Superconductor-Insulator Quantum Phase Transitions
Abstract
In these lectures, superconductivity in impure thin films close to the absolute zero of temperature is discussed. The behavior as function of the applied magnetic field and the amount of impurities suggests the presence of a superconductor-insulator transition at zero temperature. The theory of superconductivity in the limit where all the electrons become tightly bound in pairs is used to explain the main characteristics of the transition. In that limit, where the theory becomes equivalent to a phase-only theory, electron pairs exist on either side of the transition. The presentation is pedagogical in nature and includes exercises as a learning aid for those new to the field.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0011030,
title = {Superconductor-Insulator Quantum Phase Transitions},
author = {Adriaan M. J. Schakel},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0011030},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
36 pages, lectures presented at the XL Cracow School of Theoretical Physics, Zakopane, Poland, June 3-11, 2000, to appear in the proceedings as a special issue of Acta Physica Polonica B, see http://th-www.if.uj.edu.pl/acta/