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.

Handbook on the Physics and Chemistry of Rare Earths: Including Actinides, Volume 51, is a continuous series of books covering all aspects of rare earth science, including chemistry, life sciences, materials science and physics. This latest release includes chapters on the Effect of Pressure on the Interplay Between Orbital and Magnetic Ordering, Kondo Effect, Valence Fluctuation, and Superconductivity in Rare-Earth Compounds and a section on Rare-Earth: Doped Waveguide Amplifiers and Lasers. The book's main emphasis is on rare earth elements [Sc, Y, and the lanthanides (La through Lu], but whenever relevant, information is also included on the closely related actinide elements. Individual chapters in the ongoing series consist of comprehensive, broad, up-to-date, critical reviews written by highly experienced, invited experts. The series, which was started in 1978 by Professor Karl A. Gschneidner Jr., combines, and integrates, both the fundamentals and applications of these elements with two published volumes each year. - Presents up-to-date overviews and new developments in the field of rare earths, covering both their physics and chemistry - Contains Individual chapters that are comprehensive and broad, with critical reviews - Provides contributions from highly experienced, invited experts

Lists citations with abstracts for aerospace related reports obtained from world wide sources and announces documents that have recently been entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database.