Abstract
While the historical discovery of superconductivity sprang from the observation of a zero resistance state, we have seen that the most novel manifestation of this phenomenon is the Meissner effect. The existence of a diamagnetic transition is today the main experimental signature sought to establish the presence of superconductivity in new materials.
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Notes
- 1.
As discussed in Chap. 3, in a normal metal, the entropy S n and specific heat C n due to the electrons are given by \(S_{\textrm{n}}=\gamma T=C_{\textrm{n}}\), where \(\gamma\propto D_{\Omega}(E_{\textrm{F}})\).
- 2.
See Problem 10: Thermodynamics of a Thin Superconducting Cylinder.
- 3.
This can be seen in Problem 13: Magnetisation of a Type II Superconductor.
- 4.
This almost linear relation between \(H_{{\textrm{c}}_1}\) and \(\xi/\lambda\) may seem somewhat surprising, since the lamellar model led to \(H_{{\textrm{c}}_1}=H_{\textrm{c}}(\xi/\lambda)^{1/2}\). The difference comes about because, for the geometry of a vortex, the energy of formation of the normal region per unit length is proportional to
$$\frac{\mu_0}{2}\left(\xi^2H^2_{\textrm{c}}-\lambda^2H^2_{\textrm{a}}\right)\;,$$since the cross-sectional area of the normal core of the vortex goes as ξ 2 and the field penetrates a cylinder of cross-sectional area proportional to λ 2.
- 5.
See Problem 12: Josephson Junction in a Magnetic Field.
- 6.
See Problem 9: Phonons in Solids.
References
Balian, R.: From Microphysics to Macrophysics, Vols. I and II. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, NY (1991)
Kittel, C.: Introduction to Solid State Physics, 7th edn., Wiley, New York, NY (1996)
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Alloul, H. (2011). Thermodynamics of Superconductors. In: Introduction to the Physics of Electrons in Solids. Graduate Texts in Physics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13565-1_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13565-1_6
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