Superconductivity

Ram Gopal Sharma is an emeritus scientist at the Inter-University Accelerator Centre (IUAC) in New Delhi, India and advisor to the Cryogenics and Applied Superconductivity Group on the project "Indigenous Development of a 1.5T MRI Magnet System" sponsored by the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). He has been active in the fields of superconducting materials, superconducting magnets and low-temperature physics for over 56 years. In 2001 he retired from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), New Delhi as Deputy Director and Head of the Division of Cryogenics and Superconductivity. During the period 2003 - 2009 he was visiting professor at the Legnaro National Laboratory (INFN), University of Padova, Italy, where he lectured on superconducting materials. He along with Prof. Vincenzo Palmieri co-guided Laurea and Ph.D. students on A-15 superconducting RF cavities at LNL, Legnaro. Dr. Sharma has guided 10 PhD students on superconducting materials and magnets and has published close to 120 research papers in international peer-reviewed journals such as Physical Review, Cryogenics, Journal of Low-Temperature Physics, and IEEE Transactions. So far he has delivered around 200 lectures at various national symposia and over 170 invited talks course lectures to masters and Ph.D. students both in India and Italy after his retirement in 2001. He was the Chief Editor of the Indian Journal of Cryogenics from 2014 to 2020. He is the recipient of the Indian Cryogenics Council (ICC) Lifetime Achievement Award (2014), the Prof. R. Srinivasan Award for Low-Temperature Physics/Cryogenic (2003), the 1996 Materials Research Society of India Medal, the NPL Merit Award (1977), and the A. N. Chatterjee Memorial Award (1977).

Introduction.- The Phenomenon of Superconductivity.- High Temperature Cuprate Superconductors and Later Discoveries.- A Review of Theories of Superconductivity.- Conventional Practical Superconductors.- Practical Cuprate Superconductors.- The Magnesium Diboride (MgB2) Superconductor.- Iron Based Superconductors (IBSC).- Building Laboratory Superconducting  Magnets and Very High Field Magnets.- Superconducting Magnets in Accelerators.- Superconducting Magnets in Fusion Reactors.- Other Applications of Superconducting Magnets.

"The book under review is one of the very few textbooks in the field of applied super-conductivity. ... this book is more or less self-contained. Its most feature is adequate introduction and explanation of the physical concepts. The book is highly recommended for postgraduate students and young researchers interested in experimental low-temperature physics, applied superconductivity and high-field magnet technology. It should find a place in the libraries of all academic and research institutions." ( Uttam Bhunia, Current Science, Vol.123 (2), July, 2022)