Ebook: Quantum Theory of Conducting Matter: Superconductivity

Superconductivity is the most striking phenomenon in solid state physics. The electrical resistance normally arising from impurities and the phonons in a metal suddenly drops to zero below a critical temperature T_c. Not all elemental metals show superconductivity, which suggests that the phenomenon depends on the lattice structure and Fermi surface. The cause of the superconductivity is found to be the phonon-exchange attraction.

Quantum Theory of Conducting Matter: Superconductivity targets scientists, researchers and second-year graduate-level students focused on experimentation in the field of condensed matter physics, solid state physics, superconductivity and the Quantum Hall Effect. Many worked out problems are included in the book to aid the reader's comprehension of the subject.

The following superconducting properties are covered and microscopically explained in this book:

• zero resistance
  
• Meissner effect
  
• flux quantization
  
• Josephson effect
  
• excitation energy gap

Shigeji Fujita and Kei Ito are authors of Quantum Theory of Conducting Matter: Newtonian Equations of Motion for a Bloch Electron, predecessor to this book on superconductivity.

Major superconducting properties including zero resistance, Meissner effect, sharp phase change, flux quantization, excitation energy gap, Josephson effects are covered and microscopically explained, using quantum statistical mechanical calculations. First treated are the 2D superconductivity and then the quantum Hall effects. Included are exercise-type problems for each section. Readers can grasp the concepts covered in the book by following the worked-through problems. Bibliographies are included in each chapter and a glossary and list of symbols are given in the beginning of the book.

The book is based on the materials taught by S. Fujita for several courses in Quantum Theory of Solids, Advanced Topics in Modern Physics, and Quantum Statistical Mechanics.