Superconductors

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This is the first volume of a comprehensive two-volume treatise on superconductivity that represents the first such publication since the earlier work by R. Parks. It systematically reviews the basic physics and recent advances in the field. Leading researchers describe the state of the art in conventional phonon-induced superconductivity, high-Tc superconductivity, and novel superconductivity. After an introduction and historical overview, the leaders in the special fields of research give a comprehensive survey of the basics and the state of the art in chapters covering the entire field of superconductivity, including conventional and unconventional superconductors. Important new results are reported in a manner intended to stimulate further research. Numerous illustrations, diagrams and tables make this book especially useful as a reference work for students, teachers, and researchers. The second volume treats novel superconductors.

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.

High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductors provides an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the properties of these fascinating materials. The essential properties of high-temperature cuprate superconductors are reviewed on the background of their theoretical interpretation. The experimental results for structural, magnetic, thermal, electric, optical and lattice properties of various cuprate superconductors are presented with respect to relevant theoretical models. A critical comparison of various theoretical models involving strong electron correlations, antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, phonons and excitons provides a background for understanding of the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. Recent achievements in their applications are also reviewed. A large number of illustrations and tables gives valuable information for specialists. A text-book level presentation with formulation of a general theory of strong-coupling superconductivity will help students and researches to consolidate their knowledge of this remarkable class of materials.

High-temperature superconductors are one of the most active and exciting areas of condensed matter physics research. From high-quality thin-films to friction-less transportation, their applications in industries such as telecommunications, environment and geology, medicine, nuclear physics, and security are just the beginning. The Rise of the Superconductors is an ideological chronology of the science that has produced superconductors. Beginning with the first liquefaction of helium, the book presents the discovery of the Meissner effect and the development of type II superconductors before discussing the impact of Bednorz and Müller's Nobel prize-winning research in high temperature ceramic superconductors. Authors seamlessly introduce the rise of Tc materials, whose layer-like nature, anisotropic behavior, and other properties are discussed in Chapter 4. The next chapter is devoted to the discovery, development, and characteristics of organic superconductors, particularly in fullerene materials, whose discovery earned the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996. The authors then examine the properties and theoretical developments explaining the behavior of simple superconductors, highlighting their impact on theoretical physics. Subsequent chapters analyze the technological advances, production challenges, and future directions of large- and small-scale applications, Josephson effects, the development of SQUID technology, and the specific behavior of high temperature superconductors. The Rise of the Superconductors concludes with a brief look at the struggle for technical superiority between the U.S. and Japan, European contributions, and commentary on the current state of the art.

The book covers the flux pinning mechanisms and properties and the electromagnetic phenomena caused by the flux pinning common for metallic, high-Tc and MgB2 superconductors. The condensation energy interaction known for normal precipitates or grain boundaries and the kinetic energy interaction proposed for artificial Nb pins in Nb-Ti, etc. are introduced for the pinning mechanism. Summation theories to derive the critical current density are discussed in detail. Irreversible magnetization and AC loss caused by the flux pinning are also discussed. The loss originally stems from the ohmic dissipation of normal electrons in the normal core driven by the electric field induced by the flux motion. The readers will learn why the resultant loss is of hysteresis type in spite of such mechanism. The influence of the flux pinning on the vortex phase diagram in high Tc superconductors is discussed and the dependencies of the irreversibility field are also described on other quantities such as anisotropy of superconductor, specimen size and electric field strength. Recent developments of critical current properties in various high-Tc superconductors and MgB2 are introduced. Other topics are: singularity in the case of transport current in a parallel magnetic field such as deviation from the Josephson relation, reversible flux motion inside pinning potentials which causes deviation from the critical state model prediction, the concept of the minimization of energy dissipation in the flux pinning phenomena which gives the basis for the critical state model, etc. Significant reduction in the AC loss in AC wires with very fine filaments originates from the reversible flux motion which is dominant in the two-dimensional pinning. The concept of minimum energy dissipation explains also the behavior of flux bundle size which determines the irreversibility line under the flux creep. The new edition has been thoroughly updated, with new sections on the progress in enhancing the critical current density in high temperature superconductors by introduction of artificial pinning centers, the effect of packing density on the critical current density and irreversibility field in MgB2 and derivation of the force-balance equation from the minimization of the free energy including the pinning energy.

From fundamental physics point of view, iron-based superconductors have properties that are more amenable to band structural calculations. This book reviews the progress made in this fascinating field. With contributions from leading experts, the book provides a guide to understanding materials, physical properties, and superconductivity mechanism aspects, and is important for students and beginners to have an overall view of the recent progress in this active field.