Related papers: Failed theories of superconductivity
This course has a dual purpose. First we review the successes of the weak-coupling BCS theory in describing new classes of superconductors discovered since 1979. They include the heavy-fermion superconductors, high-Tc cuprate…
The BCS theory of superconductivity is extended to recognize pairing of electrons by both normal and umklapp scattering. Application of the variational approach shows that coexistence of normal and umklapp scattering frustrates…
Superfluids and superconductors are ordinary matter that show a very surprising behavior at low temperatures. As their temperature is reduced, materials of both kinds can abruptly fall into a state in which they will support a persistent,…
A general theory of superconductivity based on the pairing of electrons that belong to different electronic bands is presented. These electronic bands arise because of a symmetry breaking at the critical temperature in such a way that one…
The (mean field based) BCS theory is considered one of the most successful theories in condensed matter physics. It is justified in ordinary metal superconductors the coherence length $\xi$ is large, with two important features: the order…
Einstein's early thoughts about superconductivity are discussed as a case study of how theoretical physics reacts to experimental findings that are incompatible with established theoretical notions. One such notion that is discussed is the…
Departing from the assumption that pairing is induced by an retarded external 'bosonic glue', we reformulate the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of superconductivity as a scaling theory. Conventional superconductors correspond with the…
We review recent results concerning the mathematical properties of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) functional of superconductivity, which were obtained in a series of papers partly in collaboration with R. Frank, E. Hamza, S. Naboko,…
Jorge Hirsch, in his Comment on my article published in Entropy, agrees that the conventional BCS theory of superconductivity contradicts the second law of thermodynamics. He tries to prove that this theory cannot be valid because of this…
The successful application of the electron-phonon interaction (EPI) mechanism in formulating the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory of superconductivity is among the most outstanding intellectual achievements in theoretical physics…
It has been now over 20 years since the discovery of the first high temperature superconductor by Georg Bednorz and Alex Mueller in 1986 and yet, despite intensive effort, no universally accepted theory exists about the origin of…
In this paper, we study the reliability of BCS theory as a scientific explanation of the mystery of superconductivity. It is shown clearly that the phonon-mediated BCS theory is fundamentally incorrect. Two kinds of glues, pairing…
How the superconductivity in unconventional superconductors emerges from the diverse mother normal states is still a big puzzle. Whatever the mother normal states are the superconductivity is {\em normal} with BCS-like behaviours of the…
We outline a conventional path integral derivation of the transverse force and the friction for a vortex in a superconductor based on the BCS theory. The derivation is valid in both clean and dirty limits at both zero and finite…
Although the standard theory of superconductivity based on the BCS theory is a successful one, several experimental results indicate the necessity for a fundamental revision. We argue that the revision is on the origin of the phase variable…
Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in two dimensions (2D) (e.g., to describe the quasi-2D cuprates) is suggested as the possible mechanism widely believed to underlie superconductivity in general. A crucial role is played by nonzero…
The publication of a revised edition of a monograph devoted to the two-band theory of superconductivity provides us the opportunity of a short comment on two classical papers, published independently some 50 years ago, where the…
The discovery of the Meissner effect was a turning point in the history of superconductivity. It demonstrated that superconductivity is an equilibrium state of matter, thus allowing to use thermodynamics for its study. This provided a…
I argue that the conventional BCS-London theory of superconductivity does not explain the most fundamental property of superconductors, the Meissner effect: how is the Meissner current generated, and how is it able to defy Faraday's law?…
The essay is an attempt to re-create the wonderful scientific atmosphere that emerged after the basic BCS ideas first arrived in Russia in 1957. It summarizes the most significant contributions to the microscopic theory of superconductivity…