Superconductors capture the imagination with seemingly magical properties that allow them to carry electricity without losing any energy. This book tells how superconductors are designed and engineered on the nanoscale. It introduces what materials science is all about and why advanced materials have such importance for technological progress.
Superconductors capture the imagination with seemingly magical properties that allow them to carry electricity without losing any energy at all. They are however, extraordinarily difficult materials to work with. In this book, Susannah Speller explores the astonishing variety of superconducting materials and the rich science behind optimising their performance for use in different applications. Readers will discover how diverse superconducting materials and their applications are, from the metallic alloys used in the Large Hadron Collider to the thin film superconductors that will be crucial for quantum computers. This book tells about how even the simplest superconductors have to be carefully designed and engineered on the nanometre scale. Along the way, the reader will be introduced to what materials science is all about and why advanced materials have such widespread importance for technological progress. With 'Wider View' and 'Under the Lens' sections, Speller provides an accessible and illuminating exploration of superconductors and their place in the modern world.
Superconductivity: Physics and Applications brings together major developments that have occurred within the field over the past twenty years. Taking a truly modern approach to the subject the authors provide an interesting and accessible introduction. Brings a fresh approach to the physics of superconductivity based both on the well established and convergent picture for most low-Tc superconductors, provided by the BCS theory at the microscopic level, and London and Ginzburg-Landau theories at the phenomenological level, as well as on experiences gathered in high-Tc research in recent years. Includes end of chapter problems and numerous relevant examples Features brief interviews with key researchers in the field A prominent feature of the book is the use of SI units throughout, in contrast to many of the current textbooks on the subject which tend to use cgs units and are considered to be outdated
The applications of superconducting materials have the potential to change our world, but descriptions of superconductivity in literature tend to be complex for non-physicists. This text provides an accessible account of superconductivity and its applications for an interdisciplinary readership. This book covers the characteristics of superconducting materials, particularly those with commercial applications, including MRI, MEG, high-field magnets, magnetometers, gradiometers, SQUID sensors and Josephson junctions. The applications and concepts are discussed at a level suitable for those with a basic background in physics, without using complex mathematics. This is a valuable reference text for researchers and practitioners working with devices made from superconducting materials. The text also acts as useful supplementary reading for courses related to superconductivity and superconducting materials.
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
Countries worldwide are moving to a future without fossil fuels to mitigate the effects of climate change. This transition will involve phasing out the fossil fuels used for electricity generation, the liquid fuels used for transportation and the gas that is used to heat homes. To achieve the transition, a range of materials, known as critical materials or critical minerals are essential. These range from the lithium needed for batteries to store power to the neodymium needed for the magnets that convert motion to electricity in wind turbines. Critical Materials for a Low-carbon Economy looks at the science behind some of the materials that will be essential to this transition. Beginning with an introduction to the origins of climate change and the importance of critical materials this book is split into chapters focusing on different technologies. In addition to describing the science behind the need for these materials it also discusses issues around supply chains and geopolitical considerations.
A number of macroscopic manifestations of superconducting phenomena (such as zero electrical resistance, the expulsion of magnetic fields and the Josephson effect) have resulted in a proliferation of applications in engineering and electronics. This book takes a practical, pedagogical approach to understanding the electromagnetic properties of superconducting materials. The reader is provided with a set of ready-to-use interactive tools to engage with topics such as vanishing resistivity, magnetic flux expulsion, flux pinning, critical currents, flux quantization and more. Aimed at high level undergraduate and graduate physicists and engineers, this book is ideal for early researchers studying macroscopic superconductivity.
The science of superconducting electronics was first developed over forty years ago, fifty years after the discovery of superconductivity. Since then, a wide range of applications has emerged, and more are envisaged within this ever expanding and exciting field. SQUIDs, the Josephson Effects and Superconducting Electronics chronicles this development from fundamental principles to the present work with high-temperature superconductors. The book discusses superconductivity, Josephson effects, and detectors of unparalleled sensitivity such as SQUIDs. It punctuates theory with practical discussions on how to harness this new science. This complete guide to the subject is an invaluable resource for graduate students and researchers with a specific interest in this field. It also provides guidance to those working in areas of industry where superconducting electronics could be applied.
This book provides a comparison of the different chemical structures, normal state properties, and simplest superconducting properties of all known classes of layered superconductors. It introduces the three phenomenological models used to describe such systems, and will guide young researchers hoping to produce a room-temperature superconductor.
This book encompasses the science, measurement, fabrica tion, and use of superconducting materials in large scale and small scale technologies. The present book is in some sense a continuation and completion of a series of two earlier books based on NA TO Advanced Study Institutes held over the last decade. The first book in the series entitled Superconducting Machines ~nd Devices: Large Systems Appli cations edited by S. Foner and B. B. Schwartz (1974) represented a compilation of all the applications of superconducting technology. The second book entitled Superconductor Applications: Squids and Machines, edited by B. B. Schwartz and S. Foner (1977) reviewed small scale applications and up-dated the large scale applications of superconductiv ity at that time. These two books are both introductions and advanced reference volumes for almost all aspects of the applications of super conductivity. The growth of applied superconductivity has mushroomed in the decade of the 1970's. Technologies which were discussed in the beginning of the 1970's are now beyond the prototype stage. Materials development and performance in operating systems is the basis of the continued applications and economic viability of super conducting technology. In this book, a complete review of all materials technology is presented by leading authorities who were instrumental in the development of superconducting materials technology. The present book is based on the NATO Advanced Study vi PREFACE Institute entitled Superconducting Materials: Science and Technology which was held from August 20 to August 30, 1980 in Sintra, Portugal.
