James F. Annett - Böcker

The book covers three main strands, Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC), superfluids and superconductivity. The subjects are developed in a way which gradually builds up the key concepts and the necessary mathematical machinery. The book begins with the simplest of the three topics, BEC, and first thoroughly reviews the basics of the Bose-Einstein ideal gas before going into the techniques of magnetic trapping and cooling of atoms and the discovery of BEC in dilute atomic gases. Superfluidity in helium-4 is more difficult to understand, because it is a strongly interacting quantum liquid. The book introduces the main physical phenomena of superfluidity, and how it follows from the key concept of macroscopic quantum coherence and off-diagonal long ranged order. The theory of superconductivity is developed in stages, starting with the simpler London and Ginzburg Landau theories and their main applications, before developing the mathematical concepts of a quantum coherent state and the Bardeen Cooper Schrieffer (BCS) theory. The final chapter deals with the more advanced topics, including superfluid helium-3 and evidence for unconventional Cooper pairing in exotic superconductors. No prior knowledge of quantum many-body theory is assumed, and the necessary mathematical concepts are introduced in a self-contained manner where needed.

This text introduces the key concepts of superconductivity, superfluidity and Bose-Einstein condensates, three extremely important and rapidly developing fields of research which are closely related intellectually, in spite of their very different physical systems. The topics are developed alongside the necessary mathematical tools and no previous knowledge of quantum many-body theory is necessary.

New Trends in Superconductivity contains up-to-date papers covering the most exciting current topics in superconductivity research. The main areas include cuprate superconductivity, covering mechanisms, pairing symmetry, pseudogap, stripes, growth and synthesis; novel superconductors, including MgB2, Sr2RuO4, borocarbides and C60-based systems; and mesoscopic superconductors and vortex matter, including vortex structure, type II superconductors, macroscopic quantum coherence and qubit devices and multilayer systems. A useful, up-to-date reference of current research in all of these rapidly developing fields of superconductivity.

New Trends in Superconductivity contains up-to-date papers covering the most exciting current topics in superconductivity research. The main areas include cuprate superconductivity, covering mechanisms, pairing symmetry, pseudogap, stripes, growth and synthesis; novel superconductors, including MgB2, Sr2RuO4, borocarbides and C60-based systems; and mesoscopic superconductors and vortex matter, including vortex structure, type II superconductors, macroscopic quantum coherence and qubit devices and multilayer systems. A useful, up-to-date reference of current research in all of these rapidly developing fields of superconductivity.