This text deals with the behaviour of superconductors in external fields varying in time, and with transport phenomena in superconductors.

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 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.

What is superconductivity? How was it discovered? What are the properties of superconductors, how are they applied now, and how are they likely to become widely used in the near future? These are just some of the questions which this book by two leading authorities in the field sets out to answer. Starting with the discovery of superconductivity over eighty years ago, the book guides the reader through the many years of subsequent exploration, right up to the latest sensational findings.Written in a lively, nontechnical style, this book makes ideal background reading for any school or college-level study of superconductivity. The authors paint detailed pictures of the phenomena involved without mathematical formalism, appealing instead to physical intuition.