Earlier and Recent Aspects of Superconductivity

This volume contains the lectures of "Earlier and Recent Aspects of Super conductivity", the 18th course of the International School of Materials Science and Technology, which was held at the Ettore Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice (Sicily), Italy, July 4-16, 1989. In the wake of the discovery of high-Tc oxides many international confer ences have been held on the subject, mainly intended for those already working in high-Tc research. Hence, the idea evolved of organizing a school dedicated to students and young scientists entering the field of superconductivity. The intention was to give a broad perspective of the field with its eight decades of research history and thus to link existing fields of knowledge and gain con tinuity. The new high-Tc cuprates were integrated, both historically and by subject, into the field of classical superconductivity, as well as into its newer branches of heavy-fermion, organic and chalcogenide superconductors. Even the organizers and the lecturers were surprised how many cross-links became apparent between the different branches of superconductivity. The lectures have been grouped into four parts, namely: - Fundamental properties of superconductors - Coherence-length-related properties - Electronic and magnetic properties - Theoretical models The number of applications from potential participants greatly exceeded the capacity of the facilities available. Ultimately, 100 students from 25 coun tries were selected to attend the course. The remarkable surroundings of the medieval town of Erice promoted a most stimulating but nevertheless relaxed atmosphere.

InhaltsangabeI Fundamental Properties of Superconductors.- Some Remarks on the History of Superconductivity (With 21 Figures).- Electronic Structures of Oxide Superconductors - Development of Concepts (With 16 Figures).- Oxygen Nonstoichiometry and Valence States in Superconductive Cuprates (With 22 Figures).- Superconductivity and Magnetism in Chevrel Phases (With 10 Figures).- Organic Superconductivity: The Role of Low Dimensionality and Magnetism (With 19 Figures).- Flux Quantisation and Quantum Coherence in Conventional and HTC Superconductors and Their Application to SQUID Magnetometry (With 13 Figures).- Similarities and Differences Between Conventional and High-Tc Superconductors (With 2 Figures).- II Coherence-Length-Related Properties.- Short Coherence Length and Granular Effects in Conventional and High Tc Superconductors (With 11 Figures).- Critical Currents in Single-Crystal and Bicrystal Films (With 1 Figure).- What Limits the Critical Current Density in High-Tc Superconductors? (With 11 Figures).- Muon Spin Rotation Experiments in High-Tc Superconductors (With 7 Figures).- (Spin) Glass Behavior in High-Tc Superconductors (With 20 Figures).- Microwave Absorption in Granular Superconductors (With 8 Figures).- Microwaves and Superconductivity: Processes in the Intergranular Medium.- III Electronic and Magnetic Properties.- Superconductivity of Strongly Correlated Electrons: Heavy-Fermion Systems (With 10 Figures).- Pair Breaking in Superconductors (With 13 Figures).- On the Electronic Structure and Related Physical Properties of 3d Transition Metal Compounds (With 16 Figures).- The Electronic Structure of Previous and Present High-Tc Superconductors - Investigations with High-Energy Spectroscopies (With 20 Figures).- A Positive Experimental Test for Pairing Mechanisms Including $$3{d_{{z^2}}}$$ Hole Symmetry: Correlation of the Relative Weight of $$3{d_{{z^2}}}{\rm{ vs }}3{d_{{x^2} - {y^2}}}$$ Hole States with the Critical Temperature.- Magnetic and Electronic Correlations in YBa2Cu3O6+xx (With 13 Figures).- Magnetic Correlations and Spin Dynamics in La2-xSrxCuO4 from NQR Relaxation (With 14 Figures).- A Credo for a Spy: Nuclear Spin Interactions in Superconductors (With 6 Figures).- IV Theoretical Models.- Phonons and Charge-Transfer Excitations in High-Temperature Superconductors (With 5 Figures).- Experimental Constraints and Theory of Layered High-Temperature Superconductors (With 5 Figures).- Generalized Hubbard Models for Cu-O-Based Superconductors: Field-Theoretical and Monte-Carlo Results (With 9 Figures).- Index of Contributors.