Practical applications of the cuprates depend heavily on the coherence of their superconducting state. Introductory chapters of this book present the special problems posed by the strong anisotropy of the cuprates. They are followed by pedagogical reviews on fluctuation effects, the properties of the vortex state, physics of tunneling (s and d-wave superconductors), and properties of related junction devices. Preparation methods and advanced experiments on state of the art single crystals and thin films are emphasized.

One of the most spectacular consequences of the description of the superfluid condensate in superfluid He or in superconductors as a single macroscopic quantum state is the quantization of circulation, resulting in quantized vortex lines. This book draws no distinction between superfluid He3 and He4 and superconductors. The reader will find the essential introductory chapters and the most recent theoretical and experimental progress in our understanding of the vortex state in both superconductors and superfluids, from lectures given by leading experts in the field, both experimentalists and theoreticians, who gathered in Cargèse for a NATO ASI. The peculiar features related to short coherence lengths, 2D geometry, high temperatures, disorder, and pinning are thoroughly discussed.

This book provides a comprehensive presentation of all types of HTSC and includes a broad overview on HTSC computer simulations and modeling. Especial attention is devoted to the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and Y-Ba-Cu-O families that today are the most perspective for applications. The book includes a great number of illustrations and references. The monograph is addressed to students, post-graduate students and specialists, taking part in the development, preparation and researching of new materials.

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.

The achievement of large critical currents is critical to the applications of high-temperature superconductors. Recent developments have shown that melt processing is suitable for producing high Jc oxide superconductors. Using magnetic forces between such high Jc oxide superconductors and magnets, a person could be levitated.This book has grown largely out of research works on melt processing of high-temperature superconductors conducted at ISTEC Superconductivity Research Laboratory. The chapters build on melt processing, microstructural characterization, fundamentals of flux pinning, critical current, and applications of bulk monolithic superconductors. The text also describes the basic mechanism of levitation and its application. This book will be useful for research workers, engineers, and graduate students in the field of superconductivity.List of Authors: H Fujimoto, S Gotoh, T Izumi; N Koshizuka, K Miya, M Murakami, N Nakamura, Y Nakamura, Y Shiohara, H Takaichi, T Taguchi, M Uesaka, H W Weber, K Yamaguchi.

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.

Devoted to the preparation, characterization and evaluation of HTS electronic devices, the Handbook of High-Temperature Superconductor Electronics provides information on using high-Tc thin films and junctions to increase speed, lessen noise, lower power consumption and enhance upper frequency limits in superconductor electronics. Compiled by a gro