Critical Currents and Superconductivity

The interest aroused in the scientific community by the discovery of the high-Tc oxides is motivated by the prospects of industrial applications. The optimization of their performances is achieved by obtaining both the critical temperatures, to push superconductivity towards the highest possible temperature, and the densities of critical current

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The book comprises six chapters which deal with the critical currents and the ferromagnetism-superconductivity coexistence in high-Tc oxides. It begins by gathering key data for superconducting state and the fundamental properties of the conventional superconductors, followed by a recap of the basic theories of superconductivity. It then discusses the differences introduced by the structural anisotropy on the Ginzburg-Landau approach and the Lawrence-Doniach model before addressing the dynamics of vortices and the ferromagnetism-superconductivity coexistence in high-Tc oxides, and provides an outline of the pinning phenomena of vortices in these materials, in particular the pinning of vortices by the spins. It elucidates the methods to improve the properties of superconducting materials for industrial applications. This optimization aims at obtaining critical temperatures and densities of critical currents at the maximum level possible. Whereas the primary objective is the basic mechanisms pushing the superconductivity towards high temperatures, the secondary objective is to achieve a better understanding of the vortices pinning. This book is targeted at researchers and graduate students of fundamental and engineering sciences.