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.

Superconductors with high critical temperatures are extremely complex and it remains difficult to synthesize high quality samples. In this regard, the materials and crystallographic aspects, drawing together the fields of structural chemistry and physics, solid state chemistry and physics, and applications and properties, both for cuprate and organic superconductors, play a vital role in our understanding of the phenomenon. Among other things, the contributions to local structural elucidation contained in the present work will shatter the reader's prejudices concerning the idealized average structure.

This book presents the interdisciplinary field of solid electrodynamics and its applications in superconductor and microwave technologies. It gives scientists and engineers the foundation necessary to deal with theoretical and applied electromagnetics, continuum mechanics, applied superconductivity, high-speed electronic circuit design, microwave engineering and transducer technology.

What sets this book apart from others on the introduction to super-conductivity and high-Tc materials is its simple and pragmatic approach. The authors describe all relevant superconducting phenomena and rely on the macroscopic Ginzburg-Landau theory to derive the most important results. Examples are chosen from selected conventional superconductors like NbTi and compared to those of high-Tc materials. The text should be of interest to students and researchers in all branches of science and engineering, with the possible exception of theoretical physicists, who may require a more mathematical approach.

This book contains an interdisciplinary selection of timely articles which cover a wide range of superconducting technologies ranging from high tech medicine (10-12 Gauss) to multipurpose sensors, microwaves, radio engineering, magnet technology for accelerators, magnetic energy storage, and power transmission on the 109 watt scale. It is aimed primarily at the non-specialist and will be suitable as an introductory course book for those in the relevant fields and related industries. As shown in the title several examples of high-Tc applications are included. While low-Tc is still the leading technology, for instance, in cables and SQUIDS, case studies in these areas are presented.

This extensive and comprehensive handbook systematically reviews the basic physics, theory and recent advances in superconductivity. Covering the entire field, this unparalleled resource carefully blends theoretical studies with experimental results to provide an indispensable foundation for further research. Leading researchers, including Nobel laureates, describe the state of the art in conventional and unconventional superconductors. In addition to full-coverage of novel materials and underlying mechanisms, the handbook reflects continued, intense research into electron-phone based superconductivity.

Since the discovery of high temperature superconductors, many new materials have been invented. In the last year, several new materials were also discovered, but their critical temperatures are still below lOOK. Precise physical and chemical work has made tremendous progress in the theoretical and experimental study of physical properties and carrier state characterizations. The de Haas van Alphen effect measurement showed the existence of a Fermi surface in YBCO. Flux dynamics is a well-known new problem in which flux creep and irreversibility line features are especially important for a fundamental understanding of the critical current and flux pinning. Flux pinning centers which are intentionally added using non-superconducting precipitates, neutrons, and protons, etc. increase critical currents to practical levels. The analysis of electric and magnetic properties are expected to reveal the pinning mechanism and also to further application development. As for wires and bulks, many melt-like sintering techniques have improved the material performance of critical current densities. A new seeding Quench-Melt Growth technique enlarged crystal size and increased the repulsion force. These melting processes, in conjunction with a mechanical strength improvement have been effectively introduced into wire fabrication in order to realize kilometer range wires and will put the oxide wires to practical use. Where thin film is con cerned, when many fabrication methods had been developed using the assistance effect of activated oxygen such as ozone and oxygen radicals, a high current 2 density of 106A/cm at 77K was reported.

Superconductivity covers the nature of the phenomenon of superconductivity. The book discusses the fundamental principles of superconductivity; the essential features of the superconducting state-the phenomena of zero resistance and perfect diamagnetism; and the properties of the various classes of superconductors, including the organics, the buckministerfullerenes, and the precursors to the cuprates. The text also describes superconductivity from the viewpoint of thermodynamics and provides expressions for the free energy; the Ginzburg-Landau and BCS theories; and the structures of the high temperature superconductors. The band theory; type II superconductivity and magnetic properties; and the intermediate and mixed states are also considered. The book further tackles critical state models; various types of tunneling and the Josephson effect; and other transport properties. The text concludes by looking into spectroscopic properties. Physicists and astronomers will find the book invaluable.

Five years have passed since the breakthrough in the critical temperature for superconductors. During this period, many superconducting materials have been discovered and developed, and our knowledge of the physical and other properties of oxide superconductors has deepened through extensive and intensive research. This knowledge has advanced superconductivity science and technology from the initial questioning stage to a more developed but still uncertain second stage where research activity in superconductivity now overlaps with fields of application. Generally speaking, science resonates with technology. Science not only complements but also competes with or stimulates technology. New scientific knowledge has triggered the second technological research stage. Much progress has been made in the development of practical devices, encouraging the application of superconductors in areas such as human levitation, a high speed levitated bearing, large current transforming leads, and high frequency devices. This technological progress has increased our understanding of the science involved, such as flux pinning and dynamics, and anomalous long-range superconducting interactions. At this important stage, international cooperation and collaborative projects can effectively sustain aggressive research and development in order to advance superconductivity to the next stages. The ISS Symposium is expected to serve as a venue for increasing our knowledge of superconductivity and for exchanging visions for future research and applications, through the presentation and discus of the latest research results. These proceedings also aim to summarize sion annual progress in high-Tc superconductivity in all fields.

These lectures are concerned with the application of high temperature superconductors to both passive and active high-frequency devices.The central issue addressed is the electrodynamics of granular superconductors, particularly where grain boundaries (either natural or synthetic) act as Josephson weak-links. Grain boundaries are responsible for residual dissipation and for unwanted dependence of the electromagnetic properties on ambient magnetic fields and on elevated power level. Properly controlled, similar weak-links are the key to high sensitivity dc and rf SQUIDS at readily accessible temperatures, and to modulators, mixers and detectors. Such structures may conveniently lead to superconductive electronic devices as well as coherent sources of radiation in the very far infrared.