"The Frontiers of Knowhledge (to coin a phrase) are always on the move. - day's discovery will tomorrow be part of the mental furniture of every research worker. By the end of next week it will be in every course of graduate lectures. Within the month there will be a clamour to have it in the undergraduate c- riculum. Next year, I do believe, it will seem so commonplace that it may be assumed to be known by every schoolboy. "The process of advancing the line of settlements, and cultivating and c- ilizing the new territory, takes place in stages. The original papers are p- lished, to the delight of their authors, and to the critical eyes of their readers. Review articles then provide crude sketch plans, elementary guides through the forests of the literature. Then come the monographs, exact surveys, mapping out the ground that has been won, adjusting claims for priority, putting each fact or theory into its place" (J. M. Ziman, Principles of the Theory of Solids (Cambridge University Press, 1972) p.v). The main purpose of the book is to present the mechanism of - perconductivity discovered in 1986 by J. G. Bednorz and K. A. Muller, and to discuss the physics of superconductors. The last chapter of the book presents analysis of tunneling measurements in cuprates. The book is - dressed to researchers and graduate students in all branches of exact sciences."

Advancing the experimental study of superfluids relies on increasingly sophisticated techniques. We develop and demonstrate the loading of Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) into nearly arbitrary trapping potentials, with a resolution improved by a factor of seven when compared to reported systems. These advanced control techniques have since been adopted by several cold atoms labs around the world. How this BEC system was used to study 2D superfluid dynamics is described. In particular, negative temperature vortex states in a two-dimensional quantum fluid were observed. These states were first predicted by Lars Onsager 70 years ago and have significance to 2D turbulence in quantum and classical fluids, long-range interacting systems, and defect dynamics in high-energy physics. These experiments have established dilute-gas BECs as the prototypical system for the experimental study of point vortices and their nonequilibrium dynamics. We also developed a new approach to superfluid circuitry based on classical acoustic circuits, demonstrating its conceptual and quantitative superiority over previous lumped-element models. This has established foundational principles of superfluid circuitry that will impact the design of future transport experiments and new generation quantum devices, such as atomtronics circuits and superfluid sensors.

This book is dedicated to Professor Leonid V Keldysh. His brilliant contributions to condensed matter physics include the Franz-Keldysh effect, an electron-hole liquid, the nonequilibrium (Keldysh) diagram technique, Bose-Einstein condensation (of excitons) and a metal-dielectric'' transition, acoustically-induced superlattices, multi-photon transitions and impact ionization in solids. In many respects, his work influenced and formed the paradigm of modern condensed matter physics. As a result, many famous researchers in the field have enthusiastically provided unique contributions to the book.

This book covers the flux pinning mechanisms and properties and the electromagnetic phenomena caused by the flux pinning common for metallic, high-Tc and MgB2 superconductors. The condensation energy interaction known for normal precipitates or grain boundaries and the kinetic energy interaction proposed for artificial Nb pins in Nb-Ti, etc., are introduced for the pinning mechanism. Summation theories to derive the critical current density are discussed in detail. Irreversible magnetization and AC loss caused by the flux pinning are also discussed. The loss originally stems from the ohmic dissipation of normal electrons in the normal core driven by the electric field induced by the flux motion. The influence of the flux pinning on the vortex phase diagram in high Tc superconductors is discussed, and the dependencies of the irreversibility field are also described on other quantities such as anisotropy of superconductor, specimen size and electric field strength. Recent developments of critical current properties in various high-Tc superconductors and MgB2 are introduced. The 3rd edition has been thoroughly updated, with a new chapter on critical state model. The mechanism of irreversible properties is discussed in detail. The author provides calculations of pinning loss by the equation of motion of flux lines in the pinning potential and hysteresis loss. The readers will learn why the resultant loss is of hysteresis type in spite of such mechanism. This book aims for graduate students and researchers studying superconductivity as well as engineers working in electric utility industry.

The nature of dark matter remains one of the preeminent mysteries in physics and cosmology. It appears to require the existence of new particles whose interactions with ordinary matter are extraordinarily feeble. One well-motivated candidate is the axion, an extraordinarily light neutral particle that may possibly be detected by looking for their conversion to detectable microwaves in the presence of a strong magnetic field. This has led to a number of experimental searches that are beginning to probe plausible axion model space and may reveal the axion in the near future. These proceedings discuss the challenges of designing and operating tunable resonant cavities and detectors at ultralow temperatures. The topics discussed here have potential application far beyond the field of dark matter detection and may be applied to resonant cavities for accelerators as well as designing superconducting detectors for quantum information and computing applications. This work is intended for graduate students and researchers interested in learning the unique requirements for designing and operating microwave cavities and detectors for direct axion searches and to introduce several proposed experimental concepts that are still in the prototype stage.

This book deals with the study of superconductivity in systems with coexisting wide and narrow bands. It has been previously suggested that superconductivity can be enhanced in systems with coexisting wide and narrow bands when the Fermi level is near the narrow band edge. In this book, the authors study two problems concerning this mechanism in order to: (a) provide a systematic understanding of the role of strong electron correlation effects, and (b) propose a realistic candidate material which meets the ideal criteria for high-Tc superconductivity. Regarding the role of strong correlation effects, the FLEX+DMFT method is adopted. Based on systematic calculations, the pairing mechanism is found to be indeed valid even when the strong correlation effect is considered within the formalism. In the second half of the book, the authors propose a feasible candidate material by introducing the concept of the "hidden ladder" electronic structure, arising from the combination of the bilayer lattice structure and the anisotropic orbitals of the electrons. As such, the book contributes a valuable theoretical guiding principle for seeking unknown high-Tc superconductors.

Ultra-cold atomic ensembles have emerged in recent years as a powerful tool in many-body physics research, quantum information science and metrology. This thesis presents an experimental and theoretical study of the coherent properties of trapped atomic ensembles at high densities, which are essential to many of the aforementioned applications. The study focuses on how inter-particle interactions modify the ensemble coherence dynamics, and whether it is possible to extend the coherence time by means of external control. The thesis presents a theoretical model which explains the effect of elastic collision of the coherence dynamics and then reports on experiments which test this model successfully in the lab. Furthermore, the work includes the first implementation of dynamical decoupling with ultra-cold atomic ensembles. It is demonstrated experimentally that by using dynamical decoupling the coherence time can be extended 20-fold. This has a great potential to increase the usefulness of these ensembles for quantum computation.

This book highlights the power and elegance of algebraic methods of solving problems in quantum mechanics. It shows that symmetries not only provide elegant solutions to problems that can be solved exactly, but also substantially simplify problems that must be solved approximately. Furthermore, the book provides an elementary exposition of quantum electrodynamics and its application to low-energy physics, along with a thorough analysis of the role of relativistic, magnetic, and quantum electrodynamic effects in atomic spectroscopy. Included are essential derivations made clear through detailed, transparent calculations. The book's commitment to deriving advanced results with elementary techniques, as well as its inclusion of exercises will enamor it to advanced undergraduate and graduate students.

The relaxation of isolated quantum many-body systems is a major unsolved problem of modern physics, which is connected to many fundamental questions. However, realizations of quantum many-body systems which are both well isolated from their environment and accessible to experimental study are scarce. In recent years, the field has experienced rapid progress, partly attributed to ultra-cold atoms. This book presents the experimental study of a relaxation phenomenon occurring in a one-dimensional bosonic Josephson junction. The system consists of two 1D quasi Bose-Einstein condensates of 87Rb, magnetically trapped on an atom chip. Using radio-frequency dressing, the author deforms a single harmonic trap, in which the atoms are initially condensed, into a double-well potential and realizes a splitting of the wave function. A large spatial separation and a tilt of the double-well enable the preparation of a broad variety of initial states by precisely adjusting the initial population and relative phase of the two wave packets, while preserving the phase coherence. By re-coupling the two wave packets, the author investigates tunneling regimes such as Josephson (plasma) oscillations and macroscopic quantum self-trapping. In both regimes, the tunneling dynamics exhibits a relaxation to a phase-locked equilibrium state contradicting theoretical predictions. The experimental results are supported with an empirical model that allows quantitative discussions according to various experimental parameters. These results illustrate how strongly the non-equilibrium dynamics differ from the equilibrium one, which is well described by thermodynamics and statistical physics.

New Trends in Superconductivity contains up-to-date papers covering the most exciting current topics in superconductivity research. The main areas include cuprate superconductivity, covering mechanisms, pairing symmetry, pseudogap, stripes, growth and synthesis; novel superconductors, including MgB2, Sr2RuO4, borocarbides and C60-based systems; and mesoscopic superconductors and vortex matter, including vortex structure, type II superconductors, macroscopic quantum coherence and qubit devices and multilayer systems.

A useful, up-to-date reference of current research in all of these rapidly developing fields of superconductivity.

This book describes collisions between atoms that have been cooled to extremely low temperatures by optical and evaporative cooling techniques. John Weiner reviews the elements of the quantum theory of scattering, and summarizes the theory and experimental techniques of optical cooling and trapping. He also describes applications to precision spectroscopy, the determination of atomic properties, control of inelastic collisions by laser fields, and the manipulation of Bose-Einstein condensates (mesoscopic quantum systems).

This book presents the current knowledge about superconductivity in high Tc cuprate superconductors. There is a large scientific interest and great potential for technological applications. The book discusses all the aspects related to all families of cuprate superconductors discovered so far. Beginning with the phenomenon of superconductivity, the book covers: the structure of cuprate HTSCs, critical currents, flux pinning, synthesis of HTSCs, proximity effect and SQUIDs, possible applications of high Tc superconductors and theories of superconductivity. Though a high Tc theory is still awaited, this book describes the present scenario and BCS and RVB theories. The second edition was significantly extended by including film-substrate lattice matching and buffer layer considerations in thin film HTSCs, brick-wall microstructure in the epitaxial films, electronic structure of the CuO2 layer in cuprates, s-wave and d-wave coupling in HTSCs and possible scenarios of theories of high Tc superconductivity.

The revised second edition of this practical book reviews the fundamentals of cryogenic liquid behaviour in small and large scale storage systems. The text is based on research findings on the convective and evaporative behaviour of cryogenic fluids, aimed at improving the design, construction and operation of low-loss cryogenic liquid storage systems, with a view to minimising cost and improving operational safety. Since the first edition was published in 2006, the breadth of cryogenic applications and the modelling of cryogenic fluid dynamics (CFD) have expanded in several directions. In this second edition, most chapters have been extended to introduce discussions of these new applications and their safety and energy economy. These include advances in the modelling of CFD required in, for example, the design of miniature cryocoolers and condensers and reboilers, large-scale cryogenic liquid mixture properties and their stability, and the understanding that hazards and safety problems in the public domain increase with the scaling up of cryogenic systems. With helpful summaries at the end of each chapter, the book is an essential reference for anyone working on the design and operation of cryogenic liquid storage and transportation systems.

This thesis demonstrates that an ultralow temperature refrigeration technique called "demagnetisation refrigeration" can be miniaturised and incorporated onto millimeter-sized chips to cool nanoelectronic circuits, devices and materials. Until recently, the lowest temperature ever reached in such systems was around 4 millikelvin. Here, a temperature of 1.2mK is reported in a nanoelectronic device. The thesis introduces the idea that on-chip demagnetization refrigeration can be used to cool a wide variety of nanostructures and devices to microkelvin temperatures. This brings the exciting possibility of discovering new physics, such as exotic electronic phases, in an unexplored regime and the potential to improve the performance of existing applications, including solid-state quantum technologies. Since the first demonstration of on-chip demagnetization refrigeration, described here, the technique has been taken up by other research groups around the world. The lowest on-chip temperature is currently 0.4mK. Work is now underway to adapt the technique to cool other materials and devices, ultimately leading to a platform to study nanoscale materials, devices and circuits at microkelvin temperatures.

This is a comprehensive textbook designed for graduate and advanced undergraduate students. Both authors rely on more than 20 years of teaching experience in renowned Physics Engineering courses to write this book addressing the students' needs. Kinetics and Spectroscopy of Low Temperature Plasmas derives in a full self-consistent way the electron kinetic theory used to describe low temperature plasmas created in the laboratory with an electrical discharge, and presents the main optical spectroscopic diagnostics used to characterize such plasmas. The chapters with the theoretical contents make use of a deductive approach in which the electron kinetic theory applied to plasmas with basis on the electron Boltzmann equation is derived from the basic concepts of Statistical and Plasma Physics. On the other hand, the main optical spectroscopy diagnostics used to characterize experimentally such plasmas are presented and justified from the point of view of the Atomic and Molecular Physics. Low temperature plasmas (LTP) are partially ionized gases with a broad use in many technological applications such as microelectronics, light sources, lasers, biology and medicine. LTPs lead to the production of atomic and molecular excited states, chemically reactive radicals, and activated surface sites, which are in the origin, among others, of the deposition of thin films, advanced nanotechnology products, solar cells, highly efficient combustion motors, and treatment of cancer cells.

A summary of recent developments in theoretical and experimental studies of fluctuation effects in itinerant electron magnets, focusing on novel physical phenomena: soft-mode spin fluctuations and zero-point effects, strong spin anharmonicity, magnetic frustrations in metals, fluctuation effects in Invar alloys and low-dimensional systems. All of these may be important for novel high-technology applications.

In recent years, there have been significant developments in detector technologies in the field of astrophysics, requiring lower temperatures with simple self-contained refrigerators. Temperatures in the range of 1K to 50mK are now achieved by using dedicated closed-cycle miniature sorption coolers. This book presents the theoretical and experimental knowledge necessary to design and build your own miniature refrigerators, including both single shot and continuous 1 K, 300 mK and 100 mK coolers, and details how to write the needed design software. This text will be of interest to students and researchers, already familiar with basic physics and thermodynamics, who want to understand how sorption coolers and miniature dilution refrigerators work. Features: The first book dedicated to miniature sorption coolers Covers the basic thermodynamic concepts needed to understand the behavior of liquid helium-3 and liquid helium-4 Includes an appendix of Python example codes

This thesis presents the discovery of a surprising phase transition between a topological and a broken symmetry phase. Phase transitions between broken symmetry phases involve a change in symmetry and those between topological phases require a change in topological order; in rare cases, however, transitions may occur between these two broad classes of phases in which the vanishing of the topological order is accompanied by the emergence of a broken symmetry. This thesis describes observations of such a special phase transition in the two-dimensional electron gas confined in the GaAs/AlGaAs structures. When tuned by hydrostatic pressure, the = 5/2 and = 7/2 fractional quantum Hall states, believed to be prototypical non-Abelian topological phases of the Pfaffian universality class, give way to an electronic nematic phase. Remarkably, the fractional quantum Hall states involved are due to pairing of emergent particles called composite fermions. The findings reported here, therefore, provide an interesting example of competition of pairing and nematicity. This thesis provides an introduction to quantum Hall physics of the two-dimensional electron gas, contains details of the high pressure experiments, and offers a discussion of the ramifications and of the origins of the newly reported phase transition.

The enlarged new edition of this textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the basic processes in plasmas and demonstrates that the same fundamental concepts describe cold gas-discharge plasmas, space plasmas, and hot fusion plasmas. Starting from particle drifts in magnetic fields, the principles of magnetic confinement fusion are explained and compared with laser fusion. Collective processes are discussed in terms of plasma waves and instabilities. The concepts of plasma description by magnetohydrodynamics, kinetic theory, and particle simulation are stepwise introduced. Space charge effects in sheath regions, double layers and plasma diodes are given the necessary attention. The novel fundamental mechanisms of dusty plasmas are explored and integrated into the framework of conventional plasmas. The book concludes with a concise description of modern plasma discharges. Written by an internationally renowned researcher in experimental plasma physics, the text keeps the mathematical apparatus simple and emphasizes the underlying concepts. The guidelines of plasma physics are illustrated by a host of practical examples, preferentially from plasma diagnostics. There, Langmuir probe methods, laser interferometry, ionospheric sounding, Faraday rotation, and diagnostics of dusty plasmas are discussed. Though primarily addressing students in plasma physics, the book is easily accessible for researchers in neighboring disciplines, such as space science, astrophysics, material science, applied physics, and electrical engineering. This second edition has been thoroughly revised and contains substantially enlarged chapters on plasma diagnostics, dusty plasmas and plasma discharges. Probe techniques have been rearranged into basic theory and a host of practical examples for probe techniques in dc, rf, and space plasmas. New topics in dusty plasmas, such as plasma crystals, Yukawa balls, phase transitions and attractive forces have been adopted. The chapter on plasma discharges now contains a new section on conventional and high-power impulse magnetron sputtering. The recently discovered electrical asymmetry effect in capacitive rf-discharges is described. The text is based on an introductory course to plasma physics and advanced courses in plasma diagnostics, dusty plasmas, and plasma waves, which the author has taught at Kiel University for three decades. The pedagogical approach combines detailed explanations, a large number of illustrative figures, short summaries of the basics at the end of each chapter, and a selection of problems with detailed solutions.

Physics and Chemistry of Ice is an authoritative summary of state-of the-art research contributions from the world's leading scientists. A key selection of submissions from the 11th International Conference on the Physics and Chemistry of Ice, 2006 are presented here with a foreword by Werner F. Kuhs. An invaluable resource, this book provides researchers and professionals with up-to-date coverage on a wide range of areas in ice science including: * Spectroscopic and diffraction studies * Molecular dynamics simulations * Studies of Ice Mechanics * Quantum mechanical ab initio calculations * Ice and hydrate crystal growth and inhibition studies * Bulk and surface properties of ice and gas hydrates * Snow physics and chemistry This insight into topical aspects of ice research is a key point of reference for physicists, chemists, glaciologists, cryo-biologists and professionals working in the fields of ice and hydrogen bonding.

This text examines all aspects of constructing and using SQUID magnetic sensors that operate at either liquid helium or liquid nitrogen temperatures (4 or 77 K, respectively). There is comprehensive coverage of a range of established and emerging applications: biomagnetism, geophysics, nondestructive evaluation, detection of unexploded ordnance, and gravity gradiometry. The principles of both dc and rf SQUIDS are discussed extensively, as are the geometries, electronic circuitry and analysis techniques required to maximize performance. A major chapter of SQUID gradiometers in real environments presents original information on how to minimize noise from external sources. The discussions of biomagnetism describe the growing importance of neuromagnetometry with systems employing over 100 SQUID sensors, as well as the emergence of magnetocardiography and foetal heartbeat monitoring. Analysis techniques relevant to both biomagnetism and nondestructive evaluation are presented in depth.

The author describes superfluidity as the jewel in the crown of low temperature physics. At low enough temperatures, every substance in thermal equilibrium must become ordered. Since some materials remain fluid to the lowest temperatures, it is a fascinating question as to how this ordering can take place. One possibility is the formation of a superfluid state, a state in which there is macroscopic quantum order, effectively quantum mechanics in a tea-cup. These ideas are developed in chapter 1. The book assumes some basic knowledge of quantum, statistical and thermal physics, and builds on this background to give a readable introduction to the three superfluids of low temperature physics.
A short chapter describing experimental techniques is included. The emphasis throughout is on physical principles rather than technical detail, with the aim of introducing the subject in an accessible yet authoritative way to final year undergraduates or starting postgraduate students.

This book serves as an introduction to cryocooler technology and describes the principle applications of cryocoolers across a broad range of fields. It covers the specific requirements of these applications, and describes how the advantages and disadvantages of different cryocooler systems are taken into consideration. For example, Stirling coolers tend to be used only in space applications because of their high coefficient of performance, low weight and proven reliability, whilst Gifford-McMahon coolers are used for ground applications, such as in cryopumps and MRI shield cooling applications. Joule-Thomson cryocoolers are used in missile technology because of the fast cool down requirements. The cryocooler field is fast developing and the number of applications are growing because of the increasing costs of the cryogens such as Helium and Neon. The first chapter of the book introduces the different types of cryocoolers, their classification, working principles, and their design aspects, and briefly mentions some of the applications of these systems. This introductory chapter is followed by a number of contributions from prominent international researchers, each describing a specific field of application, the cooling requirements and the cryocooler systems employed. These areas of application include gas liquefaction, space technology, medical science, dilution refrigerators, missile systems, and physics research including particle accelerators. Each chapter describes the cooling requirements based on the end use, the approximate cooling load calculations, the criteria for cryocooler selection, the arrangement for cryocooler placement, the connection of the cooler to the object to be cooled, and includes genuine case studies. Intended primarily for researchers working on cryocoolers, the book will also serve as an introduction to cryocooler technology for students, and a useful reference for those using cryocooler systems in any area of application.