skutterudites where a plethora of fascinating properties and ground states is realized due to interactions of the filler species with the framework ions. Such interactions underpin the exciting forms of superconductivity and magnetism, most notably realized in the exotic heavy fermion superconductor of composition PrOs4Sb12. The two main topics of superconductivity and magnetism are provided with a concise introduction of superconducting and magnetic properties so that a reader can appreciate and understand the main arguments in the text. This book would appeal to graduate students, postdoctoral students, and anyone interested in superconducting and magnetic properties of a large family of minerals called skutterudites. Key Features: • Gives a thorough account of the superconducting and magnetic properties of skutterudites. • Each topic is accompanied by introductory sections to assist in the understanding of the text. • Supported by numerous figures and all key references.

Superconductivity and Magnetism in Skutterudites discusses superconducting and magnetic properties of a class of materials called skutterudites. With a brief introduction of the fundamental structural features of skutterudites, the book then provides a detailed assessment of the superconducting and magnetic properties, focusing particularly on the rare earth-filled skutterudites where a plethora of fascinating properties and ground states is realized due to interactions of the filler species with the framework ions. Such interactions underpin the exciting forms of superconductivity and magnetism, most notably realized in the exotic heavy fermion superconductor of composition PrOs4Sb12. The two main topics of superconductivity and magnetism are provided with a concise introduction of superconducting and magnetic properties so that a reader can appreciate and understand the main arguments in the text. This book would appeal to graduate students, postdoctoral students, and anyone interested in superconducting and magnetic properties of a large family of minerals called skutterudites. Key Features: • Gives a thorough account of the superconducting and magnetic properties of skutterudites. • Each topic is accompanied by introductory sections to assist in the understanding of the text. • Supported by numerous figures and all key references.

This work presents a modern vision of magnetism and superconductivity which covers both microscopic and phenomenological aspects. The basic information is illustrated with the help of current research topics such as the quantum Hall effect or mesoscopic aspects of superconductivity. The author systematically uses very intuitive examples and arguments in order to familiarize the reader with the underlying formalism. The present textbook addresses primarily graduate students but is also of interest to scientists working in this field.

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.

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.