This book presents a review of theoretical and experimental work on the problem of the interplay of Anderson localization and superconductivity in strongly disordered systems. Superconductivity persists close to disorder-induced metal-insulator transition in a number of real systems, e.g. amorphous metals and compounds, systems disordered by fast neutron irradiation, systems with impurities, etc. High temperature superconductors are especially interesting from this point of view, as the experiments with controllable disordering may provide important clues to the nature of electronic states in these systems.The book starts with a brief discussion on modern aspects of localization theory, including the basic concept of scaling, self-consistent theory of localization and interaction effects. After that it analyzes disorder effects on Cooper pairing and superconductivity transition temperature as well as Ginzburg-Landau equations for superconductors that are close to the Anderson transition. A necessary generalization of the usual theory of “dirty” superconductors is formulated which allows one to analyze anomalies of the main superconducting properties close to disorder-induced metal-insulator transition. Finally, the book reviews a number of experiments demonstrating superconductivity close to the Anderson transition, in both traditional and high Tc superconductors.

The study of the effects of dimensional ity and disorder on phase transitions, electronic transport, and superconductivity has become an important field of research in condensed matter physics. These effects are both classical and quantum mechanical in nature and are observed universally in urealu materials. What may at first glance seem a diverse collection of lectures which form the chapters of these proceedings is in fact, an attempt to demon strate the commonality, inter-relationship, and general applica bility of the phenomena of localization, percolation, and macro scopic quantum effects on electrical transport and superconduc tivity in disordered solids. The theory of these phenomena is presented in a complete, yet, self-contained fashion and the inter-relationship between the topics is emphasized. An extensive treatment of experimental results is also included, both those which have stimulated the theory as well as those that have confirmed it. Many of the phenomena investigated in this field also have technological significance. For example, the nature of electronic localization in metals in which one or more dimensions are con strained is very important when one attempts to predict the be havior of the metallic interconnects in ultra-miniature circuits.

This book consists of over 600 selected descriptions and abstracts of books, book chapters, patents and journal articles from throughout the world dealing with this high-profile topic. Each citation contains complete bibliographic data plus key words. The entries are grouped under the headings of: Theory of Superconductivity; Superconducting Devices; Superconducting Properties of Materials; Applications of Superconductors: Author Index; Subject Index.

This book explores the relationship between electronic correlations, dimensionality, inhomogeneities, and superconductivity in low-dimensional systems by studying single crystals of the quasi-one-dimensional Na2–δMo6Se6, composed of MoSe filaments weakly coupled by Na atoms and subject to intrinsic disorder (δ > 0). It shows that the Na2-δMo6Se6 displays strong electronic correlations in its normal state, whereas a superconducting ground state emerges from Anderson localized electrons. Two novel behaviors of the superconducting state are observed: first, a disorder induced enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature; second, a reentrant phase coherence with increasing temperature, magnetic field, and current. It also analyzes the intrinsic properties of Na2-δMo6Se6 are analyzed to offer a thorough understanding of these phenomena. The emergence of superconductivity in such low-dimensional systems provides a fruitful playground to explore electronic order and correlations.

The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity has resulted in a remarkable growth in the amount of research and the number of researchers working in this exciting field. Superconductivity is not a new phenomenon: in 1991 it will be 80 years old. Even though it was the newer discoveries which motivated us to write this book, the book itself is mainly a description of the fundamentals of the phenomenon. The book is written for a very broad audience, including students, engin eers, teachers, scientists, and others who are interested in learning about this exciting frontier of science. We have focused on the qualitative aspects, so that the reader can develop a basic understanding of the fundamental physics without getting bogged down in the details. Because of this approach, our list of refer ences is not comprehensive, and it is supplemented with a summary of additional reading consisting of monographs and selected review articles. (The articles we have referenced were either not reflected in the review articles on monographs or were milestones in the development of the field. ) In addition, some of the sections which can be skipped during the first reading have been marked with asterisks (*). Until recently, superconductivity was considered to belong to the field of low-temperature physics. This field was born, simultaneously with quantum physics, at the beginning of this century. Initially these two contemporaneous fields developed independently, but they soon became strongly coupled.

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.

Six papers by physicists from the Japan, India, Brazil and the US address some of the broad frontal issues of superconductivity, which include the mechanisms of high-temperature superconductivity, extra-high-temperature phenomena, the normal state pseudogap, the observations of the isotope effect in a host of different superconducting systems and their explanations, and the unusual features of strongly correlated electron systems like heavy fermions. Two extended papers explore the importance of positron annihilation and using electron spin resonance techniques to study superconducting materials. The treatments should be accessible to working scientists and engineers and to graduate students of physics, chemistry, materials science, solid-state electronics, and other disciplines.

"These are the proceedings of Localisation 2011, which took place at POSTECH in Pohang, South Korea, on August 4 to 7th 2011, as a satellite meeting of the 26th International Conference on Low Temperature Physics (LT26)."--