This book introduces the main concepts of nonequilibrium phenomena in superconductors. The authors cover both experimentally well-understood topics and problems which physicists could challenge more in view of current theoretical understanding. Some of these topics include thermoelectric phenomena, influence of laser radiation as well as fluctuations in superconductors.
The physics of nonequilibrium electrons and phonons in semiconductors is an important branch of fundamental physics that has many practical applications, especially in the development of ultrafast and ultrasmall semiconductor devices. This volume is devoted to different trends in the field which are presently at the forefront of research. Special attention is paid to the ultrafast relaxation processes in bulk semiconductors and two-dimensional semiconductor structures, and to their study by different spectroscopic methods, both pulsed and steady-state. The evolution of energy and space distribution of nonequilibrium electrons and the relaxation kinetics of hot carriers and phonons are considered under various conditions such as temperature, doping and pumping intensity by leading experts in the field.
The importance of phonons has long been recognized by research ers in nonequilibrium superconductivity. Similarly, experimentalists studying phonons at low temperatures have relied heavily on supercon ductors as sources and detectors. To a large extent this symbiotic relationship has developed with a general mutual awareness; however, to our knowledge these subjects have never been treated together in conferences or study institutes. It was with the hope of further contributing to the awareness and communication between workers in these areas that this NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) has been conceived. A second, but equally important, reason for holding this ASI is to fill a void by providing the first general textbook in this important area of physics. Therefore, there was an emphasis on the tutorial nature of the lectures and written contributions to this textbook. It should not go unnoticed that the experimental and theoretical concepts covered in this textbook are of paramount importance to the various applications of superconductors. Almost by definition, the use of a superconductor implies a nonequilibrium state! For example, phonon conduction to the helium bath is important in devices ranging from microscopic Josephson junctions to large scale magnets and transmission lines. Knowledge of the more fundamental nonequilibrium effects can aid in our understanding of devices as well as provide the potential for entirely new applications.
This book provides an introduction to the methods of coupled quantum statistical field theory and Green's functions. The methods of coupled quantum field theory have played a major role in the extensive development of nonrelativistic quantum many-particle theory and condensed matter physics. This introduction to the subject is intended to facilitate delivery of the material in an easily digestible form to advanced undergraduate physics majors at a relatively early stage of their scientific development. The main mechanism to accomplish this is the early introduction of variational calculus and the Schwinger Action Principle, accompanied by Green's functions. Important achievements of the theory in condensed matter and quantum statistical physics are reviewed in detail to help develop research capability. These include the derivation of coupled field Green's function equations-of-motion for a model electron-hole-phonon system, extensive discussions of retarded, thermodynamic and nonequilibrium Green's functions and their associated spectral representations and approximation procedures. Phenomenology emerging in these discussions include quantum plasma dynamic-nonlocal-screening, plasmons, polaritons, linear electromagnetic response, excitons, polarons, phonons, magnetic Landau quantization, van der Waals interactions, chemisorption, etc. Considerable attention is also given to low dimensional and nanostructured systems, including quantum wells, wires, dots and superlattices, as well as materials having exceptional conduction properties such as Superconductors, Superfluids and Graphene.
This is the last 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. Viable applications of superconductors rely fundamentally on an understanding of these intriguing phenomena and the availability of a range of materials with bespoke properties to meet practical needs. While the first volume covers fundamentals and various classes of materials, the second addresses processing of these into various shapes and configurations needed for applications, and ends with chapters on refrigeration methods necessary to attain the superconducting state and the desired performance. This third volume starts with a wide range of methods permitting one to characterize both the materials and various end products of processing. Subsequently, diverse classes of both large scale and electronic applications are described. Volume 3 ends with a glossary relevant to all three volumes. Key Features: Covers the depth and breadth of the field Includes contributions from leading academics and industry professionals across the world Provides hands-on familiarity with the characterization methods and offers descriptions of representative examples of practical applications A comprehensive reference, the 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.
The problem of superconductors has been a central issue in Solid State Physics since 1987. After the discovery of superconductivity (HTSC) in doped perovskites, it was realized that the HTSC appears in an unknown complex electronic phase of c- densed matter. In the early years, all theories of HTSC were focused on the physics of a homogeneous 2D metal with large electron–electron correlations or on a 2D polaron gas. Only after 1990, a novel paradigm started to grow where this 2D metallic phase is described as an inhomogeneous metal. This was the outcome of several experimental evidences of phase separation at low doping. Since 1992, a series of conferences on phase separation were organized to allow scientists to get together to discuss the phase separation and related issues. Following the discovery by the Rome group in 1992 that “the charges move freely mainly in one direction like the water running in the grooves in the corrugated iron foil,” a new scenario to understand superconductivity in the superconductors was open. Because the charges move like rivers, the physics of these materials shifts toward the physics of novel mesoscopic heterostructures and complex electronic solids. Therefore, understanding the striped phases in the perovskites not only provides an opportunity to understand the anomalous metallic state of cuprate superconductors, but also suggests a way to design new materials of technological importance. Indeed, the stripes are becoming a field of general scientific interest.
