Superconductivity of Metals and Cuprates

Superconductivity of Metals and Cuprates covers the basic physics of superconductivity, both the theoretical and experimental aspects. The book concentrates on important facts and ideas, including Ginzburg-Landau equations, boundary energy, Green's function methods, and spectroscopy. Avoiding lengthy or difficult presentations of theory, it is written in a clear and lucid style with many useful, informative diagrams. The book is designed to be accessible to senior undergraduate students, making it a helpful tool for teaching superconductivity as well as serving as an introduction to those entering the field. Preface. Introduction. The superfluid. The ideal phase transition. Ginzburg-Landau theory. Superconducting states with internal magnetic flux. Josephson effects. Groundwork of BCS theory. BCS properties for weak coupling. The meaning of the order parameter. The non-local form of BCS theory. Further theory and properties. The structure of cuprate superconductors. Electron states and bands in the cuprates. Normal-state transport properties in the cuprates. Superfluid and Ginzburg-Landau behaviour. Cuprates compared with BCS theory. Alternative theories of cuprate superconductivity. Applications of superconductivity. Appendix: second quantization. For further reading. Acknowledgments of copyright. Index and notation.