Advances through carefully conducted quantitative work on well designed, high quality materials characterize the present state of high-temperature superconductivity research. The contributions to this volume present a theoretical and experimental overview of electronic structure and physical properties, including anisotropic features, of high-temperative materials, with a focus on cuprates. In order to enhance the understanding of the mechanisms of superconductivity at high temperatures, this volume is divided into theoretical and experimental parts. The contributions to the two parts correspond to each other, giving readers involved in either area of research activity a reference to findingsof the other. On the other hand, this book gives young physicists high-level information on the present state of research, enhanced by tutorial contributions of leading physicists in the field.

Since the 1980s, a general theme in the study of high-temperature superconductors has been to test the BCS theory and its predictions against new data. At the same time, this process has engendered new physics, new materials, and new theoretical frameworks. Remarkable advances have occurred in sample quality and in single crystals, in hole and electron doping in the development of sister compounds with lower transition temperatures, and in instruments to probe structure and dynamics. Handbook of High-Temperature Superconductvity is a comprehensive and in-depth treatment of both experimental and theoretical methodologies by the the world's top leaders in the field. The Editor, Nobel Laureate J. Robert Schrieffer, and Associate Editor James S. Brooks, have produced a unified, coherent work providing a global view of high-temperature superconductivity covering the materials, the relationships with heavy-fermion and organic systems, and the many formidable challenges that remain.

One of the most exciting developments in modern physics has been the discovery of the new class of oxide materials with high superconducting transition temperature. Systems with Tc well above liquid nitrogen temperature are already a reality and higher Tc's are anticipated. Indeed, the idea of a room-temperature superconductor, which just a short time ago was considered science fiction, appears to be a distinctly possible outcome of materials research. To address the need to train students and scientists for research in this exciting field, Jeffrey W. Lynn and colleagues at the University of Maryland, College Park, as well as other superconductivity experts from around the U.S., taught a graduate-level course in the fall of 1987, from which the chapters in this book were drawn. Subjects included are: Survey of superconductivity (J. Lynn).- The theory of type-II superconductivity (D. Belitz).- The Josephson effect (P. Ferrell).- Crystallography (A. Santoro).- Electronic structure (C.P. Wang).- Magnetic properties and interactions (J. Lynn).- Synthesis and diamagnetic properties (R. Shelton).- Electron pairing (P. Allen).- Superconducting devices (F. Bedard).- Superconducting properties (J. Crow, N.-P. Ong).

These lectures are concerned with the application of high temperature superconductors to both passive and active high-frequency devices.The central issue addressed is the electrodynamics of granular superconductors, particularly where grain boundaries (either natural or synthetic) act as Josephson weak-links. Grain boundaries are responsible for residual dissipation and for unwanted dependence of the electromagnetic properties on ambient magnetic fields and on elevated power level. Properly controlled, similar weak-links are the key to high sensitivity dc and rf SQUIDS at readily accessible temperatures, and to modulators, mixers and detectors. Such structures may conveniently lead to superconductive electronic devices as well as coherent sources of radiation in the very far infrared.

High-Temperature Superconductors provides an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the properties of these fascinating materials. Much has been learned about the behavior and mechanism of this novel type of superconductivity over the past five years, but many questions remain unanswered. This book gives an invaluable survey which will help students and researchers to consolidate their knowledge and build upon it. A large number of illustrations and tables give valuable information for specialists. A critical comparison of different theoretical models involving strong electron correlations, spin fluctuations, phonons and excitons provides a background for understanding modern trends in the theory of high-temperature superconductivity.

This book presents the current knowledge about superconductivity in high Tc cuprate superconductors. There is a large scientific interest and great potential for technological applications. The book discusses all the aspects related to all families of cuprate superconductors discovered so far. Beginning with the phenomenon of superconductivity, the book covers: the structure of cuprate HTSCs, critical currents, flux pinning, synthesis of HTSCs, proximity effect and SQUIDs, possible applications of high Tc superconductors and theories of superconductivity. Though a high Tc theory is still awaited, this book describes the present scenario and BCS and RVB theories. The second edition was significantly extended by including film-substrate lattice matching and buffer layer considerations in thin film HTSCs, brick-wall microstructure in the epitaxial films, electronic structure of the CuO2 layer in cuprates, s-wave and d-wave coupling in HTSCs and possible scenarios of theories of high Tc superconductivity.

This is the first volume of a comprehensive two-volume treatise on superconductivity that represents the first such publication since the earlier work by R. Parks. It systematically reviews the basic physics and recent advances in the field. Leading researchers describe the state of the art in conventional phonon-induced superconductivity, high-Tc superconductivity, and novel superconductivity. After an introduction and historical overview, the leaders in the special fields of research give a comprehensive survey of the basics and the state of the art in chapters covering the entire field of superconductivity, including conventional and unconventional superconductors. Important new results are reported in a manner intended to stimulate further research. Numerous illustrations, diagrams and tables make this book especially useful as a reference work for students, teachers, and researchers. The second volume treats novel superconductors.

Provides coverage of the ongoing investigations on bismuth-based high-temperature cuprate superconductors, integrating scattered research activities and literature from 70 leading scientists throughout the world. The text covers crystal structures and microstructures, reversible or equilibrium magnetic and thermal properties, atomic site tunnel spectroscopy, experimental studies concerning equilibrium phases, and more.

The main purpose of the book is to present a description of the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity and to discuss the physics of high-temperature superconductors, both entirely based on experimental facts. The pairing mechanism of this remarkable phenomenon is based on an anomaly found in tunneling (V) characteristics of some cuprates. By using the soliton theory, it is then shown that this anomaly is caused by pairs of quasi-one dimensional excitations - bisolitons - bound due to a moderately strong, nonlinear electron-phonon interaction. At the same time, analysis of experimental data unambiguously shows that magnetic (spin) fluctuations mediate the phase coherence in cuprates. The mechanism of superconductivity in quasi-one dimensional organic superconductors and heavy fermions is discussed too. In cuprates, the origins of five different energy/temperature scales are identified. Finally, three main principles of superconductivity are introduced at the end of the book. Analysis of tunneling and angle-resolved photoemission measurements is presented in the last chapter. The book which contains 300 pages with 180 illustrations is addressed to researchers and graduate students in all branches of exact sciences.

High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductors provides an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the properties of these fascinating materials. The essential properties of high-temperature cuprate superconductors are reviewed on the background of their theoretical interpretation. The experimental results for structural, magnetic, thermal, electric, optical and lattice properties of various cuprate superconductors are presented with respect to relevant theoretical models. A critical comparison of various theoretical models involving strong electron correlations, antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, phonons and excitons provides a background for understanding of the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. Recent achievements in their applications are also reviewed. A large number of illustrations and tables gives valuable information for specialists. A text-book level presentation with formulation of a general theory of strong-coupling superconductivity will help students and researches to consolidate their knowledge of this remarkable class of materials.