Materials And Mechanisms Of Superconductivity High Temperature Superconductors

In contrast to research on the fundamental mechanisms of High-Temperature Superconductivity, in recent years we have seen enormous developments in the fabrication and application of High-Tc-superconductors. The two volumes of High Temperature Superconductivity provide a survey of the state of the technology and engineering applications of these materials. They comprise extended original research papers and technical review articles written by physicists, chemists, materials scientists and engineers, all of them noted experts in their fields. The interdisciplinary and strictly application-oriented coverage should benefit graduate students and academic researchers in the mentioned areas as well as industrial experts. Volume 1 "Materials" focuses on major technical advancements in High-Tc materials processing for applications. Volume 2 "Engineering Applications" covers numerous application areas where High-Tc superconductors are making tremendous impact.

The discovery of high temperature superconductivity has not only opened many possibilities for potential technical applications, but has also provided a unique, challenging research subject for condensed matter physics and material sciences. High temperature superconductivity appears in systems with strong electron correlation and constitutes one of the key issues in condensed matter physics. The understanding of its mechanism will therefore greatly promote the future developments of this branch of science. During the last ten years great progress has been made in both fundamental and application-oriented research. Expanding knowledge of the physical properties in the superconducting as well as the normal state in preparing the way to an understanding of the underlying mechanisms. The accumulated experience in materials processing enables technical applications. All these aspects of high-Tc superconductivity and recent work on "traditional" superconductors have been exposed at the Beijing conference. The present volume is a separate edition of part I of the extensive Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Materials and Mechanisms of Superconductivity - High Temperature Superconductors. It contains the plenary, tutorial and invited papers, and gives a comprehensive account of the state-of-the-art as of March 1997.

High Temperature Superconductivity provides a broad survey of high temperature superconductivity, discussing the adaptations of experimental and theoretical techniques and methods that take advantage of the revolutionary properties of high temperature superconductors. Distinguished engineers, chemists, and experimental and theoretical physicists introduce their own particular area of the field before going on to explain current theories and techniques. The book is divided into three sections: materials, mechanisms, and devices. Topics covered include synthetic approaches to the growth of new materials; optical, magnetic, and electrical characterization of synthesized materials; strong correlations; the magnon pairing mechanism; and technical background of device performance in new materials. A coherent introduction to high temperature superconductivity, this volume will be invaluable to researchers in condensed matter physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering.

Since the discovery by Bednorz and Müller of Cu-O alloys displaying high temperature superconductivity, great energy has been put into research in this field. One of the most important and interesting issues, and the subject of this volume, is the clarification of the microscopic origin and mechanism of high temperature superconductivity. This book discusses the latest experimental results on magnetic, optical, electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of the Cu-O and Bi-O superconductors, as well as proposed theoretical models of the mechanisms. The participants in the symposium agreed that for the high Tc Cu-O superconductors electron correlation effects are of central importance. For the Bi-O superconductors the main topic was whether the mechanism of superconductivity is the same as that of high Tc Cu-O superconductors. What was and what was not resolved at the symposium is summarized at the end of the volume.

The discovery by J. G. Bednorz and K. A. Mtllier in 1986 that the superconducting state can exist in oxides at temperatures above 30 K stimulated research in the field of superconductivity and opened up a new field of research. Within a few years a large number of cuprate superconductors with transition temperatures well above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen have been found. The possibility of using liquid nitrogen as coolant re-stimulated interest in power applications of supercon ductivity. In this book an overview of the known high-Te superconductors and their physical properties is presented. Aspects related to conductor fabrication and high-current applications are emphasised. The material should be suitable for use in graduate level courses on superconductivity. Researchers in the field may profit from the large number of tables and references describing its status at the end of 1997. An introduction to high-To superconductivity must be based on the fundamental physical principles of normal-state electrical conductivity and the well-known characteristics of conventional superconductors. In Chapter 2 this background is provided. Crystal structures, anisotropic properties and general trends of the critical temperatures of the cuprate superconductors are described in Chapters 3 and 4. The processing of superconductor powders addressed in Chapter 5 affects considerably the current-carrying capacity of high-T. wires. In Chapter 6 several fabrication techniques for superconducting wires are described. In addition, the factors limiting the transport critical currents ofhigh-Te wires are discussed.

In contrast to research on the fundamental mechanisms of High-Temperature Superconductivity, in recent years we have seen enormous developments in the fabrication and application of High-Tc-superconductors. The two volumes of High Temperature Superconductivity provide a survey of the state of the technology and engineering applications of these materials. They comprise extended original research papers and technical review articles written by physicists, chemists, materials scientists and engineers, all of them noted experts in their fields. The interdisciplinary and strictly application-oriented coverage should benefit graduate students and academic researchers in the mentioned areas as well as industrial experts. Volume 1 "Materials" focuses on major technical advancements in High-Tc materials processing for applications. Volume 2 "Engineering Applications" covers numerous application areas where High-Tc superconductors are making tremendous impact.

This book provides a comprehensive presentation of all types of HTSC and includes a broad overview on HTSC computer simulations and modeling. Especial attention is devoted to the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Y-Ba-Cu-O families that today are the most perspective for applications. The book includes a great number of illustrations and references. The monograph is addressed to students, post-graduate students and specialists, taking part in the development, preparation and researching of new materials.