Effect of increasing disorder on superconductivity of Mo/Nb superlattices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereiro, Juan; Saerbeck, Thomas; Schuller, Ivan K

2015-01-01

We investigated the superconducting properties of Nb/Mo superlattices (SLs). The structural changes as a function of Nb and Mo layer thickness allow us to investigate the effect of disorder on the superconducting properties in a controlled fashion. Systematic structural studies provide quantitative measures of disorder parameters, such as roughness, interdiffusion, and strain, which allow separating their effect on the individual superconducting layers. The Mo critical temperature does not change as the layer thickness decreases below its coherence length. Thus, the SL critical temperatures in the presence of disorder and proximity effects can be modeled by considering only the effects of the Nb mean free path and coherence length. With increasing layer thickness, the SL critical temperatures approach Nb bulk values. Contrary to expectations the T c of Mo remains below the Nb T c . We discuss the results using existing theories based on Coulomb repulsion or changes in the density of states at the Fermi surface as a function of disorder. Questions about current understanding of the effect of disorder on superconductivity arise from the results. (paper)

Effect of increasing disorder on superconductivity of Mo/Nb superlattices

Science.gov (United States)

Pereiro, Juan; Saerbeck, Thomas; Schuller, Ivan K.

2015-08-01

We investigated the superconducting properties of Nb/Mo superlattices (SLs). The structural changes as a function of Nb and Mo layer thickness allow us to investigate the effect of disorder on the superconducting properties in a controlled fashion. Systematic structural studies provide quantitative measures of disorder parameters, such as roughness, interdiffusion, and strain, which allow separating their effect on the individual superconducting layers. The Mo critical temperature does not change as the layer thickness decreases below its coherence length. Thus, the SL critical temperatures in the presence of disorder and proximity effects can be modeled by considering only the effects of the Nb mean free path and coherence length. With increasing layer thickness, the SL critical temperatures approach Nb bulk values. Contrary to expectations the Tc of Mo remains below the Nb Tc. We discuss the results using existing theories based on Coulomb repulsion or changes in the density of states at the Fermi surface as a function of disorder. Questions about current understanding of the effect of disorder on superconductivity arise from the results.

Researches on bake effect on RF superconducting cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao Jiankui; Zhao Kui; Zhu Feng

2005-01-01

The Q-slope at high gradient affects the performance of superconducting cavity greatly. Recent researches show that low temperature (100-150) degree C heat treatment (bake) has positive effects on the performance of superconducting cavities. A lot of cavity tests are analyzed based on bake treatment. The average gradient E acc,max and E acc at Q=1 x 10 10 are increased by more than 3.5 MV/m. Q at E acc,max is increased and the Q-slope is improved. Analysis on bake temperature shows that higher bake temperature leads to higher Q value. Comparison of BCP and EP cavities shows that at least 60-80 μm EP is needed for BCP surface. More than 10-15 μm removal of the surface by BCP will degrade the performance of an EP cavity. Oxygen diffusion model is used to illustrate bake effect. (authors)

Fermiology and Superconductivity of Topological Surface States in PdTe2

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, O. J.; Neat, M. J.; Okawa, K.; Bawden, L.; Marković, I.; Mazzola, F.; Feng, J.; Sunko, V.; Riley, J. M.; Meevasana, W.; Fujii, J.; Vobornik, I.; Kim, T. K.; Hoesch, M.; Sasagawa, T.; Wahl, P.; Bahramy, M. S.; King, P. D. C.

2018-04-01

We study the low-energy surface electronic structure of the transition-metal dichalcogenide superconductor PdTe2 by spin- and angle-resolved photoemission, scanning tunneling microscopy, and density-functional theory-based supercell calculations. Comparing PdTe2 with its sister compound PtSe2 , we demonstrate how enhanced interlayer hopping in the Te-based material drives a band inversion within the antibonding p -orbital manifold well above the Fermi level. We show how this mediates spin-polarized topological surface states which form rich multivalley Fermi surfaces with complex spin textures. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy reveals type-II superconductivity at the surface, and moreover shows no evidence for an unconventional component of its superconducting order parameter, despite the presence of topological surface states.

Bulk and surface loss in superconducting transmon qubits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dial, Oliver; McClure, Douglas T; Poletto, Stefano; Keefe, G A; Rothwell, Mary Beth; Gambetta, Jay M; Abraham, David W; Chow, Jerry M; Steffen, Matthias

2016-01-01

Decoherence of superconducting transmon qubits is purported to be consistent with surface loss from two-level systems on the substrate surface. Here, we present a study of surface loss in transmon devices, explicitly designed to have varying sensitivities to different surface loss contributors. Our experiments also encompass two particular different sapphire substrates, which reveal the onset of a yet unknown additional loss mechanism outside of surface loss for one of the substrates. Tests across different wafers and devices demonstrate substantial variation, and we emphasize the importance of testing large numbers of devices for disentangling different sources of decoherence. (paper)

Plasma processing of large curved surfaces for superconducting rf cavity modification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Upadhyay

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Plasma-based surface modification of niobium is a promising alternative to wet etching of superconducting radio frequency (SRF cavities. We have demonstrated surface layer removal in an asymmetric nonplanar geometry, using a simple cylindrical cavity. The etching rate is highly correlated with the shape of the inner electrode, radio-frequency (rf circuit elements, gas pressure, rf power, chlorine concentration in the Cl_{2}/Ar gas mixtures, residence time of reactive species, and temperature of the cavity. Using variable radius cylindrical electrodes, large-surface ring-shaped samples, and dc bias in the external circuit, we have measured substantial average etching rates and outlined the possibility of optimizing plasma properties with respect to maximum surface processing effect.

Radiation effects on superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, B.S.

1975-01-01

The effect of radiation on the superconducting transition temperature (T/sub c/), upper critical field (H/sub c2/), and volume-pinning-force density (F/sub p/) were discussed for the three kinds of superconducting material (elements, alloys, and compounds). 11 figures, 3 tables, 86 references

ATLAS superconducting solenoid on-surface test

CERN Document Server

Ruber, Roger J M Y; Doi, Y; Haruyama, T; Haug, F; ten Kate, H H J; Kawai, M; Kondo, T; Kondo, Y; Makida, Y; Mizumaki, S; Olesen, G; Pavlov, O V; Pezzetti, M; Pirotte, O; Sbrissa, E; Yamamoto, A

2005-01-01

The ATLAS detector is presently under construction as one of the five LHC experiment set-ups. It relies on a sophisticated magnet system for the momentum measurement of charged particle tracks. The superconducting solenoid is at the center of the detector, the magnet system part nearest to the proton-proton collision point. It is designed for a 2 Tesla strong axial magnetic field at the collision point, while its thin-walled construction of 0.66 radiation lengths avoids degradation of energy measurements in the outer calorimeters. The solenoid and calorimeter have been integrated in their common cryostat, cooled down and tested on-surface. We review the on-surface set-up and report the performance test results.

Niobium thin film deposition studies on copper surfaces for superconducting radio frequency cavity applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

W. M. Roach, D. B. Beringer, J. R. Skuza, W. A. Oliver, C. Clavero, C. E. Reece, R. A. Lukaszew

2012-06-01

Thin film coatings have the potential to increase both the thermal efficiency and accelerating gradient in superconducting radio frequency accelerator cavities. However, before this potential can be realized, systematic studies on structure-property correlations in these thin films need to be carried out since the reduced geometry, combined with specific growth parameters, can modify the physical properties of the materials when compared to their bulk form. Here, we present our systematic studies of Nb thin films deposited onto Cu surfaces to clarify possible reasons for the limited success that this process exhibited in previous attempts. We compare these films with Nb grown on other surfaces. In particular, we study the crystal structure and surface morphology and their effect on superconducting properties, such as critical temperature and lower critical field. We found that higher deposition temperature leads to a sharper critical temperature transition, but also to increased roughness indicating that there are competing mechanisms that must be considered for further optimization.

Niobium thin film deposition studies on copper surfaces for superconducting radio frequency cavity applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. M. Roach

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Thin film coatings have the potential to increase both the thermal efficiency and accelerating gradient in superconducting radio frequency accelerator cavities. However, before this potential can be realized, systematic studies on structure-property correlations in these thin films need to be carried out since the reduced geometry, combined with specific growth parameters, can modify the physical properties of the materials when compared to their bulk form. Here, we present our systematic studies of Nb thin films deposited onto Cu surfaces to clarify possible reasons for the limited success that this process exhibited in previous attempts. We compare these films with Nb grown on other surfaces. In particular, we study the crystal structure and surface morphology and their effect on superconducting properties, such as critical temperature and lower critical field. We found that higher deposition temperature leads to a sharper critical temperature transition, but also to increased roughness indicating that there are competing mechanisms that must be considered for further optimization.

Niobium thin film deposition studies on copper surfaces for superconducting radio frequency cavity applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roach, W.M.; Beringer, D.B.; Skuza, J.R.; Oliver, W.A.; Clavero, C.; Reece, C.E.; Lukaszew, R.A.

2012-01-01

Thin film coatings have the potential to increase both the thermal efficiency and accelerating gradient in superconducting radio frequency accelerator cavities. However, before this potential can be realized, systematic studies on structure-property correlations in these thin films need to be carried out since the reduced geometry, combined with specific growth parameters, can modify the physical properties of the materials when compared to their bulk form. Here, we present our systematic studies of Nb thin films deposited onto Cu surfaces to clarify possible reasons for the limited success that this process exhibited in previous attempts. We compare these films with Nb grown on other surfaces. In particular, we study the crystal structure and surface morphology and their effect on superconducting properties, such as critical temperature and lower critical field. We found that higher deposition temperature leads to a sharper critical temperature transition, but also to increased roughness indicating that there are competing mechanisms that must be considered for further optimization.

Point contact tunneling spectroscopy apparatus for large scale mapping of surface superconducting properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Groll, Nickolas; Pellin, Michael J. [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439 (United States); Zasadzinksi, John F. [Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616 (United States); Proslier, Thomas, E-mail: prolier@anl.gov [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439 (United States); High Energy Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439 (United States)

2015-09-15

We describe the design and testing of a point contact tunneling spectroscopy device that can measure material surface superconducting properties (i.e., the superconducting gap Δ and the critical temperature T{sub C}) and density of states over large surface areas with size up to mm{sup 2}. The tip lateral (X,Y) motion, mounted on a (X,Y,Z) piezo-stage, was calibrated on a patterned substrate consisting of Nb lines sputtered on a gold film using both normal (Al) and superconducting (PbSn) tips at 1.5 K. The tip vertical (Z) motion control enables some adjustment of the tip-sample junction resistance that can be measured over 7 orders of magnitudes from a quasi-ohmic regime (few hundred Ω) to the tunnel regime (from tens of kΩ up to few GΩ). The low noise electronic and LabVIEW program interface are also presented. The point contact regime and the large-scale motion capabilities are of particular interest for mapping and testing the superconducting properties of macroscopic scale superconductor-based devices.

The HIE-ISOLDE Superconducting Cavities: Surface Treatment and Niobium Thin Film Coating

CERN Document Server

Lanza, G; Ferreira, L M A; Gustafsson, A E; Pasini, M; Trilhe, P; Palmieri, V

2010-01-01

CERN has designed and prepared new facilities for the surface treatment and niobium sputter coating of the HIE-ISOLDE superconducting cavities. We describe here the design choices, as well as the results of the first surface treatments and test coatings.

Superconducting proximity effect in topological materials

Science.gov (United States)

Reeg, Christopher R.

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the proximity effect due to its role in the realization of topological superconductivity. In this dissertation, we discuss several results that have been obtained in the field of proximity-induced superconductivity and relate the results to the search for Majorana fermions. First, we show that repulsive electron-electron interactions can induce a non-Majorana zero-energy bound state at the interface between a conventional superconductor and a normal metal. We show that this state is very sensitive to disorder, owing to its lack of topological protection. Second, we show that Rashba spin-orbit coupling, which is one of the key ingredients in engineering a topological superconductor, induces triplet pairing in the proximity effect. When the spin-orbit coupling is strong (i.e., when the characteristic energy scale for spin-orbit coupling is comparable to the Fermi energy), the induced singlet and triplet pairing amplitudes can be comparable in magnitude. Finally, we discuss how the size of the proximity-induced gap, which appears in a low-dimensional material coupled to a superconductor, evolves as the thickness of the (quasi-)low-dimensional material is increased. We show that the induced gap can be comparable to the bulk energy gap of the underlying superconductor in materials that are much thicker than the Fermi wavelength, even in the presence of an interfacial barrier and strong Fermi surface mismatch. This result has important experimental consequences for topological superconductivity, as a sizable gap is required to isolate and detect the Majorana modes.

Superconductivity at high pressures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brandt, N B; Ginzburg, N I

1969-07-01

Work published during the last 3 or 4 yrs concerning the effect of pressure on superconductivity is reviewed. Superconducting modifications of Si, Ge, Sb, Te, Se, P and Ce. Change of Fermi surface under pressure for nontransition metals. First experiments on the influence of pressure on the tunneling effect in superconductors provide new information on the nature of the change in phonon and electron energy spectra of metals under hydrostatic compression. 78 references.

Superconductivity in technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komarek, P.

1976-01-01

Physics, especially high energy physics and solid state physics was the first area in which superconducting magnets were used but in the long run, the most extensive application of superconductivity will probably be in energy technology. Superconducting power transmission cables, magnets for energy conversion in superconducting electrical machines, MHD-generators and fusion reactors and magnets for energy storage are being investigated. Magnets for fusion reactors will have particularly large physical dimensions, which means that much development effort is still needed, for there is no economic alternative. Superconducting surfaces in radio frequency cavities can give Q-values up to a factor of 10 6 higher than those of conventional resonators. Particle accelerators are the important application. And for telecommunication, simple coaxial superconducting radio frequency cables seem promising. The tunnel effect in superconducting junctions is now being developed commercially for sensitive magnetometers and may soon possibly feature in the memory cells of computer devices. Hence superconductivity can play an important role in the technological world, solving physical and technological problems and showing economic advantages as compared with possible conventional techniques, bearing also in mind the importance of reliability and safety. (author)

Field limit and nano-scale surface topography of superconducting radio-frequency cavity made of extreme type II superconductor

OpenAIRE

Kubo, Takayuki

2014-01-01

The field limit of superconducting radio-frequency cavity made of type II superconductor with a large Ginzburg-Landau parameter is studied with taking effects of nano-scale surface topography into account. If the surface is ideally flat, the field limit is imposed by the superheating field. On the surface of cavity, however, nano-defects almost continuously distribute and suppress the superheating field everywhere. The field limit is imposed by an effective superheating field given by the pro...

Impurity effects in superconducting UPt3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aronson, M.C.; Vorenkamp, T.; Koziol, Z.; de Visser, A.; Bakker, K.; Franse, J.J.M.; Smith, J.L.

1991-01-01

Superconducting UPt 3 is characterized by a novel and complex magnetic field-temperature phase diagram, with two superconducting transitions at T c1 and T c2 in zero field. We have studied the effects of Pd and Y impurities on the zero field superconducting properties of UPt 3 . Resistance measurements show that both dopants increase the residual resistivity and decrease the spin fluctuation temperature in the normal state. T c1 is depressed by both dopants, but more effectively by Pd. |T c1 - T c2 | is essentially unaffected by Y doping, but increases dramatically with Pd doping

Weak antilocalization effect and noncentrosymmetric superconductivity in a topologically nontrivial semimetal LuPdBi

KAUST Repository

Xu, Guizhou; Wang, Wenhong; Zhang, Xiaoming; Du, Yin; Liu, Enke; Wang, Shouguo; Wu, Guangheng; Liu, Zhongyuan; Zhang, Xixiang

2014-01-01

A large number of half-Heusler compounds have been recently proposed as three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators (TIs) with tunable physical properties. However, no transport measurements associated with the topological surface states have been observed in these half-Heusler candidates due to the dominating contribution from bulk electrical conductance. Here we show that, by reducing the mobility of bulk carriers, a two-dimensional (2D) weak antilocalization (WAL) effect, one of the hallmarks of topological surface states, was experimentally revealed from the tilted magnetic field dependence of magnetoconductance in a topologically nontrivial semimetal LuPdBi. Besides the observation of a 2D WAL effect, a superconducting transition was revealed at T c ∼ 1.7â.K in the same bulk LuPdBi. Quantitative analysis within the framework of a generalized BCS theory leads to the conclusion that the noncentrosymmetric superconductivity of LuPdBi is fully gapped with a possibly unconventional pairing character. The co-existence of superconductivity and the transport signature of topological surface states in the same bulk alloy suggests that LuPdBi represents a very promising candidate as a topological superconductor.

Weak antilocalization effect and noncentrosymmetric superconductivity in a topologically nontrivial semimetal LuPdBi

KAUST Repository

Xu, Guizhou

2014-07-21

A large number of half-Heusler compounds have been recently proposed as three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators (TIs) with tunable physical properties. However, no transport measurements associated with the topological surface states have been observed in these half-Heusler candidates due to the dominating contribution from bulk electrical conductance. Here we show that, by reducing the mobility of bulk carriers, a two-dimensional (2D) weak antilocalization (WAL) effect, one of the hallmarks of topological surface states, was experimentally revealed from the tilted magnetic field dependence of magnetoconductance in a topologically nontrivial semimetal LuPdBi. Besides the observation of a 2D WAL effect, a superconducting transition was revealed at T c ∼ 1.7â.K in the same bulk LuPdBi. Quantitative analysis within the framework of a generalized BCS theory leads to the conclusion that the noncentrosymmetric superconductivity of LuPdBi is fully gapped with a possibly unconventional pairing character. The co-existence of superconductivity and the transport signature of topological surface states in the same bulk alloy suggests that LuPdBi represents a very promising candidate as a topological superconductor.

Unconventional superconductivity and surface pairing symmetry in half-Heusler compounds

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qing-Ze; Yu, Jiabin; Liu, Chao-Xing

2018-06-01

Signatures of nodal line/point superconductivity [Kim et al., Sci. Adv. 4, eaao4513 (2018), 10.1126/sciadv.aao4513; Brydon et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 177001 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.177001] have been observed in half-Heusler compounds, such as LnPtBi (Ln = Y, Lu). Topologically nontrivial band structures, as well as topological surface states, have also been confirmed by angular-resolved photoemission spectroscopy in these compounds [Liu et al., Nat. Commun. 7, 12924 (2016), 10.1038/ncomms12924]. In this paper, we present a systematical classification of possible gap functions of bulk states and surface states in half-Heusler compounds and the corresponding topological properties based on the representations of crystalline symmetry group. Different from all the previous studies based on the four band Luttinger model, our study starts with the six-band Kane model, which involves both four p-orbital type of Γ8 bands and two s-orbital type of Γ6 bands. Although the Γ6 bands are away from the Fermi energy, our results reveal the importance of topological surface states, which originate from the band inversion between Γ6 and Γ8 bands, in determining surface properties of these compounds in the superconducting regime by combining topological bulk state picture and nontrivial surface state picture.

A novel approach to characterizing the surface topography of niobium superconducting radio frequency (SRF) accelerator cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Hui; Ribeill, Guilhem; Xu, Chen; Reece, Charles E.; Kelley, Michael J.

2011-03-01

As superconducting niobium radio-frequency (SRF) cavities approach fundamental material limits, there is increased interest in understanding the details of topographical influences on realized performance limitations. Micro- and nano-roughness are implicated in both direct geometrical field enhancements as well as complications of the composition of the 50 nm surface layer in which the super-currents typically flow. Interior surface chemical treatments such as buffered chemical polishing (BCP) and electropolishing (EP) used to remove mechanical damage leave surface topography, including pits and protrusions of varying sharpness. These may promote RF magnetic field entry, locally quenching superconductivity, so as to degrade cavity performance. A more incisive analysis of surface topography than the widely used average roughness is needed. In this study, a power spectral density (PSD) approach based on Fourier analysis of surface topography data acquired by both stylus profilometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM) is introduced to distinguish the scale-dependent smoothing effects, resulting in a novel qualitative and quantitative description of Nb surface topography. The topographical evolution of the Nb surface as a function of different steps of well-controlled EP is discussed. This study will greatly help to identify optimum EP parameter sets for controlled and reproducible surface levelling of Nb for cavity production.

A novel approach to characterizing the surface topography of niobium superconducting radio frequency (SRF) accelerator cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian Hui; Ribeill, Guilhem; Xu Chen; Reece, Charles E.; Kelley, Michael J.

2011-01-01

As superconducting niobium radio-frequency (SRF) cavities approach fundamental material limits, there is increased interest in understanding the details of topographical influences on realized performance limitations. Micro- and nano-roughness are implicated in both direct geometrical field enhancements as well as complications of the composition of the 50 nm surface layer in which the super-currents typically flow. Interior surface chemical treatments such as buffered chemical polishing (BCP) and electropolishing (EP) used to remove mechanical damage leave surface topography, including pits and protrusions of varying sharpness. These may promote RF magnetic field entry, locally quenching superconductivity, so as to degrade cavity performance. A more incisive analysis of surface topography than the widely used average roughness is needed. In this study, a power spectral density (PSD) approach based on Fourier analysis of surface topography data acquired by both stylus profilometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM) is introduced to distinguish the scale-dependent smoothing effects, resulting in a novel qualitative and quantitative description of Nb surface topography. The topographical evolution of the Nb surface as a function of different steps of well-controlled EP is discussed. This study will greatly help to identify optimum EP parameter sets for controlled and reproducible surface levelling of Nb for cavity production.

Current redistribution effects on superconducting d.c, and microwave measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barra, M; Cassinese, A; Vaglio, R

2006-01-01

In the last two decades, non conventional behavior of the d.c. transport properties of superconductors, with the appearance of anomalous peaks at the transition, have been investigated and interpreted in different ways. In several cases it was recognized that the behavior can be due to current redistribution effects related to the non-homogeneous nature of the measured superconducting sample. In this paper we will briefly review and discuss these effects and, referring to simple concentrated constant equivalent circuits, we will show that sample non-homogeneity can produce the observed features. Then, in the same framework, by performing specific simulations on planar resonators, we will show that anomalous peaks in temperature dependence of the resonant frequency and of the extracted surface reactance can occur at the transition temperature of minority, lower Tc, superconducting phases

Microscopic examination and elemental analysis of surface defects in LEP superconducting cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benvenuti, C.; Cosso, R.; Hauer, M.; Hellgren, N.; Lacarrere, D.

1996-01-01

A diagnostic tool, based on a computer controlled surface analysis instrument, incorporating secondary electron imaging, static auger electron spectroscopy and scanning auger mapping has been designed and built at CERN to characterize the inner surface of LEP superconducting cavities with provide unsatisfactory radio-frequency performance. The experimental results obtained to date are reported and discussed. (author)

Superconductivity in doped Dirac semimetals

Science.gov (United States)

Hashimoto, Tatsuki; Kobayashi, Shingo; Tanaka, Yukio; Sato, Masatoshi

2016-07-01

We theoretically study intrinsic superconductivity in doped Dirac semimetals. Dirac semimetals host bulk Dirac points, which are formed by doubly degenerate bands, so the Hamiltonian is described by a 4 ×4 matrix and six types of k -independent pair potentials are allowed by the Fermi-Dirac statistics. We show that the unique spin-orbit coupling leads to characteristic superconducting gap structures and d vectors on the Fermi surface and the electron-electron interaction between intra and interorbitals gives a novel phase diagram of superconductivity. It is found that when the interorbital attraction is dominant, an unconventional superconducting state with point nodes appears. To verify the experimental signature of possible superconducting states, we calculate the temperature dependence of bulk physical properties such as electronic specific heat and spin susceptibility and surface state. In the unconventional superconducting phase, either dispersive or flat Andreev bound states appear between point nodes, which leads to double peaks or a single peak in the surface density of states, respectively. As a result, possible superconducting states can be distinguished by combining bulk and surface measurements.

The effect of pressure on the charge-density wave and superconductivity in ZrTe sub 3

CERN Document Server

Yamaya, K; Yasuzuka, S; Okajima, Y; Tanda, S

2002-01-01

The charge-density-wave (CDW) transition temperature, T sub C sub D sub W , of ZrTe sub 3 is found to increase for pressures up to 0.6 GPa, while the superconducting transition temperature, T sub c , decreases with increasing pressure. According to a band calculation, it is found that the pressure-induced enhancement of the CDW and suppression of the superconductivity are not simply explained by the effect of nesting of the Fermi surface, suggesting the possibility of a new relation for the competition between the CDW and superconductivity.

Ac superconducting articles and a method for their manufacture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyerhoff, R.W.

1975-01-01

A novel ac superconducting article is described comprising a composite structure having a superconducting surface along with a high thermally conductive material wherein the superconducting surface has the desired physical properties, geometrical shape and surface finish produced by the steps of depositing a superconducting layer upon a substrate having a predetermined surface finish and shape which conforms to that of the desired superconducting article, depositing a supporting layer of material on the superconducting layer and removing the substrate, the surface of the superconductor being a replica of the substrate surface. (auth)

Geometrical resonance effects in thin superconducting films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nedellec, P.

1977-01-01

Electron tunneling density of states measurements on thick and clear superconducting films (S 1 ) backed by films in the normal or superconducting state (S 2 ) show geometrical resonance effects associated with the spatial variation of Δ(x), the pair potential, near the interface S 1 -S 2 . The present understanding of this so-called 'Tomasch effect' is described. The dispersion relation and the nature of excitations in the superconducting state are introduced. It is shown that the introduction of Green functions give a general description of the superconducting state. The notion of Andreev scattering at the S 1 -S 2 interface is presented and connect the geometrical resonance effects to interference process between excitations. The different physical parameters involved are defined and used in the discussion of some experimental results: the variation of the period in energy with the superconducting thickness is connected to the renormalized group velocity of excitations traveling perpendicular to the film. The role of the barrier potential at the interface on the Tomasch effect is described. The main results discussed are: the decrease of the amplitude of the Tomasch structures with energy is due to the loss of the mixed electron-hole character of the superconducting excitations far away from the Fermi level; the variation of the pair potential at the interface is directly related to the amplitude of the oscillations; the tunneling selectivity is an important parameter as the amplitude as well as the phase of the oscillations are modified depending on the value of the selectivity; the phase of the Tomasch oscillations is different for an abrupt change of Δ at the interface and for a smooth variation. An ambiguity arises due to the interplay between these parameters. Finally, some experiments, which illustrate clearly the predicted effects are described [fr

Nanoscale wedge polishing of superconducting thin films-an easy way to obtain depth dependent information by surface analysis techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shapoval, T; Engel, S; Gruendlich, M; Meier, D; Backen, E; Neu, V; Holzapfel, B; Schultz, L

2008-01-01

A mechanical wedge polishing procedure that offers a simple, cost-effective and rapid way to look into the depth of a thin film with different surface-sensitive scanning techniques has been developed. As an example of its wide applicability, this method was utilized for the investigation of two differently prepared superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ thin films: an Hf-doped film prepared by chemical solution deposition and an undoped film grown by pulsed laser deposition. Upon polishing, the roughness of the samples was reduced to less than 5 nm (peak-to-valley) without influencing the superconducting properties of the films. Thus, nanoscale polishing opens up a unique possibility for microscopic studies with various surface-sensitive techniques. We demonstrate the successful imaging of flux lines by low temperature magnetic force microscopy after polishing a formerly rough as-prepared film. By applying the wedge polishing procedure to the Hf-doped sample, high resolution electron backscattering diffraction investigations reveal the homogeneous distribution of non-superconducting BaHfO 3 nanoparticles in the whole volume of the film

Phase fluctuations in two coaxial quasi-one-dimensional superconducting cylindrical surfaces serving as a model system for superconducting nanowire bundles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wong, C.H., E-mail: ch.kh.vong@urfu.ru [Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon (Russian Federation); Wu, R.P.H., E-mail: pak-hong-raymond.wu@connect.polyu.hk [Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong); Lortz, R., E-mail: lortz@ust.hk [Department of Physics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong)

2017-03-15

The dimensional crossover from a 1D fluctuating state at high temperatures to a 3D phase coherent state in the low temperature regime in two coaxial weakly-coupled cylindrical surfaces formed by two-dimensional arrays of parallel nanowires is studied via an 8-state 3D-XY model. This system serves as a model for quasi-one-dimensional superconductors in the form of bundles of weakly-coupled superconducting nanowires. A periodic variation of the dimensional crossover temperature T{sub DC} is observed when the inner superconducting cylindrical surface is rotated in the angular plane. T{sub DC} reaches a maximum when the relative angle between the cylinders is 2.81°, which corresponds to the maximum separation of nanowires between the two cylindrical surfaces. We demonstrate that the relative strength of phase fluctuations in this system is controllable by the rotational angle between the two surfaces with a strong suppression of the fluctuation strength at 2.81°. The phase fluctuations are suppressed gradually upon cooling, before they abruptly vanish below T{sub DC}. Our model thus allows us to study how phase fluctuations can be suppressed in quasi-one-dimensional superconductors in order to achieve a global phase coherent state throughout the nanowire array with zero electric resistance.

Application of a phenomenological model for the surface impedance in high temperature superconducting films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosquera, A.S.; Landinez Tellez, D.A.; Roa-Rojas, J.

2007-01-01

We report the application of a phenomenological model for the microwave surface impedance in high temperature superconducting films. This model is based on the modified two-fluid model, in which the real and imaginary parts of the surface impedance use the modelling parameter γ. This is responsible for the superconducting and normal charge carrier density and is used for the description of the temperature dependence of the London penetration depth λ L (T) including λ L (0). The relaxation time model also uses the γ parameter in combination with the residual resistance parameter α. The parameter δ 1 1 , γ, α, and δ 2 . The parameter δ 2 n (T) is a result of the competition between the increase of the relaxation time and the decrease of the normal charge-carrier density. We applied this model to analyze experimental results of MgB 2 , YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ and GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ superconducting material. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Fabrication of Circuit QED Quantum Processors, Part 1: Extensible Footprint for a Superconducting Surface Code

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, A.; Michalak, D. J.; Poletto, S.; Clarke, J. S.; Dicarlo, L.

Large-scale quantum computation hinges on the ability to preserve and process quantum information with higher fidelity by increasing redundancy in a quantum error correction code. We present the realization of a scalable footprint for superconducting surface code based on planar circuit QED. We developed a tileable unit cell for surface code with all I/O routed vertically by means of superconducting through-silicon vias (TSVs). We address some of the challenges encountered during the fabrication and assembly of these chips, such as the quality of etch of the TSV, the uniformity of the ALD TiN coating conformal to the TSV, and the reliability of superconducting indium contact between the chips and PCB. We compare measured performance to a detailed list of specifications required for the realization of quantum fault tolerance. Our demonstration using centimeter-scale chips can accommodate the 50 qubits needed to target the experimental demonstration of small-distance logical qubits. Research funded by Intel Corporation and IARPA.

Performance of a novel SQUID-based superconducting imaging-surface magnetoencephalography system

Science.gov (United States)

Kraus, R. H.; Volegov, P.; Maharajh, K.; Espy, M. A.; Matlashov, A. N.; Flynn, E. R.

2002-03-01

Performance for a recently completed whole-head magnetoencephalography system using a superconducting imaging surface (SIS) surrounding an array of 150 SQUID magnetometers is reported. The helmet-like SIS is hemispherical in shape with a brim. Conceptually, the SIS images nearby sources onto the SQUIDs while shielding sensors from distant “noise” sources. A finite element method (FEM) description using the as-built geometry was developed to describe the SIS effect on source fields by imposing B⊥( surface)=0 . Sensors consist of 8×8 mm 2 SQUID magnetometers with 0.84 nT/ Φ0 sensitivity and positions and orientations was found. Good agreement was found between modeled and measured shielding of the SQUIDs from sources external to the array showing significant frequency-independent shielding. Phantom localization precision was better than 0.5 mm at all locations with a mean of better than 0.3 mm.

Color superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilczek, F.

1997-01-01

The asymptotic freedom of QCD suggests that at high density - where one forms a Fermi surface at very high momenta - weak coupling methods apply. These methods suggest that chiral symmetry is restored and that an instability toward color triplet condensation (color superconductivity) sets in. Here I attempt, using variational methods, to estimate these effects more precisely. Highlights include demonstration of a negative pressure in the uniform density chiral broken phase for any non-zero condensation, which we take as evidence for the philosophy of the MIT bag model; and demonstration that the color gap is substantial - several tens of MeV - even at modest densities. Since the superconductivity is in a pseudoscalar channel, parity is spontaneously broken

Color superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilczek, F. [Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ (United States)

1997-09-22

The asymptotic freedom of QCD suggests that at high density - where one forms a Fermi surface at very high momenta - weak coupling methods apply. These methods suggest that chiral symmetry is restored and that an instability toward color triplet condensation (color superconductivity) sets in. Here I attempt, using variational methods, to estimate these effects more precisely. Highlights include demonstration of a negative pressure in the uniform density chiral broken phase for any non-zero condensation, which we take as evidence for the philosophy of the MIT bag model; and demonstration that the color gap is substantial - several tens of MeV - even at modest densities. Since the superconductivity is in a pseudoscalar channel, parity is spontaneously broken.

High field superconducting magnets

Science.gov (United States)

Hait, Thomas P. (Inventor); Shirron, Peter J. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

A superconducting magnet includes an insulating layer disposed about the surface of a mandrel; a superconducting wire wound in adjacent turns about the mandrel to form the superconducting magnet, wherein the superconducting wire is in thermal communication with the mandrel, and the superconducting magnet has a field-to-current ratio equal to or greater than 1.1 Tesla per Ampere; a thermally conductive potting material configured to fill interstices between the adjacent turns, wherein the thermally conductive potting material and the superconducting wire provide a path for dissipation of heat; and a voltage limiting device disposed across each end of the superconducting wire, wherein the voltage limiting device is configured to prevent a voltage excursion across the superconducting wire during quench of the superconducting magnet.

Surface analyses of electropolished niobium samples for superconducting radio frequency cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyagi, P. V.; Nishiwaki, M.; Saeki, T.; Sawabe, M.; Hayano, H.; Noguchi, T.; Kato, S.

2010-01-01

The performance of superconducting radio frequency niobium cavities is sometimes limited by contaminations present on the cavity surface. In the recent years extensive research has been done to enhance the cavity performance by applying improved surface treatments such as mechanical grinding, electropolishing (EP), chemical polishing, tumbling, etc., followed by various rinsing methods such as ultrasonic pure water rinse, alcoholic rinse, high pressure water rinse, hydrogen per oxide rinse, etc. Although good cavity performance has been obtained lately by various post-EP cleaning methods, the detailed nature about the surface contaminants is still not fully characterized. Further efforts in this area are desired. Prior x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses of EPed niobium samples treated with fresh EP acid, demonstrated that the surfaces were covered mainly with the niobium oxide (Nb 2 O 5 ) along with carbon, in addition a small quantity of sulfur and fluorine were also found in secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis. In this article, the authors present the analyses of surface contaminations for a series of EPed niobium samples located at various positions of a single cell niobium cavity followed by ultrapure water rinsing as well as our endeavor to understand the aging effect of EP acid solution in terms of contaminations presence at the inner surface of the cavity with the help of surface analytical tools such as XPS, SIMS, and scanning electron microscope at KEK.

Chiral d -wave superconductivity in a triangular surface lattice mediated by long-range interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Xiaodong; Ayral, Thomas; Zhong, Zhicheng; Parcollet, Olivier; Manske, Dirk; Hansmann, Philipp

2018-04-01

Adatom systems on the Si(111) surface have recently attracted an increasing attention as strongly correlated systems with a rich phase diagram. We study these materials by a single band model on the triangular lattice, including 1 /r long-range interaction. Employing the recently proposed TRILEX method, we find an unconventional superconducting phase of chiral d -wave symmetry in hole-doped systems. Contrary to usual scenarios where charge and spin fluctuations are seen to compete, here the superconductivity is driven simultaneously by both charge and spin fluctuations and crucially relies on the presence of the long-range tail of the interaction. We provide an analysis of the relevant collective bosonic modes and predict how a cumulative charge and spin paring mechanism leads to superconductivity in doped silicon adatom materials.

Quantum Theory of Conducting Matter Superconductivity and Quantum Hall Effect

CERN Document Server

Fujita, Shigeji; Godoy, Salvador

2009-01-01

Explains major superconducting properties including zero resistance, Meissner effect, sharp phase change, flux quantization, excitation energy gap, and Josephson effects using quantum statistical mechanical calculations. This book covers the 2D superconductivity and the quantum Hall effects

Fermi-surface reconstruction and the origin of high-temperature superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norman, M.R.

2010-01-01

In crystalline lattices, the conduction electrons form waves, known as Bloch states, characterized by a momentum vector k. The defining characteristic of metals is the surface in momentum space that separates occupied from unoccupied states. This 'Fermi' surface may seem like an abstract concept, but it can be measured and its shape can have profound consequences for the thermal, electronic, and magnetic properties of a material. In the presence of an external magnetic field B, electrons in a metal spiral around the field direction, and within a semiclassical momentum-space picture, orbit around the Fermi surface. Physical properties, such as the magnetization, involve a sum over these orbits, with extremal orbits on the Fermi surface, i.e., orbits with minimal or maximal area, dominating the sum (Fig. 1(a)). Upon quantization, the resulting electron energy spectrum consists of Landau levels separated by the cyclotron energy, which is proportional to the magnetic field. As the magnetic field causes subsequent Landau levels to cross through the Fermi energy, physical quantities, such as the magnetization or resistivity, oscillate in response. It turns out that the period of these oscillations, when plotted as a function of 1/B, is proportional to the area of the extremal orbit in a plane perpendicular to the applied field (Fig. 1(b)). The power of the quantum oscillation technique is obvious: By changing the field direction, one can map out the Fermi surface, much like a blind man feeling an elephant. The nature and topology of the Fermi surface in high-T c cuprates has been debated for many years. Soon after the materials were discovered by Bednorz and Mueller, it was realized that superconductivity was obtained by doping carriers into a parent insulating state. This insulating state appears to be due to strong electronic correlations, and is known as a Mott insulator. In the case of cuprates, the electronic interactions force the electrons on the copper ion

Ceramic superconductor/metal composite materials employing the superconducting proximity effect

Science.gov (United States)

Holcomb, Matthew J.

2002-01-01

Superconducting composite materials having particles of superconducting material disposed in a metal matrix material with a high electron-boson coupling coefficient (.lambda.). The superconducting particles can comprise any type of superconductor including Laves phase materials, Chevrel phase materials, A15 compounds, and perovskite cuprate ceramics. The particles preferably have dimensions of about 10-500 nanometers. The particles preferably have dimensions larger than the superconducting coherence length of the superconducting material. The metal matrix material has a .lambda. greater than 0.2, preferably the .lambda. is much higher than 0.2. The metal matrix material is a good proximity superconductor due to its high .lambda.. When cooled, the superconductor particles cause the metal matrix material to become superconducting due to the proximity effect. In cases where the particles and the metal matrix material are chemically incompatible (i.e., reactive in a way that destroys superconductivity), the particles are provided with a thin protective metal coating. The coating is chemically compatible with the particles and metal matrix material. High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) cuprate ceramic particles are reactive and therefore require a coating of a noble metal resistant to oxidation (e.g., silver, gold). The proximity effect extends through the metal coating. With certain superconductors, non-noble metals can be used for the coating.

Analysis of Nb3Sn surface layers for superconducting radio frequency cavity applications

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Chaoyue; Posen, Sam; Groll, Nickolas; Cook, Russell; Schlepütz, Christian M.; Hall, Daniel Leslie; Liepe, Matthias; Pellin, Michael; Zasadzinski, John; Proslier, Thomas

2015-02-01

We present an analysis of Nb3Sn surface layers grown on a bulk Niobium (Nb) coupon prepared at the same time and by the same vapor diffusion process used to make Nb3Sn coatings on 1.3 GHz Nb cavities. Tunneling spectroscopy reveals a well-developed, homogeneous superconducting density of states at the surface with a gap value distribution centered around 2.7 ± 0.4 meV and superconducting critical temperatures (Tc) up to 16.3 K. Scanning transmission electron microscopy performed on cross sections of the sample's surface region shows an ˜2 μm thick Nb3Sn surface layer. The elemental composition map exhibits a Nb:Sn ratio of 3:1 and reveals the presence of buried sub-stoichiometric regions that have a ratio of 5:1. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments indicate a polycrystalline Nb3Sn film and confirm the presence of Nb rich regions that occupy about a third of the coating volume. These low Tc regions could play an important role in the dissipation mechanisms occurring during RF tests of Nb3Sn-coated Nb cavities and open the way for further improving a very promising alternative to pure Nb cavities for particle accelerators.

Analysis of Nb3Sn surface layers for superconducting radio frequency cavity applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, Chaoyue; Posen, Sam; Hall, Daniel Leslie; Groll, Nickolas; Proslier, Thomas; Cook, Russell; Schlepütz, Christian M.; Liepe, Matthias; Pellin, Michael; Zasadzinski, John

2015-01-01

We present an analysis of Nb 3 Sn surface layers grown on a bulk Niobium (Nb) coupon prepared at the same time and by the same vapor diffusion process used to make Nb 3 Sn coatings on 1.3 GHz Nb cavities. Tunneling spectroscopy reveals a well-developed, homogeneous superconducting density of states at the surface with a gap value distribution centered around 2.7 ± 0.4 meV and superconducting critical temperatures (T c ) up to 16.3 K. Scanning transmission electron microscopy performed on cross sections of the sample's surface region shows an ∼2 μm thick Nb 3 Sn surface layer. The elemental composition map exhibits a Nb:Sn ratio of 3:1 and reveals the presence of buried sub-stoichiometric regions that have a ratio of 5:1. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments indicate a polycrystalline Nb 3 Sn film and confirm the presence of Nb rich regions that occupy about a third of the coating volume. These low T c regions could play an important role in the dissipation mechanisms occurring during RF tests of Nb 3 Sn-coated Nb cavities and open the way for further improving a very promising alternative to pure Nb cavities for particle accelerators

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onnes, H.K.

1988-01-01

The author traces the development of superconductivity from 1911 to 1986. Some of the areas he explores are the Meissner Effect, theoretical developments, experimental developments, engineering achievements, research in superconducting magnets, and research in superconducting electronics. The article also mentions applications shown to be technically feasible, but not yet commercialized. High-temperature superconductivity may provide enough leverage to bring these applications to the marketplace

Surface analyses of electropolished niobium samples for superconducting radio frequency cavity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tyagi, P. V.; Nishiwaki, M.; Saeki, T.; Sawabe, M.; Hayano, H.; Noguchi, T.; Kato, S. [GUAS, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); KEK, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); KAKEN Inc., Hokota, Ibaraki 311-1416 (Japan); GUAS, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan) and KEK, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan)

2010-07-15

The performance of superconducting radio frequency niobium cavities is sometimes limited by contaminations present on the cavity surface. In the recent years extensive research has been done to enhance the cavity performance by applying improved surface treatments such as mechanical grinding, electropolishing (EP), chemical polishing, tumbling, etc., followed by various rinsing methods such as ultrasonic pure water rinse, alcoholic rinse, high pressure water rinse, hydrogen per oxide rinse, etc. Although good cavity performance has been obtained lately by various post-EP cleaning methods, the detailed nature about the surface contaminants is still not fully characterized. Further efforts in this area are desired. Prior x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses of EPed niobium samples treated with fresh EP acid, demonstrated that the surfaces were covered mainly with the niobium oxide (Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5}) along with carbon, in addition a small quantity of sulfur and fluorine were also found in secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis. In this article, the authors present the analyses of surface contaminations for a series of EPed niobium samples located at various positions of a single cell niobium cavity followed by ultrapure water rinsing as well as our endeavor to understand the aging effect of EP acid solution in terms of contaminations presence at the inner surface of the cavity with the help of surface analytical tools such as XPS, SIMS, and scanning electron microscope at KEK.

Laser Processing on the Surface of Niobium Superconducting Radio-Frequency Accelerator Cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Singaravelu, Senthilraja; Klopf, Michael; Krafft, Geoffrey; Kelley, Michael

2011-03-01

Superconducting Radio frequency (SRF) niobium cavities are at the heart of an increasing number of particle accelerators.~ Their performance is dominated by a several nm thick layer at the interior surface. ~Maximizing its smoothness is found to be critical and aggressive chemical treatments are employed to this end.~ We describe laser-induced surface melting as an alternative ``greener'' approach.~ Modeling guided selection of parameters for irradiation with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser.~ The resulting topography was examined by SEM, AFM and Stylus Profilometry.

The Path to High Q-Factors in Superconducting Accelerating Cavities: Flux Expulsion and Surface Resistance Optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinello, Martina [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States)

2016-12-01

causing temperature rising. The physics behind the magnetic flux expulsion is also analyzed, showing that during a fast cooldown the magnetic field structures, called vortices, tend to move in the same direction of the thermal gradient, from the Meissner state region to the mixed state region, minimizing the Gibbs free energy. On the other hand, during a slow cool down, not only the vortices movement is limited by the absence of thermal gradients, but, also, at the end of the superconducting transition, the magnetic field concentrates along randomly distributed normal-conducting region from which it cannot be expelled anymore. The systematic study of the surface resistance components performed for the different surface treatments, reveals that the BCS surface resistance and the trapped flux surface resistance have opposite trends as a function of the surface impurity content, defined by the mean free path. At medium field value, the BCS surface resistance is minimized for nitrogen-doped cavities and significantly larger for standard niobium cavities. On the other hand, Nitrogen-doped cavities show larger dissipation due to trapped flux. This is consequence of the bell-shaped trend of the trapped flux sensitivity as a function of the mean free path. Such experimental findings allow also a better understanding of the RF dissipation due to trapped flux. The best compromise between all the surface resistance components, taking into account the possibility of trapping some external magnetic field, is given by light nitrogen-doping treatments. However, the beneficial effects of the nitrogen-doping is completely lost when large amount of magnetic field is trapped during the cooldown, underlying the importance of both cooldown and magnetic field shielding optimization in high quality factors cryomodules.

The path to high Q-factors in superconducting accelerating cavities: Flux expulsion and surface resistance optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Martinello, Martina

causing temperature rising. The physics behind the magnetic flux expulsion is also analyzed, showing that during a fast cooldown the magnetic field structures, called vortices, tend to move in the same direction of the thermal gradient, from the Meissner state region to the mixed state region, minimizing the Gibbs free energy. On the other hand, during a slow cool down, not only the vortices movement is limited by the absence of thermal gradients, but, also, at the end of the superconducting transition, the magnetic field concentrates along randomly distributed normal-conducting region from which it cannot be expelled anymore. The systematic study of the surface resistance components performed for the different surface treatments, reveals that the BCS surface resistance and the trapped flux surface resistance have opposite trends as a function of the surface impurity content, defined by the mean free path. At medium field value, the BCS surface resistance is minimized for nitrogen-doped cavities and significantly larger for standard niobium cavities. On the other hand, Nitrogen-doped cavities show larger dissipation due to trapped flux. This is consequence of the bell-shaped trend of the trapped flux sensitivity as a function of the mean free path. Such experimental findings allow also a better understanding of the RF dissipation due to trapped flux. The best compromise between all the surface resistance components, taking into account the possibility of trapping some external magnetic field, is given by light nitrogen-doping treatments. However, the beneficial effects of the nitrogen-doping is completely lost when large amount of magnetic field is trapped during the cooldown, underlying the importance of both cooldown and magnetic field shielding optimization in high quality factors cryomodules.

Stabilized superconducting materials and fabrication process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chevallier, B.; Dance, J.M.; Etourneau, J.; Lozano, L.; Tressaud, A.; Tournier, R.; Sulpice, A.; Chaussy, J.; Lejay, P.

1989-01-01

Superconducting ceramics are fluorinated at a temperature ≤ 120 0 C. Are also claimed new superconducting materials with a fluorine concentration gradient decreasing from the surface to the core. Superconductivity is stabilized and/or improved [fr

Itinerant-electron antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in bcc Cr-Re alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishihara, Y.; Yamaguchi, Y.; Kohara, T.; Tokumoto, M.

1985-01-01

The magnetic and superconducting properties of bcc Cr-Re alloys with up to 40 at. % Re were studied via measurements of the magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and nuclear magnetic resonance of the Re nuclei. Antiferromagnetic order coexists with superconductivity above 18 at. % Re. The results were analyzed with the coexistence model of spin-density waves and superconductivity. In the Re-concentration range greater than 18 at. %, about 10% of the Fermi surface satisfies the nesting condition and the rest of it contributes to form the superconducting gap. This model also explains the increase in the superconducting transition temperature and the decrease in the magnetic susceptibility by annealing as a competing effect between spin-density waves and superconductivity

On the theory of type-I superconductor surface tension and twinning-plane-superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishonov, T.M.

1990-01-01

A correction is found to the surface tension in type-I superconductors which is proportional to the square root of the Ginsburg-Landau parameter. This correction is essential for obtaining the phase diagram and other thermodynamical variables of the narrow superconducting layer arising near the twinning plane in some metals

Introduction to Superconducting RF Structures and the Effect of High Pressure Rinsing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tajima, Tsuyoshi [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-06-30

This presentation begins by describing RF superconductivity and SRF accelerating structures. Then the use of superconducting RF structures in a number of accelerators around the world is reviewed; for example, the International Linear Collider (ILC) will use ~16,000 SRF cavities with ~2,000 cryomodules to get 500 GeV e⁺/e⁻ colliding energy. Field emission control was (and still is) a very important practical issue for SRF cavity development. It has been found that high-pressure ultrapure water rinsing as a final cleaning step after chemical surface treatment resulted in consistent performance of single- and multicell superconducting cavities.

Introduction to Superconducting RF Structures and the Effect of High Pressure Rinsing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tajima, Tsuyoshi

2016-01-01

This presentation begins by describing RF superconductivity and SRF accelerating structures. Then the use of superconducting RF structures in a number of accelerators around the world is reviewed; for example, the International Linear Collider (ILC) will use ~16,000 SRF cavities with ~2,000 cryomodules to get 500 GeV e@@@/e@@@ colliding energy. Field emission control was (and still is) a very important practical issue for SRF cavity development. It has been found that high-pressure ultrapure water rinsing as a final cleaning step after chemical surface treatment resulted in consistent performance of single- and multicell superconducting cavities.

Superconductivity versus quantum criticality: Effects of thermal fluctuations

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huajia; Wang, Yuxuan; Torroba, Gonzalo

2018-02-01

We study the interplay between superconductivity and non-Fermi liquid behavior of a Fermi surface coupled to a massless SU(N ) matrix boson near the quantum critical point. The presence of thermal infrared singularities in both the fermionic self-energy and the gap equation invalidates the Eliashberg approximation, and makes the quantum-critical pairing problem qualitatively different from that at zero temperature. Taking the large N limit, we solve the gap equation beyond the Eliashberg approximation, and obtain the superconducting temperature Tc as a function of N . Our results show an anomalous scaling between the zero-temperature gap and Tc. For N greater than a critical value, we find that Tc vanishes with a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless scaling behavior, and the system retains non-Fermi liquid behavior down to zero temperature. This confirms and extends previous renormalization-group analyses done at T =0 , and provides a controlled example of a naked quantum critical point. We discuss the crucial role of thermal fluctuations in relating our results with earlier work where superconductivity always develops due to the special role of the first Matsubara frequency.

Resonance of Superconducting Microstrip Antenna with Aperture in the Ground Plane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Benkouda

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a rigorous full-wave analysis of a high Tc superconducting rectangular microstrip antenna with a rectangular aperture in the ground plane. To include the effect of the superconductivity of the microstrip patch in the full-wave analysis, a complex surface impedance is considered. The proposed approach is validated by comparing the computed results with previously published data. Results showing the effect of the aperture on the resonance of the superconducting microstrip antenna are given.

Surface studies of niobium chemically polished under conditions for superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavity production

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Hui; Reece, Charles E.; Kelley, Michael J.; Wang, Shancai; Plucinski, Lukasz; Smith, Kevin E.; Nowell, Matthew M.

2006-11-01

The performance of niobium superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) accelerator cavities is strongly impacted by the topmost several nanometers of the active (interior) surface, especially as influenced by the final surface conditioning treatments. We examined the effect of the most commonly employed treatment, buffered chemical polishing (BCP), on polycrystalline niobium sheet over a range of realistic solution flow rates using electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD), stylus profilometry, atomic force microscopy, laboratory XPS and synchrotron (variable photon energy) XPS, seeking to collect statistically significant datasets. We found that the predominant general surface orientation is (1 0 0), but others are also present and at the atomic-level details of surface plane orientation are more complex. The post-etch surface exhibits micron-scale roughness, whose extent does not change with treatment conditions. The outermost surface consists of a few-nm thick layer of niobium pentoxide, whose thickness increases with solution flow rate to a maximum of 1.3-1.4 times that resulting from static solution. The standard deviation of the roughness measurements is ±30% and that of the surface composition is ±5%.

Surface studies of niobium chemically polished under conditions for superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavity production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tian Hui [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and College of William and Mary (United States); Reece, Charles E. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and College of William and Mary (United States); Kelley, Michael J. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and College of William and Mary (United States)]. E-mail: mkelley@jlab.org; Wang Shancai [Department of Physics, Boston University (United States); Plucinski, Lukasz [Department of Physics, Boston University (United States); Smith, Kevin E. [Department of Physics, Boston University (United States); Nowell, Matthew M. [EDAX TSL (United States)

2006-11-30

The performance of niobium superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) accelerator cavities is strongly impacted by the topmost several nanometers of the active (interior) surface, especially as influenced by the final surface conditioning treatments. We examined the effect of the most commonly employed treatment, buffered chemical polishing (BCP), on polycrystalline niobium sheet over a range of realistic solution flow rates using electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD), stylus profilometry, atomic force microscopy, laboratory XPS and synchrotron (variable photon energy) XPS, seeking to collect statistically significant datasets. We found that the predominant general surface orientation is (1 0 0), but others are also present and at the atomic-level details of surface plane orientation are more complex. The post-etch surface exhibits micron-scale roughness, whose extent does not change with treatment conditions. The outermost surface consists of a few-nm thick layer of niobium pentoxide, whose thickness increases with solution flow rate to a maximum of 1.3-1.4 times that resulting from static solution. The standard deviation of the roughness measurements is {+-}30% and that of the surface composition is {+-}5%.

Surface Studies of Niobium Chemically Polished Under Conditions for Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) Cavity Production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tian,H.; Reece, C.; Kelley, M.; Wang, S.; Plucinski, L.; Smith, K.; Nowell, M.

2006-01-01

The performance of niobium superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) accelerator cavities is strongly impacted by the topmost several nanometers of the active (interior) surface, especially as influenced by the final surface conditioning treatments. We examined the effect of the most commonly employed treatment, buffered chemical polishing (BCP), on polycrystalline niobium sheet over a range of realistic solution flow rates using electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD), stylus profilometry, atomic force microscopy, laboratory XPS and synchrotron (variable photon energy) XPS, seeking to collect statistically significant datasets. We found that the predominant general surface orientation is (1 0 0), but others are also present and at the atomic-level details of surface plane orientation are more complex. The post-etch surface exhibits micron-scale roughness, whose extent does not change with treatment conditions. The outermost surface consists of a few-nm thick layer of niobium pentoxide, whose thickness increases with solution flow rate to a maximum of 1.3-1.4 times that resulting from static solution. The standard deviation of the roughness measurements is {+-}30% and that of the surface composition is {+-}5%.

Effect of disorder on the superconducting properties of materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brouers, F.; Derenne, M.

1982-01-01

The effect of the variation of the density states at the Fermi level on the critical superconductivity temperature TC of transition metal compounds is studied. This paper suggests using the technique of calculating the 5-fold degenerate d-band density of states from a continued fraction extension of a tight-binding Green function to study the relative importance of one dimensionality chain coupling, three dimensional interactions and the effect of disorder on the electronic and superconducting properties of complex phase and in particular A15 phases. The first results obtained for A15 phases density of states indicate that an extension of the suggested method can be of great interest to analyze the effect of disorder on superconductivity properties of complex phases

Collective modes in superconducting rhombohedral graphite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kauppila, Ville [O.V. Lounasmaa Laboratory, Aalto University (Finland); Hyart, Timo; Heikkilae, Tero [University of Jyvaeskylae (Finland)

2015-07-01

Recently it was realized that coupling particles with a Dirac dispersion (such as electrons in graphene) can lead to a topologically protected state with flat band dispersion. Such a state could support superconductivity with unusually high critical temperatures. Perhaps the most promising way to realize such coupling in real materials is in the surface of rhombohedrally stacked graphite. We consider collective excitations (i.e. the Higgs modes) in surface superconducting rhombohedral graphite. We find two amplitude and two phase modes corresponding to the two surfaces of the graphite where the superconductivity lives. We calculate the dispersion of these modes. We also derive the Ginzburg-Landau theory for this material. We show that in superconducting rhombohedral graphite, the collective modes, unlike in conventional BCS superconductors, give a large contribution to thermodynamic properties of the material.

Superconductivity and ferromagnetism in topological insulators

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Duming

Topological insulators, a new state of matter discovered recently, have attracted great interest due to their novel properties. They are insulating inside the bulk, but conducting at the surface or edges. This peculiar behavior is characterized by an insulating bulk energy gap and gapless surface or edge states, which originate from strong spin-orbit coupling and time-reversal symmetry. The spin and momentum locked surface states not only provide a model system to study fundamental physics, but can also lead to applications in spintronics and dissipationless electronics. While topological insulators are interesting by themselves, more exotic behaviors are predicted when an energy gap is induced at the surface. This dissertation explores two types of surface state gap in topological insulators, a superconducting gap induced by proximity effect and a magnetic gap induced by chemical doping. The first three chapters provide introductory theory and experimental details of my research. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to the theoretical background of topological insulators. Chapter 2 is dedicated to material synthesis principles and techniques. I will focus on two major synthesis methods: molecular beam epitaxy for the growth of Bi2Se3 thin films and chemical vapor deposition for the growth of Bi2Se3 nanoribbons and nanowires. Material characterization is discussed in Chapter 3. I will describe structural, morphological, magnetic, electrical, and electronic characterization techniques used to study topological insulators. Chapter 4 discusses the experiments on proximity-induced superconductivity in topological insulator (Bi2Se3) nanoribbons. This work is motivated by the search for the elusive Majorana fermions, which act as their own antiparticles. They were proposed by Ettore Majorara in 1937, but have remained undiscovered. Recently, Majorana's concept has been revived in condensed matter physics: a condensed matter analog of Majorana fermions is predicted to

Superconducting linac

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bollinger, L.M.; Shepard, K.W.; Wangler, T.P.

1978-01-01

This project has two goals: to design, build, and test a small superconducting linac to serve as an energy booster for heavy ions from an FN tandem electrostatic accelerator, and to investigate various aspects of superconducting rf technology. The main design features of the booster are described, a status report on various components (resonators, rf control system, linac control system, cryostats, buncher) is given, and plans for the near future are outlined. Investigations of superconducting-linac technology concern studies on materials and fabrication techniques, resonator diagnostic techniques, rf-phase control, beam dynamics computer programs, asymmetry in accelerating field, and surface-treatment techniques. The overall layout of the to-be-proposed ATLAS, the Argonne Tandem-Linac Accelerator System, is shown; the ATLAS would use superconducting technology to produce beams of 5 to 25 MeV/A. 6 figures

Ceramic/metal and A15/metal superconducting composite materials exploiting the superconducting proximity effect and method of making the same

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holcomb, M.J.

1999-01-01

A composite superconducting material made of coated particles of ceramic superconducting material and a metal matrix material is disclosed. The metal matrix material fills the regions between the coated particles. The coating material is a material that is chemically nonreactive with the ceramic. Preferably, it is silver. The coating serves to chemically insulate the ceramic from the metal matrix material. The metal matrix material is a metal that is susceptible to the superconducting proximity effect. Preferably, it is a NbTi alloy. The metal matrix material is induced to become superconducting by the superconducting proximity effect when the temperature of the material goes below the critical temperature of the ceramic. The material has the improved mechanical properties of the metal matrix material. Preferably, the material consists of approximately 10% NbTi, 90% coated ceramic particles (by volume). Certain aspects of the material and method will depend upon the particular ceramic superconductor employed. An alternative embodiment of the invention utilizes A15 compound superconducting particles in a metal matrix material which is preferably a NbTi alloy

Ceramic/metal and A15/metal superconducting composite materials exploiting the superconducting proximity effect and method of making the same

Science.gov (United States)

Holcomb, Matthew J.

1999-01-01

A composite superconducting material made of coated particles of ceramic superconducting material and a metal matrix material. The metal matrix material fills the regions between the coated particles. The coating material is a material that is chemically nonreactive with the ceramic. Preferably, it is silver. The coating serves to chemically insulate the ceramic from the metal matrix material. The metal matrix material is a metal that is susceptible to the superconducting proximity effect. Preferably, it is a NbTi alloy. The metal matrix material is induced to become superconducting by the superconducting proximity effect when the temperature of the material goes below the critical temperature of the ceramic. The material has the improved mechanical properties of the metal matrix material. Preferably, the material consists of approximately 10% NbTi, 90% coated ceramic particles (by volume). Certain aspects of the material and method will depend upon the particular ceramic superconductor employed. An alternative embodiment of the invention utilizes A15 compound superconducting particles in a metal matrix material which is preferably a NbTi alloy.

Dependence of the residual surface resistance of superconducting radio frequency cavities on the cooling dynamics around Tc

Science.gov (United States)

Romanenko, A.; Grassellino, A.; Melnychuk, O.; Sergatskov, D. A.

2014-05-01

We report a strong effect of the cooling dynamics through Tc on the amount of trapped external magnetic flux in superconducting niobium cavities. The effect is similar for fine grain and single crystal niobium and all surface treatments including electropolishing with and without 120 °C baking and nitrogen doping. Direct magnetic field measurements on the cavity walls show that the effect stems from changes in the flux trapping efficiency: slow cooling leads to almost complete flux trapping and higher residual resistance, while fast cooling leads to the much more efficient flux expulsion and lower residual resistance.

Topographic power spectral density study of the effect of surface treatment processes on niobium for superconducting radio frequency accelerator cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Chen; Tian, Hui; Reece, Charles E.; Kelley, Michael J.

2012-04-01

Microroughness is viewed as a critical issue for attaining optimum performance of superconducting radio frequency accelerator cavities. The principal surface smoothing methods are buffered chemical polish (BCP) and electropolish (EP). The resulting topography is characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The power spectral density (PSD) of AFM data provides a more thorough description of the topography than a single-value roughness measurement. In this work, one dimensional average PSD functions derived from topography of BCP and EP with different controlled starting conditions and durations have been fitted with a combination of power law, K correlation, and shifted Gaussian models to extract characteristic parameters at different spatial harmonic scales. While the simplest characterizations of these data are not new, the systematic tracking of scale-specific roughness as a function of processing is new and offers feedback for tighter process prescriptions more knowledgably targeted at beneficial niobium topography for superconducting radio frequency applications.

Topographic power spectral density study of the effect of surface treatment processes on niobium for superconducting radio frequency accelerator cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reece, Charles; Tian, Hui; Kelley, Michael; Xu, Chen

2012-01-01

Microroughness is viewed as a critical issue for attaining optimum performance of superconducting radio frequency accelerator cavities. The principal surface smoothing methods are buffered chemical polish (BCP) and electropolish (EP). The resulting topography is characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The power spectral density (PSD) of AFM data provides a more thorough description of the topography than a single-value roughness measurement. In this work, one dimensional average PSD functions derived from topography of BCP and EP with different controlled starting conditions and durations have been fitted with a combination of power law, K correlation, and shifted Gaussian models to extract characteristic parameters at different spatial harmonic scales. While the simplest characterizations of these data are not new, the systematic tracking of scale-specific roughness as a function of processing is new and offers feedback for tighter process prescriptions more knowledgably targeted at beneficial niobium topography for superconducting radio frequency applications.

Note: Radio frequency surface impedance characterization system for superconducting samples at 7.5 GHz.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, B P; Reece, C E; Phillips, H L; Geng, R L; Wang, H; Marhauser, F; Kelley, M J

2011-05-01

A radio frequency (RF) surface impedance characterization (SIC) system that uses a novel sapphire-loaded niobium cavity operating at 7.5 GHz has been developed as a tool to measure the RF surface impedance of flat superconducting material samples. The SIC system can presently make direct calorimetric RF surface impedance measurements on the central 0.8 cm(2) area of 5 cm diameter disk samples from 2 to 20 K exposed to RF magnetic fields up to 14 mT. To illustrate system utility, we present first measurement results for a bulk niobium sample.

Effect of mild baking on superconducting niobium cavities investigated by sequential nanoremoval

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Romanenko

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The near-surface nanostructure of niobium determines the performance of superconducting microwave cavities. Subtle variations in surface nanostructure lead to yet unexplained phenomena such as the dependence of the quality factor of these resonating structures on the magnitude of rf fields—an effect known as the “Q slopes”. Understanding and controlling the Q slopes is of great practical importance for particle accelerators. Here we investigate the mild baking effect—120°C vacuum baking for 48 hours—which strongly affects the Q slopes. We used a hydrofluoric acid rinse alternating with oxidation in water as a tool for stepwise material removal of about 2  nanometers/step from the surface of superconducting niobium cavities. Applying removal cycles on mild baked cavities and measuring the quality factor dependence on the rf fields after one or several such cycles allowed us to explore the distribution of lossy layers within the first several tens of nanometers from the surface. We found that a single HF rinse results in the increase of the cavity quality factor. The low field Q slope was shown to be mostly controlled by the material structure within the first six nanometers from the surface. The medium field Q slope evolution was fitted using linear (∝B peak surface magnetic field and quadratic (∝B^{2} terms in the surface resistance and it was found that best fits do not require the quadratic term. We found that about 10 nanometers of material removal are required to bring back the high field Q slope and about 20–50 nanometers to restore the onset field to the prebaking value.

High temperature interface superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gozar, A.; Bozovic, I.

2016-01-01

Highlight: • This review article covers the topic of high temperature interface superconductivity. • New materials and techniques used for achieving interface superconductivity are discussed. • We emphasize the role played by the differences in structure and electronic properties at the interface with respect to the bulk of the constituents. - Abstract: High-T_c superconductivity at interfaces has a history of more than a couple of decades. In this review we focus our attention on copper-oxide based heterostructures and multi-layers. We first discuss the technique, atomic layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy (ALL-MBE) engineering, that enabled High-T_c Interface Superconductivity (HT-IS), and the challenges associated with the realization of high quality interfaces. Then we turn our attention to the experiments which shed light on the structure and properties of interfacial layers, allowing comparison to those of single-phase films and bulk crystals. Both ‘passive’ hetero-structures as well as surface-induced effects by external gating are discussed. We conclude by comparing HT-IS in cuprates and in other classes of materials, especially Fe-based superconductors, and by examining the grand challenges currently laying ahead for the field.

High-temperature superconductivity from fine-tuning of Fermi-surface singularities in iron oxypnictides

Science.gov (United States)

Charnukha, A.; Evtushinsky, D. V.; Matt, C. E.; Xu, N.; Shi, M.; Büchner, B.; Zhigadlo, N. D.; Batlogg, B.; Borisenko, S. V.

2015-12-01

In the family of the iron-based superconductors, the REFeAsO-type compounds (with RE being a rare-earth metal) exhibit the highest bulk superconducting transition temperatures (Tc) up to 55 K and thus hold the key to the elusive pairing mechanism. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the intrinsic electronic structure of SmFe0.92Co0.08AsO (Tc = 18 K) is highly nontrivial and consists of multiple band-edge singularities in close proximity to the Fermi level. However, it remains unclear whether these singularities are generic to the REFeAsO-type materials and if so, whether their exact topology is responsible for the aforementioned record Tc. In this work, we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to investigate the inherent electronic structure of the NdFeAsO0.6F0.4 compound with a twice higher Tc = 38 K. We find a similarly singular Fermi surface and further demonstrate that the dramatic enhancement of superconductivity in this compound correlates closely with the fine-tuning of one of the band-edge singularities to within a fraction of the superconducting energy gap Δ below the Fermi level. Our results provide compelling evidence that the band-structure singularities near the Fermi level in the iron-based superconductors must be explicitly accounted for in any attempt to understand the mechanism of superconducting pairing in these materials.

Unexpected Nonlinear Effects in Superconducting Transition-Edge Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Sadleir, John

2016-01-01

When a normal metal transitions into the superconducting state the DC resistance drops from a finite value to zero over some finite transition width in temperature, current, and magnetic field. Superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs) operate within this transition region and uses resistive changes to measure deposited thermal energy. This resistive transition is not perfectly smooth and a wide range of TES designs and materials show sub-structure in the resistive transition (as seen in smooth nonmonotonic behavior, jump discontinuities, and hysteresis in the devices current-voltage relation and derivatives of the resistance with respect to temperature, bias current, and magnetic field). TES technology has advanced to the point where for many applications this structure is the limiting factor in performance and optimization consists of finding operating points away from these structures. For example, operating at or near this structure can lead to nonlinearity in the detectors response and gain scale, limit the spectral range of the detector by limiting the usable resistive range, and degrade energy resolution. The origin of much of this substructure is unknown. This presentation investigates a number of possible sources in turn. First we model the TES as a superconducting weak-link and solve for the characteristic differential equations current and voltage time dependence. We find:(1) measured DC biased current-voltage relationship is the time-average of a much higher frequency limit cycle solution.(2) We calculate the fundamental frequency and estimate the power radiated from the TES treating the bias leads as an antennae.(3) The solution for a set of circuit parameters becomes multivalued leading to current transitions between levels.(4)The circuit parameters can change the measure resistance and mask the true critical current. As a consequence the TES resistance surface is not just a function of temperature, current, and magnetic field but is also a

Study of the skin effect in superconducting materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szeftel, Jacob, E-mail: jszeftel@lpqm.ens-cachan.fr [ENS Cachan, LPQM, 61 avenue du Président Wilson, 94230 Cachan (France); Sandeau, Nicolas [Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, Institut Fresnel, F-13013 Marseille (France); Khater, Antoine [Université du Maine, UMR 6087 Laboratoire PEC, F-72000 Le Mans (France)

2017-05-03

Highlights: • Comprehensive theoretical study of the skin effect in superconductors. • Based on Newton and Maxwell's equations. • Usual and anomalous skin effects dealt with in the same framework. - Abstract: The skin effect is analyzed to provide the numerous measurements of the penetration depth of the electromagnetic field in superconducting materials with a theoretical basis. Both the normal and anomalous skin effects are accounted for within a single framework, focusing on frequencies less than the superconducting gap. The emphasis is laid on the conditions required for the penetration depth to be equal to London's length, which enables us to validate an assumption widely used in the interpretation of all current experimental results.

Evidence of incomplete annealing at 800 °C and the effects of 120 °C baking on the crystal orientation and the surface superconducting properties of cold-worked and chemically polished Nb

Science.gov (United States)

Sung, Z.-H.; Dzyuba, A.; Lee, P. J.; Larbalestier, D. C.; Cooley, L. D.

2015-07-01

High-purity niobium rods were cold-worked by wire-drawing, followed by various combinations of chemical polishing and high-vacuum baking at 120 °C or annealing at 800 °C in order to better understand changes to the surface superconducting properties resulting from typical superconducting radio-frequency cavity processing. AC susceptibility measurements revealed an enhanced upper transition Tc at ˜ 9.3-9.4 K in all samples that was stable through all annealing steps, a value significantly above the accepted Tc of 9.23 K for pure annealed niobium. Corresponding elevations were seen in the critical fields, the ratio of the surface critical field Hc3 to the bulk upper critical field Hc2 rising to 2.3, well above the Ginzburg-Landau value of 1.695. Orientation imaging revealed an extensive dislocation rich sub-grain structure in the as-drawn rods, a small reduction of the surface strain after baking at 120 °C, and a substantial but incomplete recrystallization near the surface after annealing at 800 °C. We interpret these changes in surface superconducting and structural properties to extensive changes in the near-surface interstitial contamination produced by baking and annealing and to synergistic interactions between H and surface O introduced during electropolishing and buffered chemical polishing.

Analysis of Nb{sub 3}Sn surface layers for superconducting radio frequency cavity applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Becker, Chaoyue [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); High Energy Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Department of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616 (United States); Posen, Sam; Hall, Daniel Leslie [Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Sciences and Education, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Groll, Nickolas; Proslier, Thomas, E-mail: prolier@anl.gov [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); High Energy Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Cook, Russell [Nanoscience and Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Schlepütz, Christian M. [X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Liepe, Matthias [Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Sciences and Education, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Pellin, Michael [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Zasadzinski, John [Department of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616 (United States)

2015-02-23

We present an analysis of Nb{sub 3}Sn surface layers grown on a bulk Niobium (Nb) coupon prepared at the same time and by the same vapor diffusion process used to make Nb{sub 3}Sn coatings on 1.3 GHz Nb cavities. Tunneling spectroscopy reveals a well-developed, homogeneous superconducting density of states at the surface with a gap value distribution centered around 2.7 ± 0.4 meV and superconducting critical temperatures (T{sub c}) up to 16.3 K. Scanning transmission electron microscopy performed on cross sections of the sample's surface region shows an ∼2 μm thick Nb{sub 3}Sn surface layer. The elemental composition map exhibits a Nb:Sn ratio of 3:1 and reveals the presence of buried sub-stoichiometric regions that have a ratio of 5:1. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments indicate a polycrystalline Nb{sub 3}Sn film and confirm the presence of Nb rich regions that occupy about a third of the coating volume. These low T{sub c} regions could play an important role in the dissipation mechanisms occurring during RF tests of Nb{sub 3}Sn-coated Nb cavities and open the way for further improving a very promising alternative to pure Nb cavities for particle accelerators.

Local switching of two-dimensional superconductivity using the ferroelectric field effect

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, K. S.; Gabay, M.; Jaccard, D.; Shibuya, K.; Ohnishi, T.; Lippmaa, M.; Triscone, J.-M.

2006-05-01

Correlated oxides display a variety of extraordinary physical properties including high-temperature superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance. In these materials, strong electronic correlations often lead to competing ground states that are sensitive to many parameters-in particular the doping level-so that complex phase diagrams are observed. A flexible way to explore the role of doping is to tune the electron or hole concentration with electric fields, as is done in standard semiconductor field effect transistors. Here we demonstrate a model oxide system based on high-quality heterostructures in which the ferroelectric field effect approach can be studied. We use a single-crystal film of the perovskite superconductor Nb-doped SrTiO3 as the superconducting channel and ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 as the gate oxide. Atomic force microscopy is used to locally reverse the ferroelectric polarization, thus inducing large resistivity and carrier modulations, resulting in a clear shift in the superconducting critical temperature. Field-induced switching from the normal state to the (zero resistance) superconducting state was achieved at a well-defined temperature. This unique system could lead to a field of research in which devices are realized by locally defining in the same material superconducting and normal regions with `perfect' interfaces, the interface being purely electronic. Using this approach, one could potentially design one-dimensional superconducting wires, superconducting rings and junctions, superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) or arrays of pinning centres.

Surface polishing of niobium for superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavity applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Liang [College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States)

2014-08-01

Niobium cavities are important components in modern particle accelerators based on superconducting radio frequency (SRF) technology. The interior of SRF cavities are cleaned and polished in order to produce high accelerating field and low power dissipation on the cavity wall. Current polishing methods, buffered chemical polishing (BCP) and electro-polishing (EP), have their advantages and limitations. We seek to improve current methods and explore laser polishing (LP) as a greener alternative of chemical methods. The topography and removal rate of BCP at different conditions (duration, temperature, sample orientation, flow rate) was studied with optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Differential etching on different crystal orientations is the main contributor to fine grain niobium BCP topography, with gas evolution playing a secondary role. The surface of single crystal and bi-crystal niobium is smooth even after heavy BCP. The topography of fine grain niobium depends on total removal. The removal rate increases with temperature and surface acid flow rate within the rage of 0~20 °C, with chemical reaction being the possible dominate rate control mechanism. Surface flow helps to regulate temperature and avoid gas accumulation on the surface. The effect of surface flow rate on niobium EP was studied with optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and power spectral density (PSD) analysis. Within the range of 0~3.7 cm/s, no significant difference was found on the removal rate and the macro roughness. Possible improvement on the micro roughness with increased surface flow rate was observed. The effect of fluence and pulse accumulation on niobium topography during LP was studied with optical microscopy, SEM, AFM, and PSD analysis. Polishing on micro scale was achieved within fluence range of 0.57~0.90 J/cm2, with pulse accumulation adjusted accordingly. Larger area treatment was proved possible by

Surface processing for bulk niobium superconducting radio frequency cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, M. P.; Reid, T.

2017-04-01

The majority of niobium cavities for superconducting particle accelerators continue to be fabricated from thin-walled (2-4 mm) polycrystalline niobium sheet and, as a final step, require material removal from the radio frequency (RF) surface in order to achieve performance needed for use as practical accelerator devices. More recently bulk niobium in the form of, single- or large-grain slices cut from an ingot has become a viable alternative for some cavity types. In both cases the so-called damaged layer must be chemically etched or electrochemically polished away. The methods for doing this date back at least four decades, however, vigorous empirical studies on real cavities and more fundamental studies on niobium samples at laboratories worldwide have led to seemingly modest improvements that, when taken together, constitute a substantial advance in the reproducibility for surface processing techniques and overall cavity performance. This article reviews the development of niobium cavity surface processing, and summarizes results of recent studies. We place some emphasis on practical details for real cavity processing systems which are difficult to find in the literature but are, nonetheless, crucial for achieving the good and reproducible cavity performance. New approaches for bulk niobium surface treatment which aim to reduce cost or increase performance, including alternate chemical recipes, barrel polishing and ‘nitrogen doping’ of the RF surface, continue to be pursued and are closely linked to the requirements for surface processing.

Effect of reduction of mechanical losses in AC superconducting coils having various FRP bobbins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekine, N.; Tada, S.; Higuchi, T.; Takao, T.; Yamanaka, A.; Fukui, S.

2004-01-01

We have demonstrated in our previous works that a use of the particular structural material for superconducting coils was effective to mechanical-loss reduction under AC operation. In this study, we measured losses to investigate influence of the mechanical losses in the coils having various fiber reinforced plastics (FRPs) with different thermal expansion coefficients. The losses were small in the coils whose winding tension at coil-operating temperature were strong, on the contrary, the losses of the coil having the weak winding tension were large. The coil having the strongest winding tension at liquid helium temperature showed the smallest loss in all coils, and the loss agreed with a value from the Norris's analysis. We think that the mechanical loss becomes almost zero in this coil since the strong tension can prevent the periodic vibration of the superconducting wire. The dependence of the loss on the difference in surface conditions of the materials of the superconducting coil's bobbins was not observed, however, the mechanical losses in AC coils strongly depended on the winding tensions at cryogenic temperature

Interface superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gariglio, S., E-mail: stefano.gariglio@unige.ch [DQMP, Université de Genève, 24 Quai E.-Ansermet, CH-1211 Genève (Switzerland); Gabay, M. [Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Bat 510, Université Paris-Sud 11, Centre d’Orsay, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Mannhart, J. [Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Triscone, J.-M. [DQMP, Université de Genève, 24 Quai E.-Ansermet, CH-1211 Genève (Switzerland)

2015-07-15

Highlights: • We discuss interfacial superconductivity, a field boosted by the discovery of the superconducting interface between LaAlO. • This system allows the electric field control and the on/off switching of the superconducting state. • We compare superconductivity at the interface and in bulk doped SrTiO. • We discuss the role of the interfacially induced Rashba type spin–orbit. • We briefly discuss superconductivity in cuprates, in electrical double layer transistor field effect experiments. • Recent observations of a high T{sub c} in a monolayer of FeSe deposited on SrTiO{sub 3} are presented. - Abstract: Low dimensional superconducting systems have been the subject of numerous studies for many years. In this article, we focus our attention on interfacial superconductivity, a field that has been boosted by the discovery of superconductivity at the interface between the two band insulators LaAlO{sub 3} and SrTiO{sub 3}. We explore the properties of this amazing system that allows the electric field control and on/off switching of superconductivity. We discuss the similarities and differences between bulk doped SrTiO{sub 3} and the interface system and the possible role of the interfacially induced Rashba type spin–orbit. We also, more briefly, discuss interface superconductivity in cuprates, in electrical double layer transistor field effect experiments, and the recent observation of a high T{sub c} in a monolayer of FeSe deposited on SrTiO{sub 3}.

The superconducting proximity effect in epitaxial Al/Pb nanocomposites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, H; Vantomme, A; Temst, K; Picot, T; Houben, K; Moorkens, T; Van Haesendonck, C; Van Bael, M J; Grigg, J; Brown, S A; Biermans, E; Bals, S

2014-01-01

We have investigated the superconducting properties of Pb nanoparticles with a diameter ranging from 8 to 20 nm, synthesized by Pb + ion implantation in a crystalline Al matrix. A detailed structural characterization of the nanocomposites reveals the highly epitaxial relation between the Al crystalline matrix and the Pb nanoparticles. The Al/Pb nanocomposites display a single superconducting transition, with the critical temperature T c increasing with the Pb content. The dependence of T c on the Pb/Al volume ratio was compared with theoretical models of the superconducting proximity effect based on the bulk properties of Al and Pb. A very good correspondence with the strong-coupling proximity effect model was found, with an electron–phonon coupling constant in the Pb nanoparticles slightly reduced compared to bulk Pb. Our result differs from other studies on Pb nanoparticle based proximity systems where weak-coupling models were found to better describe the T c dependence. We infer that the high interface quality resulting from the ion implantation synthesis method is a determining factor for the superconducting properties. Critical field and critical current measurements support the high quality of the nanocomposite superconducting films. (paper)

A comparative study of different processing methods and microwave surface conductivity of 1-2-3 superconducting ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundar, H.G.K.; Wilson, C.; Horzog, D.

1988-01-01

Superconducting YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 6+x/ samples were made from powders prepared by different routes: solid state reaction, amorphous citrate and Pechini method. The powders produced by solid state reaction were milled to different degrees, calcined and sintered. Samples were also hot pressed at 875 C and subsequently annealed at different temperatures to regain the superconducting phase. In order to compare the amount of residual carbonate in the final materials prepared by solid state and liquid mix methods, XPS spectra were taken on as calcined powder and on material sintered at different temperatures. To our surprise, the amount of carbonate was quite small in both the methods, but this amount increased with sintering temperature. The microwave surface conductivity of 1-2-3 superconducting material was measured in a disk resonator configuration. At liquid nitrogen temperatures the microwave conductivity was comparable to that of gold and improved with decreasing temperature. At --10K the conductivity was two orders of magnitude greater than that of gold at the same temperature. The surface conductivity of samples obtained by Pechini method was much better than that obtained by solid state method

High-Q operation of superconducting rf cavities: Potential impact of thermocurrents on the rf surface resistance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.-M. Vogt

2015-04-01

Full Text Available For many new accelerator applications, superconducting radio frequency systems are the enabling technology. In particular for CW applications, much effort is being expended to minimize the power dissipation (surface resistance of niobium cavities. Starting in 2009, we suggested a means of reducing the residual resistance by performing a thermal cycle [O. Kugeler et al., in Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on RF Superconductivity (2009, p. 352], a procedure of warming up a cavity after initial cooldown to about 20 K and cooling it down again. In subsequent studies [J. M. Vogt, O. Kugeler, and J. Knobloch, Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 16, 102002 (2013], this technique was used to manipulate the residual resistance by more than a factor of 2. It was postulated that thermocurrents during cooldown generate additional trapped magnetic flux that impacts the cavity quality factor. Here, we present a more extensive study that includes measurements of two additional passband modes and that confirms the effect. In this paper, we also discuss simulations that support the claim. While the layout of the cavity LHe tank system is cylindrically symmetric, we show that the temperature dependence of the material parameters results in a nonsymmetric current distribution. Hence a significant amount of magnetic flux can be generated at the rf surface.

Intrinsic Paramagnetic Meissner Effect Due to s-Wave Odd-Frequency Superconductivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Di Bernardo

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In 1933, Meissner and Ochsenfeld reported the expulsion of magnetic flux—the diamagnetic Meissner effect—from the interior of superconducting lead. This discovery was crucial in formulating the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS theory of superconductivity. In exotic superconducting systems BCS theory does not strictly apply. A classical example is a superconductor-magnet hybrid system where magnetic ordering breaks time-reversal symmetry of the superconducting condensate and results in the stabilization of an odd-frequency superconducting state. It has been predicted that under appropriate conditions, odd-frequency superconductivity should manifest in the Meissner state as fluctuations in the sign of the magnetic susceptibility, meaning that the superconductivity can either repel (diamagnetic or attract (paramagnetic external magnetic flux. Here, we report local probe measurements of faint magnetic fields in a Au/Ho/Nb trilayer system using low-energy muons, where antiferromagnetic Ho (4.5 nm breaks time-reversal symmetry of the proximity-induced pair correlations in Au. From depth-resolved measurements below the superconducting transition of Nb, we observe a local enhancement of the magnetic field in Au that exceeds the externally applied field, thus proving the existence of an intrinsic paramagnetic Meissner effect arising from an odd-frequency superconducting state.

Correlation effects in superconducting quantum dot systems

Science.gov (United States)

Pokorný, Vladislav; Žonda, Martin

2018-05-01

We study the effect of electron correlations on a system consisting of a single-level quantum dot with local Coulomb interaction attached to two superconducting leads. We use the single-impurity Anderson model with BCS superconducting baths to study the interplay between the proximity induced electron pairing and the local Coulomb interaction. We show how to solve the model using the continuous-time hybridization-expansion quantum Monte Carlo method. The results obtained for experimentally relevant parameters are compared with results of self-consistent second order perturbation theory as well as with the numerical renormalization group method.

AC/RF Superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ciovati, G [Jefferson Lab (United States)

2014-07-01

This contribution provides a brief introduction to AC/RF superconductivity, with an emphasis on application to accelerators. The topics covered include the surface impedance of normal conductors and superconductors, the residual resistance, the field dependence of the surface resistance, and the superheating field.

AC/RF Superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ciovati, Gianluigi [JLAB

2015-02-01

This contribution provides a brief introduction to AC/RF superconductivity, with an emphasis on application to accelerators. The topics covered include the surface impedance of normal conductors and superconductors, the residual resistance, the field dependence of the surface resistance, and the superheating field.

Superstrate loading effects on the resonant characteristics of high Tc superconducting circular patch printed on anisotropic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Bedra, Sami; Bedra, Randa; Benkouda, Siham; Fortaki, Tarek

2017-12-01

In this paper, the effects of both anisotropies in the substrate and superstrate loading on the resonant frequency and bandwidth of high-Tc superconducting circular microstrip patch in a substrate-superstrate configuration are investigated. A rigorous analysis is performed using a dyadic Galerkin's method in the vector Hankel transform domain. Galerkin's procedure is employed in the spectral domain where the TM and TE modes of the cylindrical cavity with magnetic side walls are used in the expansion of the disk current. The effect of the superconductivity of the patch is taken into account using the concept of the complex resistive boundary condition. London's equations and the two-fluid model of Gorter and Casimir are used in the calculation of the complex surface impedance of the superconducting circular disc. The accuracy of the analysis is tested by comparing the computed results with previously published data for several anisotropic substrate-superstrate materials. Good agreement is found among all sets of results. The numerical results obtained show that important errors can be made in the computation of the resonant frequencies and bandwidths of the superconducting resonators when substrate dielectric anisotropy, and/or superstrate anisotropy are ignored. Other theoretical results obtained show that the superconducting circular microstrip patch on anisotropic substrate-superstrate with properly selected permittivity values along the optical and the non-optical axes combined with optimally chosen structural parameters is more advantageous than the one on isotropic substrate-superstrate by exhibiting wider bandwidth characteristic.

Submicron superconducting structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golovashkin, A.I.; Lykov, A.N.

1986-01-01

An overview of works concerning superconducting structures of submicron dimensions and a system of such structures is given. It is noted that usage of the above structures in superconducting microelectronics permits, first, to increase the element packing density, to decrease the signal transmission time, capacity, power dissipated in high-frequency applications. Secondly, negligible coherence length in transition metals, their alloys and high-temperature compounds also restrict the dimensions of superconducting weak couplings when the 'classical' Josephson effect is displayed. The most effective methods for production of submicron superconducting structures are the following: lithography, double scribering. Recently the systems of superconducting submicron elements are extensively studied. It is shown that such systems can be phased by magnetic field

Field limit and nano-scale surface topography of superconducting radio-frequency cavity made of extreme type II superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Kubo, Takayuki

2015-06-01

The field limit of a superconducting radio-frequency cavity made of a type II superconductor with a large Ginzburg-Landau parameter is studied, taking the effects of nano-scale surface topography into account. If the surface is ideally flat, the field limit is imposed by the superheating field. On the surface of cavity, however, nano-defects almost continuously distribute and suppress the superheating field everywhere. The field limit is imposed by an effective superheating field given by the product of the superheating field for an ideal flat surface and a suppression factor that contains the effects of nano-defects. A nano-defect is modeled by a triangular groove with a depth smaller than the penetration depth. An analytical formula for the suppression factor of bulk and multilayer superconductors is derived in the framework of the London theory. As an immediate application, the suppression factor of the dirty Nb processed by electropolishing is evaluated by using results of surface topographic study. The estimated field limit is consistent with the present record field of nitrogen-doped Nb cavities. Suppression factors of surfaces of other bulk and multilayer superconductors, and those after various surface processing technologies, can also be evaluated by using the formula.

Dependence of the residual surface resistance of superconducting radio frequency cavities on the cooling dynamics around T{sub c}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romanenko, A., E-mail: aroman@fnal.gov; Grassellino, A., E-mail: annag@fnal.gov; Melnychuk, O.; Sergatskov, D. A. [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois 60510 (United States)

2014-05-14

We report a strong effect of the cooling dynamics through T{sub c} on the amount of trapped external magnetic flux in superconducting niobium cavities. The effect is similar for fine grain and single crystal niobium and all surface treatments including electropolishing with and without 120 °C baking and nitrogen doping. Direct magnetic field measurements on the cavity walls show that the effect stems from changes in the flux trapping efficiency: slow cooling leads to almost complete flux trapping and higher residual resistance, while fast cooling leads to the much more efficient flux expulsion and lower residual resistance.

Preparation of MgB2 superconducting microbridges by focused ion beam direct milling

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xuena; Li, Yanli; Xu, Zhuang; Kong, Xiangdong; Han, Li

2017-01-01

MgB2 superconducting microbridges were prepared by focused ion beam (FIB) direct milling on MgB2 films. The surface topography of the microbridges were observed using SEM and AFM and the superconductivity was measured in this paper. Lots of cracks and holes were found near the milled area. And the superconducting transition temperature was decreased a lot and the bridges prepared were not superconducting due to ion damage after milled with large dose. Through these works, we explored the effect regular of FIB milling and experimental parameters on the performance of microbridges.

Microwave surface resistance of YBa2Cu3O/sub 6.9/ superconducting films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martens, J.S.; Beyer, J.B.; Ginley, D.S.

1988-01-01

The microwave surface resistance of an YBa 2 Cu 3 O/sub 6.9/ superconducting thick film was measured over the range 7.0--16.7 GHz at 77 K. This was done by placing a sample in a TE 01 /sub n/ wavemeter cavity and observing the change in selectivity of the cavity. The material's surface resistance is of the same order of magnitude as that of silver at 77 K from 8 to 12 GHz and improves about another order at 4.2 K. The power-law behavior of surface resistance with frequency is probably close to quadratic. This is similar to the behavior of low critical temperature superconductors

Investigation of niobium surface structure and composition for improvement of superconducting radio-frequency cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Trenikhina, Yulia

Nano-scale investigation of intrinsic properties of niobium near-surface is a key to control performance of niobium superconducting radio-frequency cavities. Mechanisms responsible for the performance limitations and their empirical remedies needs to be justified in order to reproducibly control fabrication of SRF cavities with desired characteristics. The high field Q-slope and mechanism behind its cure (120°C mild bake) were investigated by comparison of the samples cut out of the cavities with high and low dissipation regions. Material evolution during mild field Q-slope nitrogen treatment was characterized using the coupon samples as well as samples cut out of nitrogen treated cavity. Evaluation of niobium near-surface state after some typical and novel cavity treatments was accomplished. Various TEM techniques, SEM, XPS, AES, XRD were used for the structural and chemical characterization of niobium near-surface. Combination of thermometry and structural temperature-dependent comparison of the cavity cutouts with different dissipation characteristics revealed precipitation of niobium hydrides to be the reason for medium and high field Q-slopes. Step-by-step effect of the nitrogen treatment processing on niobium surface was studied by analytical and structural characterization of the cavity cutout and niobium samples, which were subject to the treatment. Low concentration nitrogen doping is proposed to explain the benefit of nitrogen treatment. Chemical characterization of niobium samples before and after various surface processing (Electropolishing (EP), 800°C bake, hydrofluoric acid (HF) rinsing) showed the differences that can help to reveal the microscopic effects behind these treatments as well as possible sources of surface contamination.

Surface characterization of superconductive Nd1Ba2Cu3Oy thin films using scanning probe microscopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ting, W.; Badaye, M.; Itti, R.; Morishita, T.; Koshizuka, N.; Tanaka, S.

1996-01-01

Recently, superconductive Nd 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O y (Nd123) thin films with high superconducting transition temperature (T c ) have been successfully fabricated at the authors institute employing the standard laser ablation method. In this paper, they report parts of the results of surface characterization of the Nd123 thin films using an ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope/spectroscopy (UHV-STM/STS) and an atomic force microscope (AFM) system operated in air. Clear spiral pattern is observed on the surfaces of Nd123 thin films by STM and AFM, suggesting that films are formed by two-dimensional island growth mode at the final growing stage. Contour plots of the spirals show that the step heights of the spirals are not always the integer or half integer numbers of the c-axis parameter of the structure. This implies that the surface natural termination layer of the films may not be unique. Surface atomic images of the as-prepared Nd123 thin films are obtained employing both STM and AFM. STS measurements show that most of the surfaces are semiconductive, or sometimes even metallic. The results of STS measurements together with the fact that they are able to see the surface atomic images using scanning probe microscopes suggest that exposure to air does not cause serious degradation to the as-prepared surfaces of Nd123 thin films

Valence skipping driven superconductivity and charge Kondo effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagisawa, Takashi; Hase, Izumi

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Valence skipping in metallic compounds can give rise to an unconventional superconductivity. •Several elements in the periodic table show valence skipping (or valence missing), for example, Bi forms the compounds in valence states +3 and +5. •The doping of valence skipping elements will induce superconductivity and this will lead to a possibility of high temperature superconductivity. •We consider the Wolf model with negative-U impurities, and show a phase diagram including superconducting phase. •There is a high temperature region near the boundary. -- Abstract: Valence skipping in metallic compounds can give rise to an unconventional superconductivity. Several elements in the periodic table show valence skipping (or valence missing), for example, Bi forms the compounds in valence states +3 and +5. The doping of valence skipping elements will induce superconductivity and this will lead to a possibility of high temperature superconductivity. We consider the Wolf model with negative-U impurities, and show a phase diagram including superconducting phase. The superconducting state is changed into a metallic state with a local singlet as the attractive interaction |U| increases. There is a high temperature region near the boundary

High-pressure effects on the superconductivity of β-pyrochlore oxides AOs2O6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muramatsu, Takaki; Takeshita, Nao; Terakura, Chikeko; Takagi, Hidenori; Tokura, Yoshinori; Yonezawa, Shigeki; Muraoka, Yuji; Hiroi, Zenji

2006-01-01

High-pressure effects on the superconducting transitions of β-pyrochlore oxide superconductors AOs 2 O 6 (A=Cs, Rb, K) are studied by measuring resistivity under high pressures up to 16 GPa. The superconducting transition temperature T c first increases with increasing pressure in all the compounds and then exhibits a broad maximum at 7.6 K (6 GPa), 8.2 K (2 GPa) and 10 K (0.6 GPa) for A=Cs, Rb and K, respectively. Finally, the superconductivity is suppressed completely at a critical pressure near 7 and 6 GPa for A=Rb and K and probably above 10 GPa for A=Cs. Characteristic changes in the temperature dependence of resistivity of RbOs 2 O 6 under high pressure. The residual resistivity largely increases with pressure above 4 GPa and, as a result, resistivity indicates small temperature dependence down to 4.2 K at 7 GPa and application of further pressure up to 10 GPa indicates that temperature dependence of resistivity decrease below 100 K. This characteristic behavior in the β-pyrochlore oxides may originate from the nesting of nearly octahedron shape of Fermi surface

Surface characterization of Nb samples electropolished with real superconducting rf accelerator cavities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xin Zhao

2010-12-01

Full Text Available We report the results of surface characterizations of niobium (Nb samples electropolished together with a single cell superconducting radio-frequency accelerator cavity. These witness samples were located in three regions of the cavity, namely at the equator, the iris, and the beam pipe. Auger electron spectroscopy was utilized to probe the chemical composition of the topmost four atomic layers. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x ray for elemental analysis was used to observe the surface topography and chemical composition at the micrometer scale. A few atomic layers of sulfur (S were found covering the samples nonuniformly. Niobium oxide granules with a sharp geometry were observed on every sample. Some Nb-O granules appeared to also contain sulfur.

The state of superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, T.D.

1981-01-01

The present status of applications based on the phenomena of superconductivity are reviewed. Superconducting materials, large scale applications, the Josephson effect and its applications, and superconductivity in instrumentation, are considered. The influence that superconductivity has had on modern theories of elementary particles, such as gauge symmetry breaking, is discussed. (U.K.)

Superconductivity in multilayer perovskite. Weak coupling analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koikegami, Shigeru; Yanagisawa, Takashi

2006-01-01

We investigate the superconductivity of a three-dimensional d-p model with a multilayer perovskite structure on the basis of the second-order perturbation theory within the weak coupling framework. Our model has been designed with multilayer high-T c superconducting cuprates in mind. In our model, multiple Fermi surfaces appear, and the component of a superconducting gap function develops on each band. We have found that the multilayer structure can stabilize the superconductivity in a wide doping range. (author)

Characterization of a superconducting Pb photocathode in a superconducting rf photoinjector cavity

CERN Document Server

Barday, R; Jankowiak, A; Kamps, T; Knobloch, J; Kugeler, O; Matveenko, A; Neumann, A; Schmeißer, M; Volker, J; Kneisel, P; Nietubyc, R; Schubert S; Smedley J; Sekutowicz, J; Will, I

2014-01-01

Photocathodes are a limiting factor for the next generation of ultrahigh brightness photoinjectors. We studied the behavior of a superconducting Pb cathode in the cryogenic environment of a superconducting rf gun cavity to measure the quantum efficiency, its spatial distribution, and the work function. We will also discuss how the cathode surface contaminants modify the performance of the photocathode as well as the gun cavity and we discuss the possibilities to remove these contaminants.

Miniature scanning electron microscope for investigation of the interior surface of a superconducting Nb radiofrequency accelerating cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathewson, A.G.; Grillot, A.

1982-01-01

A miniature scanning electron microscope with an electron beam diameter approx.1 μm has been constructed for high resolution examination at room temperature of the interior surface of a superconducting Nb radiofrequency accelerating cavity. Various objects and surface structures were observed, some of which could be correlated with lossy regions or ''hot spots'' detected previously on the outside surface during cavity operation at < or =4.2 K by a chain of carbon resistors. No internal surface features were observed which could conclusively be correlated with field emitting electron sources

Nucleation of superconductivity under rapid cycling of an electric field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandyopadhyay, Malay

2008-01-01

The effect of an externally applied high-frequency oscillating electric field on the critical nucleation field of superconductivity in the bulk as well as at the surface of a superconductor is investigated in detail in this work. Starting from the linearized time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDLG) theory, and using the variational principle, I have shown the analogy between a quantum harmonic oscillator with that of the nucleation of superconductivity in the bulk and a quantum double oscillator with that of the nucleation at the surface of a finite sample. The effective Hamiltonian approach of Cook et al (1985 Phys. Rev. A 31 564) is employed to incorporate the effect of an externally applied highly oscillating electric field. The critical nucleation field ratio is also calculated from the ground state energy method. The results obtained from these two approximate theories agree very well with the exact results for the case of an undriven system, which establishes the validity of these two approximate theories. It is observed that the highly oscillating electric field actually increases the bulk critical nucleation field (H c 2 ) as well as the surface critical nucleation field (H c 3 ) of superconductivity as compared to the case of absent electric field (ε 0 = 0). But the externally applied rapidly oscillating electric field accentuates the surface critical nucleation field more than the bulk critical nucleation field, i.e. the increase of H c 3 is 1.6592 times larger than that of H c 2

Color superconductivity in dense quark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alford, Mark G.; Schmitt, Andreas; Rajagopal, Krishna; Schaefer, Thomas

2008-01-01

Matter at high density and low temperature is expected to be a color superconductor, which is a degenerate Fermi gas of quarks with a condensate of Cooper pairs near the Fermi surface that induces color Meissner effects. At the highest densities, where the QCD coupling is weak, rigorous calculations are possible, and the ground state is a particularly symmetric state, the color-flavor locked (CFL) phase. The CFL phase is a superfluid, an electromagnetic insulator, and breaks chiral symmetry. The effective theory of the low-energy excitations in the CFL phase is known and can be used, even at more moderate densities, to describe its physical properties. At lower densities the CFL phase may be disfavored by stresses that seek to separate the Fermi surfaces of the different flavors, and comparison with the competing alternative phases, which may break translation and/or rotation invariance, is done using phenomenological models. We review the calculations that underlie these results and then discuss transport properties of several color-superconducting phases and their consequences for signatures of color superconductivity in neutron stars.

Stacked magnet superconducting bearing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rigney, T.K. II; Saville, M.P.

1993-01-01

A superconducting bearing is described, comprising: a plurality of permanent magnets magnetized end-to-end and stacked side-by-side in alternating polarity, such that flux lines flow between ends of adjacent magnets; isolating means, disposed between said adjacent magnets, for reducing flux leakage between opposing sides of said adjacent magnets; and a member made of superconducting material having at least one surface in communication with said flux lines

The influence of chemical treatments on the superconducting properties of technical niobium materials and their effect on the performance of superconducting radio frequency cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, S B; Sahni, V C; Myneni, G R

2009-01-01

We present the results of a study of superconducting response in the niobium materials used in the fabrication of high accelerating gradient (>25 MV m -1 ) superconducting radio frequency (SC-RF) cavities. These results clearly show that the typical surface chemical treatment deployed during the fabrication of SC-RF cavities affects the superconducting properties of pure niobium materials. Such SC-RF cavities operating at 2 K are often found to show anomalous RF losses, causing either a strong degradation of the quality factor or a thermal breakdown for cavity magnetic fields between 1 and 1.5 kOe. The results of our study suggest a correlation between the field for the first flux-line penetration in these chemically treated technical niobium materials and the reported onset field of anomalous losses in the SC-RF cavities.

The influence of chemical treatments on the superconducting properties of technical niobium materials and their effect on the performance of superconducting radio frequency cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, S. B.; Myneni, G. R.; Sahni, V. C.

2009-10-01

We present the results of a study of superconducting response in the niobium materials used in the fabrication of high accelerating gradient (>25 MV m-1) superconducting radio frequency (SC-RF) cavities. These results clearly show that the typical surface chemical treatment deployed during the fabrication of SC-RF cavities affects the superconducting properties of pure niobium materials. Such SC-RF cavities operating at 2 K are often found to show anomalous RF losses, causing either a strong degradation of the quality factor or a thermal breakdown for cavity magnetic fields between 1 and 1.5 kOe. The results of our study suggest a correlation between the field for the first flux-line penetration in these chemically treated technical niobium materials and the reported onset field of anomalous losses in the SC-RF cavities.

On the theory of twinning plane superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishonov, T.M.

1988-01-01

The thermodynamic potential of the superconducting layer in the twinning plane (TP) vicinity for the type I superconductors is found. The corrections to the surface tension in powers of the Ginsburg-Landau parameter κ are obtained. The corresponding states law for the supercooling field for the type I twinning plane superconductivity (TPS) is obtained, as well as the critical field law for the type II TPS. A review of experimental and theoretical works on TPS and some similar systems is given. The conditions for the Berezinski-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition for the proximity effect are discussed, as well as the possible mechanisms for the conducting phase transition TPS in Nb and the pinning forces close to the twinning plane. The obtained order parameter distribution can be used for description of the superlattices from normal and superconducting metals as well. 6 figs., 44 refs

Single-particle spectra and magnetic field effects within precursor superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pieri, P.; Pisani, L.; Strinati, G.C.; Perali, A.

2004-01-01

We study the single-particle spectra below the superconducting critical temperature from weak to strong coupling within a precursor superconductivity scenario. The spectral-weight function is obtained from a self-energy that includes pairing-fluctuations within a continuum model representing the hot spots of the Brillouin zone. The effects of strong magnetic fields on the pseudogap temperature are also discussed within the same scenario

Preparing last LEP superconducting module for removal

CERN Multimedia

Patrice Loïez

2000-01-01

The last superconducting module travels along the LEP tunnel towards one of the shafts where it will be lifted to the surface. Superconducting modules were only used in the LEP-2 phase of the accelerator, from 1996 to 2000.

Pulsed rf superconductivity program at SLAC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campisi, I.E.; Farkas, Z.D.

1984-08-01

Recent tests performed at SLAC on superconducting TM 010 caavities using short rf pulses (less than or equal to 2.5 μs) have established that at the cavity surface magnetic fields can be reached in the vicinity of the theoretical critical fields without an appreciable increase in average losses. Tests on niobium and lead cavities are reported. The pulse method seems to be best suited to study peak field properties of superconductors in the microwave band, without the limitations imposed by defects. The short pulses also seem to be more effective in decreasing the causes of field emission by rf processing. Applications of the pulsed rf superconductivity to high-gradient linear accelerators are also possible

Topological crystalline superconductivity and second-order topological superconductivity in nodal-loop materials

Science.gov (United States)

Shapourian, Hassan; Wang, Yuxuan; Ryu, Shinsei

2018-03-01

We study the intrinsic fully gapped odd-parity superconducting order in doped nodal-loop materials with a torus-shaped Fermi surface. We show that the mirror symmetry, which protects the nodal loop in the normal state, also protects the superconducting state as a topological crystalline superconductor. As a result, the surfaces preserving the mirror symmetry host gapless Majorana cones. Moreover, for a Weyl-loop system (twofold degenerate at the nodal loop), the surfaces that break the mirror symmetry (those parallel to the bulk nodal loop) contribute a Chern (winding) number to the quasi-two-dimensional system in a slab geometry, which leads to a quantized thermal Hall effect and a single Majorana zero mode bound at a vortex line penetrating the system. This Chern number can be viewed as a higher-order topological invariant, which supports hinge modes in a cubic sample when mirror symmetry is broken. For a Dirac-loop system (fourfold degenerate at the nodal loop), the fully gapped odd-parity state can be either time-reversal symmetry-breaking or symmetric, similar to the A and B phases of 3He. In a slab geometry, the A phase has a Chern number two, while the B phase carries a nontrivial Z2 invariant. We discuss the experimental relevance of our results to nodal-loop materials such as CaAgAs.

Superconductivity: Phenomenology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Falicov, L.M.

1988-08-01

This document discusses first the following topics: (a) The superconducting transition temperature; (b) Zero resistivity; (c) The Meissner effect; (d) The isotope effect; (e) Microwave and optical properties; and (f) The superconducting energy gap. Part II of this document investigates the Ginzburg-Landau equations by discussing: (a) The coherence length; (b) The penetration depth; (c) Flux quantization; (d) Magnetic-field dependence of the energy gap; (e) Quantum interference phenomena; and (f) The Josephson effect

Framework of collaboration investigation on neutron effect on superconducting magnet materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimura, Arata; Takeuchi, Takao; Nishijima, Shigehiro; Izumi, Yoshinobu; Takakura, Kosuke; Ochiai, Kentaro; Henmi, Tsutomu; Nishijima, Gen; Watanabe, Kazuo; Sato, Isamu; Kurisita, Hiroaki; Narui, Minoru; Shikama, Tatsuo

2009-01-01

A fusion reactor will generate D-T neutron and the kinetic energy of the neutron will be converted to the thermal energy and electrical energy. The neutron has huge energy and will be able to penetrate a shielding blanket and stream out of ports for neutral beam injections. The penetrated and streamed out neutrons will reach superconducting magnets and make some damages on the magnet system. To investigate the neutron irradiation effects on the superconducting magnet materials, a collaborative network must be organized and the irradiation researches must be performed. This report will describe the framework of the collaboration investigation which has been established among neutronics, superconducting magnet and fusion system. After showing the collaboration scheme, some new results on 14 MeV neutron irradiation effect are presented. Then, a three years new project which was adopted as one of 'Nuclear basic infrastructure strategy study initiatives' by MEXT will be introduced as an example of collaborative program among superconducting materials, fission reactor and high magnetic field technology. (author)

Superconducting spin valve effect in Fe/In based heterostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leksin, Pavel; Schumann, Joachim; Kataev, Vladislav; Schmidt, Oliver; Buechner, Bernd [Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research IFW Dresden (Germany); Garifyanov, Nadir; Garifullin, Ilgiz [Zavoisky Physical-Technical Institute, Kazan Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russian Federation)

2015-07-01

We report on magnetic and superconducting properties of the spin-valve multilayer system CoOx/Fe1/Cu/Fe2/In. The Superconducting Spin Valve Effect (SSVE) assumes the T{sub c} difference between parallel (P) and antiparallel (AP) orientations of the Fe1 and Fe2 layers' magnetizations. The SSVE value oscillates and changes its sign when the Fe2 layer thickness d{sub Fe2} is varied from 0 to 5 nm. The SSVE value is positive, as expected, in the range 0.4 nm ≤ d{sub Fe2} ≤ 0.8 nm. For a rather broad range of thicknesses 1 nm ≤ d{sub Fe2} ≤ 2.6 nm the SSVE has negative sign assuming the inverse SSVE. Moreover, the magnitude of the inverse effect is larger than that of the positive direct effect. We attribute these oscillations to a quantum interference of the cooper pair wave functions in the magnetic part of the system. For most of the spin-valve samples from this set we experimentally realized the full switching between normal and superconducting states due to direct and inverse SSVE. The analysis of the experimental data has enabled the determination of all microscopic parameters of the studied system.

Effect of superconducting electrons on the energy splitting of tunneling systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, C.C.; Granato, A.V.

1985-01-01

We consider the effect of superconducting electrons on the magnitude of the energy splitting of a tunneling system. A specific example is a hydrogen atom tunneling in niobium. We find that in this case the splitting is roughly 20% smaller in the normal state than in the superconducting state. This difference in the splitting should be observable in neutron scattering and ultrasonic measurements

Tailoring Surface Impurity Content to Maximize Q-factors of Superconducting Resonators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinello, Martina [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Checchin, Mattia [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Grassellino, Anna [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Melnychuk, Oleksandr [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Posen, Sam [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Romanenko, Alexander [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Sergatskov, Dmitri [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Zasadzinski, John [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States)

2016-06-01

Quality factor of superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities is degraded whenever magnetic flux is trapped in the cavity walls during the cooldown. In this contribution we study how the trapped flux sensitivity, defined as the trapped flux surface resistance normalized for the amount of flux trapped, depends on the mean free path. A variety of 1.3 GHz cavities with different surface treatments (EP, 120 C bake and different N-doping) were studied in order to cover the largest range of mean free path nowadays achievable, from few to thousands of nanometers. A bell shaped trend appears for the range of mean free path studied. Over doped cavities falls at the maximum of this curve defining the largest values of sensitivity. In addition, we have also studied the trend of the BCS surface resistance contribution as a function of mean free path, revealing that N-doped cavities follow close to the theoretical minimum of the BCS surface resistance as a function of the mean free path. Adding these results together we unveil that optimal N-doping treatment allows to maximize Q-factor at 2 K and 16 MV/m until the magnetic field fully trapped during the cavity cooldown stays below 10 mG.

Effect of interstitial impurities on the field dependent microwave surface resistance of niobium

Science.gov (United States)

Martinello, M.; Grassellino, A.; Checchin, M.; Romanenko, A.; Melnychuk, O.; Sergatskov, D. A.; Posen, S.; Zasadzinski, J. F.

2016-08-01

Previous work has demonstrated that the radio frequency surface resistance of niobium resonators is dramatically reduced when nitrogen impurities are dissolved as interstitial in the material. This effect is attributed to the lowering of the Mattis-Bardeen surface resistance with increasing accelerating field; however, the microscopic origin of this phenomenon is poorly understood. Meanwhile, an enhancement of the sensitivity to trapped magnetic field is typically observed for such cavities. In this paper, we conduct a systematic study on these different components contributing to the total surface resistance as a function of different levels of dissolved nitrogen, in comparison with standard surface treatments for niobium resonators. Adding these results together, we are able to show which is the optimum surface treatment that maximizes the Q-factor of superconducting niobium resonators as a function of expected trapped magnetic field in the cavity walls. These results also provide insights on the physics behind the change in the field dependence of the Mattis-Bardeen surface resistance, and of the trapped magnetic vortex induced losses in superconducting niobium resonators.

High-kinetic inductance additive manufactured superconducting microwave cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Holland, Eric T.; Rosen, Yaniv J.; Materise, Nicholas; Woollett, Nathan; Voisin, Thomas; Wang, Y. Morris; Torres, Sharon G.; Mireles, Jorge; Carosi, Gianpaolo; DuBois, Jonathan L.

2017-11-01

Investigations into the microwave surface impedance of superconducting resonators have led to the development of single photon counters that rely on kinetic inductance for their operation, while concurrent progress in additive manufacturing, "3D printing," opens up a previously inaccessible design space for waveguide resonators. In this manuscript, we present results from the synthesis of these two technologies in a titanium, aluminum, vanadium (Ti-6Al-4V) superconducting radio frequency resonator which exploits a design unattainable through conventional fabrication means. We find that Ti-6Al-4V has two distinct superconducting transition temperatures observable in heat capacity measurements. The higher transition temperature is in agreement with DC resistance measurements, while the lower transition temperature, not previously known in the literature, is consistent with the observed temperature dependence of the superconducting microwave surface impedance. From the surface reactance, we extract a London penetration depth of 8 ± 3 μm—roughly an order of magnitude larger than other titanium alloys and several orders of magnitude larger than other conventional elemental superconductors.

Enhanced Field Emission Studies on Niobium Surfaces Relevant to High Field Superconducting Radio-Frequency Devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Tong [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)

2002-09-18

Enhanced field emission (EFE) presents the main impediment to higher acceleration gradients in superconducting niobium (Nb) radiofrequency cavities for particle accelerators. The strength, number and sources of EFE sites strongly depend on surface preparation and handling. The main objective of this thesis project is to systematically investigate the sources of EFE from Nb, to evaluate the best available surface preparation techniques with respect to resulting field emission, and to establish an optimized process to minimize or eliminate EFE. To achieve these goals, a scanning field emission microscope (SFEM) was designed and built as an extension to an existing commercial scanning electron microscope (SEM). In the SFEM chamber of ultra high vacuum, a sample is moved laterally in a raster pattern under a high voltage anode tip for EFE detection and localization. The sample is then transferred under vacuum to the SEM chamber equipped with an energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer for individual emitting site characterization. Compared to other systems built for similar purposes, this apparatus has low cost and maintenance, high operational flexibility, considerably bigger scan area, as well as reliable performance. EFE sources from planar Nb have been studied after various surface preparation, including chemical etching and electropolishing, combined with ultrasonic or high-pressure water rinse. Emitters have been identified, analyzed and the preparation process has been examined and improved based on EFE results. As a result, field-emission-free or near field-emission-free surfaces at ~140 MV/m have been consistently achieved with the above techniques. Characterization on the remaining emitters leads to the conclusion that no evidence of intrinsic emitters, i.e., no fundamental electric field limit induced by EFE, has been observed up to ~140 MV/m. Chemically etched and electropolished Nb are compared and no significant difference is observed up to ~140 MV/m. To

Enhanced Field Emission Studies on Niobium Surfaces Relevant to High Field Superconducting Radio-Frequency Devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tong Wang

2002-01-01

Enhanced field emission (EFE) presents the main impediment to higher acceleration gradients in superconducting niobium (Nb) radio frequency cavities for particle accelerators. The strength, number and sources of EFE sites strongly depend on surface preparation and handling. The main objective of this thesis project is to systematically investigate the sources of EFE from Nb, to evaluate the best available surface preparation techniques with respect to resulting field emission, and to establish an optimized process to minimize or eliminate EFE. To achieve these goals, a scanning field emission microscope (SFEM) was designed and built as an extension to an existing commercial scanning electron microscope (SEM). In the SFEM chamber of ultra high vacuum, a sample is moved laterally in a raster pattern under a high voltage anode tip for EFE detection and localization. The sample is then transferred under vacuum to the SEM chamber equipped with an energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer for individual emitting site characterization. Compared to other systems built for similar purposes, this apparatus has low cost and maintenance, high operational flexibility, considerably bigger scan area, as well as reliable performance. EFE sources from planar Nb have been studied after various surface preparation, including chemical etching and electropolishing, combined with ultrasonic or high-pressure water rinse. Emitters have been identified, analyzed and the preparation process has been examined and improved based on EFE results. As a result, field-emission-free or near field-emission-free surfaces at ∼140 MV/m have been consistently achieved with the above techniques. Characterization on the remaining emitters leads to the conclusion that no evidence of intrinsic emitters, i.e., no fundamental electric field limit induced by EFE, has been observed up to ∼140 MV/m. Chemically etched and electropolished Nb are compared and no significant difference is observed up to ∼140 MV

Theoretical studies of superconductivity in doped BaCoSO

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Shengshan; Li, Yinxiang; Zhang, Qiang; Le, Congcong; Hu, Jiangping

2018-06-01

We investigate superconductivity that may exist in the doped BaCoSO, a multi-orbital Mott insulator with a strong antiferromagnetic ground state. The superconductivity is studied in both t-J type and Hubbard type multi-orbital models by mean field approach and random phase approximation (RPA) analysis. Even if there is no C 4 rotational symmetry, it is found that the system still carries a d-wave like pairing symmetry state with gapless nodes and sign changed superconducting order parameters on Fermi surfaces. The results are largely doping insensitive. In this superconducting state, the three {t_{{2_g}}} orbitals have very different superconducting form factors in momentum space. In particular, the intra-orbital pairing of the {d_{{x^2} - {y^2}}} orbital has an s-wave like pairing form factor. The two methods also predict very different pairing strength on different parts of Fermi surfaces. These results suggest that BaCoSO and related materials can be a new ground to test and establish fundamental principles for unconventional high temperature superconductivity.

Roughness analysis applied to niobium thin films grown on MgO(001) surfaces for superconducting radio frequency cavity applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beringer, D. B. [College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States). Dept. of Physics; Roach, W. M. [College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States). Dept. of Applied Science; Clavero, C. [College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States). Dept. of Applied Science; Reece, C. E. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Lukaszew, R. A. [College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States). Dept. of Physics; College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States). Dept. of Applied Science

2013-02-05

This paper describes surface studies to address roughness issues inherent to thin film coatings deposited onto superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. This is particularly relevant for multilayered thin film coatings that are being considered as a possible scheme to overcome technical issues and to surpass the fundamental limit of ~500 MV/m accelerating gradient achievable with bulk niobium. In 2006, a model by Gurevich [ Appl. Phys. Lett. 88 012511 (2006)] was proposed to overcome this limit that involves coating superconducting layers separated by insulating ones onto the inner walls of the cavities. Thus, we have undertaken a systematic effort to understand the dynamic evolution of the Nb surface under specific deposition thin film conditions onto an insulating surface in order to explore the feasibility of the proposed model. We examine and compare the morphology from two distinct Nb/MgO series, each with its own epitaxial registry, at very low growth rates and closely examine the dynamical scaling of the surface features during growth. Further, we apply analysis techniques such as power spectral density to the specific problem of thin film growth and roughness evolution to qualify the set of deposition conditions that lead to successful SRF coatings.

Induction shimming: A new shimming concept for superconductive undulators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Wollmann

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Undulators are the most advanced sources for the generation of synchrotron radiation. The photons generated by a single electron add up coherently along the electron trajectory. In order to do so, the oscillatory motion of the electron has to be in phase with the emitted photons along the whole undulator. Small magnetic errors can cause unwanted destructive interferences. In standard permanent magnet undulators, the magnetic errors are reduced by applying shimming techniques. Superconductive undulators have higher magnetic fields than permanent magnet undulators but shimming is more complex. In this paper it is shown that coupled superconductive loops installed along the surface of the superconductive undulator coil can significantly reduce the destructive effect of the field errors. This new idea might allow the building of undulators with a superior field quality.

The pressure effect on the superconducting transition temperature of black phosphorus

CERN Document Server

Karuzawa, M; Endo, S

2002-01-01

We have measured the pressure effect on the superconducting transition temperature T sub c of black phosphorus up to 160 GPa using a superconducting quantum interference device vibrating coil magnetometer. It was found that T sub c had a maximum value of about 9.5 K at about 32 GPa, began decreasing with pressure and reached about 4.3 K at about 100 GPa.

Effects of thermal relaxation on an amorphous superconducting Zr--Rh alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drehman, A.J.; Johnson, W.L.

1978-05-01

The electronic and superconducting properties of an amorphous transition metal alloy are used to evaluate the effects of low temperature annealing. It is observed that the superconducting transition temperature and the electrical resistivity relax exponentially in time from their initial value to a final relaxed value. From this an activation energy for the relaxation process is derived and an explanation is suggested which involves internal stress

Three-dimensional simulations of the surface topography evolution of niobium superconducting radio frequency cavities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rađenović Branislav M.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper contains results of the three-dimensional simulations of the surface topography evolution of the niobium superconducting radio frequency cavities during isotropic and anisotropic etching modes. The initial rough surface is determined from the experimental power spectral density. The simulation results based on the level set method reveal that the time dependence of the root mean square roughness obeys Family-Viscek scaling law. The growth exponential factors b are determined for both etching modes. Exponential factor for the isotropic etching is 100 times lower than that for the anisotropic etching mode reviling that the isotropic etching is very useful mechanism of the smoothing. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. O171037 i br. III45006

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmieri, V.

1990-01-01

This paper reports on superconductivity the absence of electrical resistance has always fascinated the mind of researchers with a promise of applications unachievable by conventional technologies. Since its discovery superconductivity has been posing many questions and challenges to solid state physics, quantum mechanics, chemistry and material science. Simulations arrived to superconductivity from particle physics, astrophysic, electronics, electrical engineering and so on. In seventy-five years the original promises of superconductivity were going to become reality: a microscopical theory gave to superconductivity the cloth of the science and the level of technological advances was getting higher and higher. High field superconducting magnets became commercially available, superconducting electronic devices were invented, high field accelerating gradients were obtained in superconductive cavities and superconducting particle detectors were under study. Other improvements came in a quiet progression when a tornado brought a revolution in the field: new materials had been discovered and superconductivity, from being a phenomenon relegated to the liquid Helium temperatures, became achievable over the liquid Nitrogen temperature. All the physics and the technological implications under superconductivity have to be considered ab initio

Superconducting microtraps for ultracold atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hufnagel, C.

2011-01-01

Atom chips are integrated devices in which atoms and atomic clouds are stored and manipulated in miniaturized magnetic traps. State of the art fabrication technologies allow for a flexible design of the trapping potentials and consequently provide extraordinary control over atomic samples, which leads to a promising role of atom chips in the engineering and investigation of quantum mechanical systems. Naturally, for quantum mechanical applications, the atomic coherence has to be preserved. Using room temperature circuits, the coherence time of atoms close to the surface was found to be drastically limited by thermal current fluctuations in the conductors. Superconductors offer an elegant way to circumvent thermal noise and therefore present a promising option for the coherent manipulation of atomic quantum states. In this thesis trapping and manipulation of ultracold Rubidium atoms in superconducting microtraps is demonstrated. In this connection the unique properties of superconductors are used to build traps based on persistent currents, the Meissner effect and remanent magnetization. In experiment it is shown, that in superconducting atom chips, thermal magnetic field noise is significantly reduced. Furthermore it is demonstrated, that atomic samples can be employed to probe the properties of superconducting materials. (author) [de

Effect of superconducting correlation on the localization of quasiparticles in low dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiang, T.

1995-01-01

Localization lengths of superconducting quasiparticles λ s are evaluated and compared with the corresponding normal-state values λ n in one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional lattices. The effect of superconducting correlation on the localization of quasiparticles is generally stronger in an off-site pairing state than in an on-site pairing state. The modification of superconducting correlation to λ is strongly correlated with the density of states (DOS) of superconducting quasiparticles. λ s drops within the energy gap but is largely enhanced around energies where DOS peaks appear. For a gapless pairing state in 1D or a d-wave pairing state in 2D, λ s /λ n at the Fermi energy E F is of order 1 and determined purely by the value of gap parameter not by the random potential. For the d-wave pairing state, the localization effect is largely weakened compared with the corresponding normal state and quasiparticles with energies close to E F are more strongly localized than other low-energy quasiparticles

A contribution to the study of high Tc superconducting coatings and multi-layer coatings electromagnetic properties: surface impedance measurement with a tunnel diode oscillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omari, A.

1993-01-01

A surface impedance measurement system for conducting or superconducting thin films have been developed through the electromagnetic coupling of these films to a tunnel diode oscillator. The electromagnetic response of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ superconducting films and of id/La 2-x Sr x Cu O 4 multilayers, is studied, showing the 'granular' type of these materials. The intergranular coupling is of the SIS type for the films and of the SNS type for the multilayers. A resistance increase is observed when the temperature decreases in the superconducting phase. 120 p., 45 fig., 60 ref

Superconducting classes in heavy fermions systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volovik, G.E.; Gor'kov, L.P.

1985-01-01

A mathematical method for constructing of the superconductivity classes for nontrivial superconductors is described. All superconducting phases which can arise directly on transition from the normal state for cubic, hexagonal and tetragonal symmetries are enumerated. It is shown that in the triplet case the types of zeros in the energy gap always correspond to points on the Fermi surface, whereas for signlet pairing the whole zero lines are possible. For the phases with zeros on the lines or points, the low-temperature specific heat varies as T 2 on T 3 respectivelty. The superconducting phases which arise from the multydimensional representations may possess a magnetic moment which induces currents on the surface of a monodomain sample even in the absence of an external magnetic field. The specific case of a domain wall is considered and it is shown that large magnetic currents of magnetization are present in the wall

Fault-tolerant architectures for superconducting qubits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DiVincenzo, David P

2009-01-01

In this short review, I draw attention to new developments in the theory of fault tolerance in quantum computation that may give concrete direction to future work in the development of superconducting qubit systems. The basics of quantum error-correction codes, which I will briefly review, have not significantly changed since their introduction 15 years ago. But an interesting picture has emerged of an efficient use of these codes that may put fault-tolerant operation within reach. It is now understood that two-dimensional surface codes, close relatives of the original toric code of Kitaev, can be adapted as shown by Raussendorf and Harrington to effectively perform logical gate operations in a very simple planar architecture, with error thresholds for fault-tolerant operation simulated to be 0.75%. This architecture uses topological ideas in its functioning, but it is not 'topological quantum computation'-there are no non-abelian anyons in sight. I offer some speculations on the crucial pieces of superconducting hardware that could be demonstrated in the next couple of years that would be clear stepping stones towards this surface-code architecture.

Superconducting state mechanisms and properties

CERN Document Server

Kresin, Vladimir Z; Wolf, Stuart A

2014-01-01

'Superconducting State' provides a very detailed theoretical treatment of the key mechanisms of superconductivity, including the current state of the art (phonons, magnons, and plasmons). A very complete description is given of the electron-phonon mechanism responsible for superconductivity in the majority of superconducting systems, and the history of its development, as well as a detailed description of the key experimental techniques used to study the superconducting state and determine the mechanisms. In addition, there are chapters describing the discovery and properties of the key superconducting compounds that are of the most interest for science, and applications including a special chapter on the cuprate superconductors. It provides detailed treatments of some very novel aspects of superconductivity, including multiple bands (gaps), the "pseudogap" state, novel isotope effects beyond BCS, and induced superconductivity.

A scanning Auger electron spectrometer for internal surface analysis of Large Electron Positron 2 superconducting radio-frequency cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Benvenuti, C.; Cosso, R.; Genest, J.; Hauer, M.; Lacarrère, D.; Rijllart, A.; Saban, R.

1996-08-01

A computer-controlled surface analysis instrument, incorporating static Auger electron spectroscopy, scanning Auger mapping, and secondary electron imaging, has been designed and built at CERN to study and characterize the inner surface of superconducting radio-frequency cavities to be installed in the Large Electron Positron collider. A detailed description of the instrument, including the analytical head, the control system, and the vacuum system is presented. Some recent results obtained from the cavities provide examples of the instrument's capabilities.

First-principles theory of anharmonicity and the inverse isotope effect in superconducting palladium-hydride compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Errea, Ion; Calandra, Matteo; Mauri, Francesco

2013-10-25

Palladium hydrides display the largest isotope effect anomaly known in the literature. Replacement of hydrogen with the heavier isotopes leads to higher superconducting temperatures, a behavior inconsistent with harmonic theory. Solving the self-consistent harmonic approximation by a stochastic approach, we obtain the anharmonic free energy, the thermal expansion, and the superconducting properties fully ab initio. We find that the phonon spectra are strongly renormalized by anharmonicity far beyond the perturbative regime. Superconductivity is phonon mediated, but the harmonic approximation largely overestimates the superconducting critical temperatures. We explain the inverse isotope effect, obtaining a -0.38 value for the isotope coefficient in good agreement with experiments, hydrogen anharmonicity being mainly responsible for the isotope anomaly.

Interplay between magnetic quantum criticality, Fermi surface and unconventional superconductivity in UCoGe, URhGe and URu2Si2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bastien, Gael

2017-01-01

This thesis is concentrated on the ferromagnetic superconductors UCoGe and URhGe and on the hidden order state in URu 2 Si 2 . In the first part the pressure temperature phase diagram of UCoGe was studied up to 10.5 GPa. Ferromagnetism vanishes at the critical pressure pc≅1 GPa. Unconventional superconductivity and non Fermi liquid behavior can be observed in a broad pressure range around pc. The superconducting upper critical field properties were explained by the suppression of the magnetic fluctuations under field. In the second part the Fermi surfaces of UCoGe and URhGe were investigated by quantum oscillations. In UCoGe four Fermi surface pockets were observed. Under magnetic field successive Lifshitz transitions of the Fermi surface have been detected. The observed Fermi surface pockets in UCoGe evolve smoothly with pressure up to 2.5 GPa and do not show any Fermi surface reconstruction at the critical pressure pc. In URhGe, three heavy Fermi surface pockets were detected by quantum oscillations. In the last part the quantum oscillation study in the hidden order state of URu 2 Si 2 shows a strong g factor anisotropy for two Fermi surface pockets, which is compared to the macroscopic g factor anisotropy extracted from the upper critical field study. (author) [fr

Temperature dependence of the superconducting proximity effect quantified by scanning tunneling spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Stępniak

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Here, we present the first systematic study on the temperature dependence of the extension of the superconducting proximity effect in a 1–2 atomic layer thin metallic film, surrounding a superconducting Pb island. Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS measurements reveal the spatial variation of the local density of state on the film from 0.38 up to 1.8 K. In this temperature range the superconductivity of the island is almost unaffected and shows a constant gap of a 1.20 ± 0.03 meV. Using a superconducting Nb-tip a constant value of the proximity length of 17 ± 3 nm at 0.38 and 1.8 K is found. In contrast, experiments with a normal conductive W-tip indicate an apparent decrease of the proximity length with increasing temperature. This result is ascribed to the thermal broadening of the occupation of states of the tip, and it does not reflect an intrinsic temperature dependence of the proximity length. Our tunneling spectroscopy experiments shed fresh light on the fundamental issue of the temperature dependence of the proximity effect for atomic monolayers, where the intrinsic temperature dependence of the proximity effect is comparably weak.

Superconductivity of small particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leavens, C.R.; Fenton, E.W.

1981-01-01

The Eliashberg gap equations are used to investigate the contribution of surface-phonon softening to the size dependence of the superconducting transition temperature (T/sub c/) of small metallic particles. Because of our limited quantitative knowledge of phonon spectra and electron-phonon coupling in the surface region, the effect cannot be calculated with certainty. Previous calculations which agree with experiment depend on a fortuitous choice of input parameters which cannot be justified at present. For this reason the absence of any observable size effect for T/sub c/ in Pb is especially important. This null effect is obtained in Pb if the electron-phonon coupling strength is the same in the surface region as in the bulk. This assumption can be tested experimentally because it means that the energy gap of Pb should not be independent of particle size but rather should increase significantly with decreasing radius. Hence, measurement of the size dependence of the energy gap for well-characterized small particles of Pb could provide information regarding the importance of the phonon-softening mechanism, at least for Pb

Dependence of the microwave surface resistance of superconducting niobium on the magnitude of the rf field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romanenko, A.; Grassellino, A. [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois 60510 (United States)

2013-06-24

Utilizing difference in temperature dependencies we decoupled Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) and residual components of the microwave surface resistance of superconducting niobium at all rf fields up to B{sub rf}{approx}115 mT. We reveal that the residual resistance decreases with field at B{sub rf} Less-Than-Or-Equivalent-To 40 mT and strongly increases in chemically treated niobium at B{sub rf}>80 mT. We find that BCS surface resistance is weakly dependent on field in the clean limit, whereas a strong and peculiar field dependence emerges after 120 Degree-Sign C vacuum baking.

Linear arrangement of metallic and superconducting defects in a thin superconducting sample

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barba-Ortega, J.; Sardella, Edson; Albino Aguiar, J.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • We study the influence of superconducting and metallic defects on the vortex configurations in a thin mesoscopic disk. • We found that the vortex–defect interaction leads to interesting vortex configurations. • The first vortex entry is always (never) found sitting on the metallic (superconducting) defect position. -- Abstract: The vortex matter in a superconducting disk with a linear configuration of metallic and superconducting defects is studied. Effects associated to the pinning (anti-pinning) force of the metallic (superconducting) defect on the vortex configuration and on the thermodynamic critical fields are analyzed in the framework of the Ginzburg Landau theory. We calculate the loop of the magnetization, vorticity and free energy curves as a function of the magnetic field for a thin disk. Due to vortex–defect attraction for a metallic defect (repulsion for a superconducting defect), the vortices always (never) are found to be sitting on the defect position

Superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Thomas, D B

1974-01-01

A short general review is presented of the progress made in applied superconductivity as a result of work performed in connection with the high-energy physics program in Europe. The phenomenon of superconductivity and properties of superconductors of Types I and II are outlined. The main body of the paper deals with the development of niobium-titanium superconducting magnets and of radio-frequency superconducting cavities and accelerating structures. Examples of applications in and for high-energy physics experiments are given, including the large superconducting magnet for the Big European Bubble Chamber, prototype synchrotron magnets for the Super Proton Synchrotron, superconducting d.c. beam line magnets, and superconducting RF cavities for use in various laboratories. (0 refs).

Melt formed superconducting joint between superconducting tapes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benz, M.G.; Knudsen, B.A.; Rumaner, L.E.; Zaabala, R.J.

1992-01-01

This patent describes a superconducting joint between contiguous superconducting tapes having an inner laminate comprised of a parent-metal layer selected from the group niobium, tantalum, technetium, and vanadium, a superconductive intermetallic compound layer on the parent-metal layer, a reactive-metal layer that is capable of combining with the parent-metal and forming the superconductive intermetallic compound, the joint comprising: a continuous precipitate of the superconductive intermetallic compound fused to the tapes forming a continuous superconducting path between the tapes

Organic superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jerome, D.

1980-01-01

We present the experimental evidences for the existence of a superconducting state in the Quasi One Dimensional organic conductor (TMTSF) 2 PF 6 . Superconductivity occuring at 1 K under 12 kbar is characterized by a zero resistance diamagnetic state. The anistropy of the upper critical field of this type II superconductor is consistent with the band structure anistropy. We present evidences for the existence of large superconducting precursor effects giving rise to a dominant paraconductive contribution below 40 K. We also discuss the anomalously large pressure dependence of T sb(s), which drops to 0.19 K under 24 kbar in terms of the current theories. (author)

Quark condensation, induced symmetry breaking and color superconductivity at high density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langfeld, Kurt; Rho, Mannque

1999-01-01

The phase structure of hadronic matter at high density relevant to the physics of compact stars and relativistic heavy-ion collisions is studied in a low-energy effective quark theory. The relevant phases that figure are (1) chiral condensation, (2) diquark color condensation (color superconductivity) and (3) induced Lorentz-symmetry breaking (''ISB''). For a reasonable strength for the effective four-Fermi current-current interaction implied by the low-energy effective quark theory for systems with a Fermi surface we find that the ''ISB'' phase sets in together with chiral symmetry restoration (with the vanishing quark condensate) at a moderate density while color superconductivity associated with scalar diquark condensation is pushed up to an asymptotic density. Consequently, color superconductivity seems rather unlikely in heavy-ion collisions although it may play a role in compact stars. Lack of confinement in the model makes the result of this analysis only qualitative but the hierarchy of the transitions we find seems to be quite robust

Atomic physics and quantum optics using superconducting circuits: from the Dynamical Casimir effect to Majorana fermions

Science.gov (United States)

Nori, Franco

2012-02-01

This talk will present an overview of some of our recent results on atomic physics and quantum optics using superconducting circuits. Particular emphasis will be given to photons interacting with qubits, interferometry, the Dynamical Casimir effect, and also studying Majorana fermions using superconducting circuits.[4pt] References available online at our web site:[0pt] J.Q. You, Z.D. Wang, W. Zhang, F. Nori, Manipulating and probing Majorana fermions using superconducting circuits, (2011). Arxiv. J.R. Johansson, G. Johansson, C.M. Wilson, F. Nori, Dynamical Casimir effect in a superconducting coplanar waveguide, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 147003 (2009). [0pt] J.R. Johansson, G. Johansson, C.M. Wilson, F. Nori, Dynamical Casimir effect in superconducting microwave circuits, Phys. Rev. A 82, 052509 (2010). [0pt] C.M. Wilson, G. Johansson, A. Pourkabirian, J.R. Johansson, T. Duty, F. Nori, P. Delsing, Observation of the Dynamical Casimir Effect in a superconducting circuit. Nature, in press (Nov. 2011). P.D. Nation, J.R. Johansson, M.P. Blencowe, F. Nori, Stimulating uncertainty: Amplifying the quantum vacuum with superconducting circuits, Rev. Mod. Phys., in press (2011). [0pt] J.Q. You, F. Nori, Atomic physics and quantum optics using superconducting circuits, Nature 474, 589 (2011). [0pt] S.N. Shevchenko, S. Ashhab, F. Nori, Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg interferometry, Phys. Reports 492, 1 (2010). [0pt] I. Buluta, S. Ashhab, F. Nori. Natural and artificial atoms for quantum computation, Reports on Progress in Physics 74, 104401 (2011). [0pt] I.Buluta, F. Nori, Quantum Simulators, Science 326, 108 (2009). [0pt] L.F. Wei, K. Maruyama, X.B. Wang, J.Q. You, F. Nori, Testing quantum contextuality with macroscopic superconducting circuits, Phys. Rev. B 81, 174513 (2010). [0pt] J.Q. You, X.-F. Shi, X. Hu, F. Nori, Quantum emulation of a spin system with topologically protected ground states using superconducting quantum circuit, Phys. Rev. A 81, 063823 (2010).

Magnetic shield effect simulation of superconducting film shield covering directly coupled HTS dc-SQUID magnetometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terauchi, N.; Noguchi, S.; Igarashi, H.

2011-01-01

A superconducting film shield over a SQUID ring improves the robustness of the SQUID with respect to magnetic noise. Supercurrent in the SQUID magnetometer and the superconducting film shield were simulated. The superconducting film shield reduces the influence of the external magnetic field on the SQUID ring. An HTS SQUID is a high sensitive magnetic sensor. In recent years, the HTS SQUID is widely used in various applications. In some applications, high robustness with respect to magnetic noise is required to realize stable operation at outside of a magnetic shielding room. The target of this paper is a directly coupled HTS dc-SQUID magnetometer. To enhance the robustness of the SQUID magnetometer, use of a superconducting thin film shield has been proposed. The magnetic field directly penetrating the SQUID ring causes the change of the critical current of Josephson junction, and then the SQUID magnetometer transitions into inoperative state. In order to confirm the magnetic shield effect of the superconducting film shield, electromagnetic field simulation with 3D edge finite element method was performed. To simulate the high temperature superconductor, E-J characteristics and c-axis anisotropy are considered. To evaluate the effect of the superconducting film shield, an external magnetic field which is supposed to be a magnetic noise is applied. From the simulation results, the time transition of the magnetic flux penetrating the SQUID ring is investigated and the effect of the superconducting film shield is confirmed. The amplitude of the magnetic flux penetrating the SQUID ring can be reduced to about one-sixth since the superconducting film shield prevents the magnetic noise from directly penetrating the SQUID ring.

Roughness analysis applied to niobium thin films grown on MgO(001) surfaces for superconducting radio frequency cavity applications

Science.gov (United States)

Beringer, D. B.; Roach, W. M.; Clavero, C.; Reece, C. E.; Lukaszew, R. A.

2013-02-01

This paper describes surface studies to address roughness issues inherent to thin film coatings deposited onto superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. This is particularly relevant for multilayered thin film coatings that are being considered as a possible scheme to overcome technical issues and to surpass the fundamental limit of ˜50MV/m accelerating gradient achievable with bulk niobium. In 2006, a model by Gurevich [Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 012511 (2006)APPLAB0003-695110.1063/1.2162264] was proposed to overcome this limit that involves coating superconducting layers separated by insulating ones onto the inner walls of the cavities. Thus, we have undertaken a systematic effort to understand the dynamic evolution of the Nb surface under specific deposition thin film conditions onto an insulating surface in order to explore the feasibility of the proposed model. We examine and compare the morphology from two distinct Nb/MgO series, each with its own epitaxial registry, at very low growth rates and closely examine the dynamical scaling of the surface features during growth. Further, we apply analysis techniques such as power spectral density to the specific problem of thin film growth and roughness evolution to qualify the set of deposition conditions that lead to successful SRF coatings.

Roughness analysis applied to niobium thin films grown on MgO(001 surfaces for superconducting radio frequency cavity applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. B. Beringer

2013-02-01

Full Text Available This paper describes surface studies to address roughness issues inherent to thin film coatings deposited onto superconducting radio frequency (SRF cavities. This is particularly relevant for multilayered thin film coatings that are being considered as a possible scheme to overcome technical issues and to surpass the fundamental limit of ∼50  MV/m accelerating gradient achievable with bulk niobium. In 2006, a model by Gurevich [Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 012511 (2006APPLAB0003-695110.1063/1.2162264] was proposed to overcome this limit that involves coating superconducting layers separated by insulating ones onto the inner walls of the cavities. Thus, we have undertaken a systematic effort to understand the dynamic evolution of the Nb surface under specific deposition thin film conditions onto an insulating surface in order to explore the feasibility of the proposed model. We examine and compare the morphology from two distinct Nb/MgO series, each with its own epitaxial registry, at very low growth rates and closely examine the dynamical scaling of the surface features during growth. Further, we apply analysis techniques such as power spectral density to the specific problem of thin film growth and roughness evolution to qualify the set of deposition conditions that lead to successful SRF coatings.

Weight-4 Parity Checks on a Surface Code Sublattice with Superconducting Qubits

Science.gov (United States)

Takita, Maika; Corcoles, Antonio; Magesan, Easwar; Bronn, Nicholas; Hertzberg, Jared; Gambetta, Jay; Steffen, Matthias; Chow, Jerry

We present a superconducting qubit quantum processor design amenable to the surface code architecture. In such architecture, parity checks on the data qubits, performed by measuring their X- and Z- syndrome qubits, constitute a critical aspect. Here we show fidelities and outcomes of X- and Z-parity measurements done on a syndrome qubit in a full plaquette consisting of one syndrome qubit coupled via bus resonators to four code qubits. Parities are measured after four code qubits are prepared into sixteen initial states in each basis. Results show strong dependence on ZZ between qubits on the same bus resonators. This work is supported by IARPA under Contract W911NF-10-1-0324.

High Accelerating Field Superconducting Radio Frequency Cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Orr, R. S.; Saito, K.; Furuta, F.; Saeki, T.; Inoue, H.; Morozumi, Y.; Higo, T.; Higashi, Y.; Matsumoto, H.; Kazakov, S.; Yamaoka, H.; Ueno, K.; Sato, M.

2008-06-01

We have conducted a study of a series of single cell superconducting RF cavities at KEK. These tests were designed to investigate the effect of surface treatment on the maximum accelerating field attainable. All of these cavities are of the ICHIRO shape, based on the Low Loss shape. Our results indicate that accelerating fields as high as the theoretical maximum of 50MV/m are attainable.

Inhomogeneous superconductivity in a ferromagnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kontos, T.; Aprili, M.; Lesueur, J.; Genet, F.; Boursier, R.; Grison, X.

2003-01-01

We have studied a new superconducting state where the condensate wave function resulting from conventional pairing, is modified by an exchange field. Superconductivity is induced into a ferromagnetic thin film (F) by the proximity effect with a superconducting reservoir (S). We observed oscillations of the superconducting order parameter induced in F as a function of the distance from the S/F interface. They originate from the finite momentum transfer provided to Cooper pairs by the splitting of the spin up and down bands. We measured the superconducting density of states in F by tunneling spectroscopy and the Josephson critical current when F is coupled with a superconducting counter-electrode. Negative values of the superconducting order parameter are revealed by capsized tunneling spectra in F and a negative Josephson coupling (π-junction)

Superconducting niobium in high rf magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, G.

1988-01-01

The benefit of superconducting cavities for accelerator applications depends on the field and Q/sub 0/ levels which can be achieved reliably in mass producible multicell accelerating structures. The presently observed field and Q/sub 0/ limitations are caused by anomalous loss mechanisms which are not correlated with the intrinsic properties of the pure superconductor but rather due to defects or contaminants on the superconducting surface. The ultimate performance levels of clean superconducting cavities built from pure Nb will be given by the rf critical field and the surface resistance of the superconductor. In the first part of this paper a short survey is given of the maximum surface magnetic fields achieved in single-cell cavities. The results of model calculations for the thermal breakdown induced by very small defects and for the transition to the defect free case is discussed in part 2. In the last chapter, a discussion is given for the rf critical field of Nb on the basis of the Ginzburg-Landau Theory. It is shown that not only purity but also the homogeneity of the material should become important for the performance of superconducting Nb cavities at field levels beyond 100mT. Measurement results of the upper critical field for different grades of commercially available Nb sheet materials are given. 58 references, 20 figures, 1 table

Materials for superconducting cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonin, B.

1996-01-01

The ideal material for superconducting cavities should exhibit a high critical temperature, a high critical field, and, above all, a low surface resistance. Unfortunately, these requirements can be conflicting and a compromise has to be found. To date, most superconducting cavities for accelerators are made of niobium. The reasons for this choice are discussed. Thin films of other materials such as NbN, Nb 3 Sn, or even YBCO compounds can also be envisaged and are presently investigated in various laboratories. It is shown that their success will depend critically on the crystalline perfection of these films. (author)

Superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Poole, Charles P; Farach, Horacio A

1995-01-01

Superconductivity covers the nature of the phenomenon of superconductivity. The book discusses the fundamental principles of superconductivity; the essential features of the superconducting state-the phenomena of zero resistance and perfect diamagnetism; and the properties of the various classes of superconductors, including the organics, the buckministerfullerenes, and the precursors to the cuprates. The text also describes superconductivity from the viewpoint of thermodynamics and provides expressions for the free energy; the Ginzburg-Landau and BCS theories; and the structures of the high

The effect of superconducting transition on macroscopic characteristics of metal and alloy plasticity: fundamental and application aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pustovalov, V.V.; Fomenko, V.S.

2006-01-01

The results of the papers concerning detection and investigation of the new effect - the changes of macroscopic properties of plastic deformation of metals and alloys at the superconducting transition - are presented. Those papers were the first to demonstrate the efficiency of electron drag of dislocations at low temperature deformation. The review is concerned with the main experimental regularities of the effect - the dependence of plasticity characteristics at the superconducting transition on stress, strain, temperature, strain rate, and doping element concentration in a superconductor. The results suggest the correlation between the effect characteristics and the superconducting properties. The experiments aimed at elucidating the mechanism of the effect are discussed. The theoretical studies into electron retardation of dislocations in metals in normal and superconducting states and the influence of superconducting transition on plasticity are briefly reported. Comparison between theoretical and experimental data is made. The review presents some examples of how the effect can be used as a new method of investigating physical mechanisms of low temperature plastic deformation. Application aspects of the phenomenon are also discussed

Emergent Higgsless Superconductivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Diamantini M.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We present a new Higgsless model of superconductivity, inspired from anyon superconductivity but P- and T-invariant and generalizable to any dimension. While the original anyon superconductivity mechanism was based on incompressible quantum Hall fluids as average field states, our mechanism involves topological insulators as average field states. In D space dimensions it involves a (D-1-form fictitious pseudovector gauge field which originates from the condensation of topological defects in compact lowenergy effective BF theories. There is no massive Higgs scalar as there is no local order parameter. When electromagnetism is switched on, the photon acquires mass by the topological BF mechanism. Although the charge of the gapless mode (2 and the topological order (4 are the same as those of the standard Higgs model, the two models of superconductivity are clearly different since the origins of the gap, reflected in the high-energy sectors are totally different. In 2D thi! s type of superconductivity is explicitly realized as global superconductivity in Josephson junction arrays. In 3D this model predicts a possible phase transition from topological insulators to Higgsless superconductors.

Magnetotransport and induced superconductivity in Bi based three-dimensional topological insulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veldhorst, M.; Snelder, M.; Hoek, M.; Molenaar, C.G.; Leusink, D.P.; Golubov, A.A.; Hilgenkamp, H.; Brinkman, A.

2013-01-01

The surface of a three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator is conducting and the topologically nontrivial nature of the surface states is observed in experiments. It is the aim of this paper to review and analyze experimental observations with respect to the magnetotransport in Bi-based 3D topological insulators, as well as the superconducting transport properties of hybrid structures consisting of superconductors and these topological insulators. The helical spin-momentum coupling of the surface state electrons becomes visible in quantum corrections to the conductivity and magnetoresistance oscillations. An analysis will be provided of the reported magnetoresistance, also in the presence of bulk conductivity shunts. Special attention is given to the large and linear magnetoresistance. Superconductivity can be induced in topological superconductors by means of the proximity effect. The induced supercurrents, Josephson effects and current-phase relations will be reviewed. These materials hold great potential in the field of spintronics and the route towards Majorana devices. (copyright 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Magnetotransport and induced superconductivity in Bi based three-dimensional topological insulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Veldhorst, M.; Snelder, M.; Hoek, M.; Molenaar, C.G.; Leusink, D.P.; Golubov, A.A.; Hilgenkamp, H.; Brinkman, A. [MESA + Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede (Netherlands)

2013-02-15

The surface of a three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator is conducting and the topologically nontrivial nature of the surface states is observed in experiments. It is the aim of this paper to review and analyze experimental observations with respect to the magnetotransport in Bi-based 3D topological insulators, as well as the superconducting transport properties of hybrid structures consisting of superconductors and these topological insulators. The helical spin-momentum coupling of the surface state electrons becomes visible in quantum corrections to the conductivity and magnetoresistance oscillations. An analysis will be provided of the reported magnetoresistance, also in the presence of bulk conductivity shunts. Special attention is given to the large and linear magnetoresistance. Superconductivity can be induced in topological superconductors by means of the proximity effect. The induced supercurrents, Josephson effects and current-phase relations will be reviewed. These materials hold great potential in the field of spintronics and the route towards Majorana devices. (copyright 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Memory effect in the high-temperature superconducting bulks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Xing-Yi; Zhou, Jun; Zhou, You-He

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Effects of temperature cycles on levitation force relaxation are investigated. •Memory effect of the YBCO bulks is observed in experiments. •With an increase of temperature, memory of the superconductor is gradually lost. -- Abstract: We present an experimental investigation of the relaxation of vertical force components in a high-temperature superconducting levitation system with different temperature cycle processes. For a selected ambient temperature (T 1 ) of the system, the experimental results show that the relaxations of the levitation forces are strongly dependent on the initial temperature. When the sample was submitted to temperature jumps around T 1 , the sample temperature was regulated at T 2 , and there were two cases of the experiments, ΔT = T 2 − T 1 0 (positive temperature cycle). It was found that in the case of negative temperature cycle, the superconducting samples have memory effect. And for the positive temperature cycle, with the experimental temperature increase, the memory effect of samples is gradually losing. Additionally, with the increase of temperature, the influences of the negative and positive temperature cycle on the levitation force relaxation are unsymmetrical. All the results are interpreted by using the characteristics of the free energy ‘ground’ plot of the Spin-glasses qualitatively

Isotope effect on superconductivity and Raman phonons of Pyrochlore Cd2Re2O7

Science.gov (United States)

Razavi, F. S.; Hajialamdari, M.; Reedyk, M.; Kremer, R. K.

2018-06-01

Cd2Re2O7 is the only α-Pyrochlore exhibiting superconductivity with a transition temperature (Tc) of ∼ 1 K. In this study, we present the effect of oxygen isotope (18O) as well as combined 18O and cadmium isotope (116Cd) substitution on the superconductivity and Raman scattering spectrum of Cd2Re2O7. The change of Tc and the energy gap Δ(T) are reported using various techniques including point contact spectroscopy. The shift in Raman phonon frequencies upon isotope substitution will be compared with measurement of the isotope effect on the superconducting transition temperature.

Purification of condenser water in thermal power station by superconducting magnetic separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ha, D.W.; Kwon, J.M.; Baik, S.K.; Lee, Y.J.; Han, K.S.; Ko, R.K.; Sohn, M.H.; Seong, K.C.

2011-01-01

Magnetic separation using cryo-cooled Nb-Ti superconducting magnet was applied for the purification of condenser water. Iron oxides in condenser water were effectively removed by superconducting magnetic separation. The effect of magnetic field strength and filter size was determined. Thermal power station is made up of a steam turbine and a steam condenser which need a lot of water. The water of steam condenser should be replaced, since scales consisting of iron oxide mainly are accumulated on the surface of condenser pipes as it goes. Superconducting high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) system has merits to remove paramagnetic substance like iron oxides because it can generate higher magnetic field strength than electromagnet or permanent magnet. In this paper, cryo-cooled Nb-Ti superconducting magnet that can generate up to 6 T was used for HGMS systems. Magnetic filters were designed by the analysis of magnetic field distribution at superconducting magnets. The result of X-ray analysis showed contaminants were mostly α-Fe 2 O 3 (hematite) and γ-Fe 2 O 3 (maghemite). The higher magnetic field was applied up to 6 T, the more iron oxides were removed. As the wire diameter of magnetic filter decreased, the turbidity removal of the sample was enhanced.

Harmonic current layer method for the design of superconducting quadrupole magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zizek, F.

1977-01-01

The magnetic field of a superconducting quadrupole is investigated by the method of harmonic current layers of cylindrical shape. The superconducting winding is replaced by a system of thin current layers with a harmonically distributed density of the surface current along the circumference. The effect of the outer ferromagnetic circuit with an arbitrary constant permeability over the cross section is replaced analogically. The resultant magnetic field is then given by the superposition of the contributions from the individual current layers. The calculation method can be modified for the selection of the geometry of the winding for the latter to meet the demand for the high homogeneity of the gradient of magnetic induction in the working space of the superconducting quadrupole. (author)

Surface Characterization of Nb Samples Electro-polished Together With Real Superconducting Radio-frequency Accelerator Cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Xin; Geng, Rong-Li; Tyagi, P.V.; Hayano, Hitoshi; Kato, Shigeki; Nishiwaki, Michiru; Saeki, Takayuki; Sawabe, Motoaki

2010-01-01

We report the results of surface characterizations of niobium (Nb) samples electropolished together with a single cell superconducting radio-frequency accelerator cavity. These witness samples were located in three regions of the cavity, namely at the equator, the iris and the beam-pipe. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) was utilized to probe the chemical composition of the topmost four atomic layers. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray for elemental analysis (SEM/EDX) was used to observe the surface topography and chemical composition at the micrometer scale. A few atomic layers of sulfur (S) were found covering the samples non-uniformly. Niobium oxide granules with a sharp geometry were observed on every sample. Some Nb-O granules appeared to also contain sulfur.

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, A.W.B.; Noakes, G.R.

1981-01-01

This book is an elementray introduction into superconductivity. The topics are the superconducting state, the magnetic properties of superconductors, type I superconductors, type II superconductors and a chapter on the superconductivity theory. (WL)

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, N.H.; Mortensen, K.

1988-12-01

This report contains lecture notes of the basic lectures presented at the 1st Topsoee Summer School on Superconductivity held at Risoe National Laboratory, June 20-24, 1988. The following lecture notes are included: L.M. Falicov: 'Superconductivity: Phenomenology', A. Bohr and O. Ulfbeck: 'Quantal structure of superconductivity. Gauge angle', G. Aeppli: 'Muons, neutrons and superconductivity', N.F. Pedersen: 'The Josephson junction', C. Michel: 'Physicochemistry of high-T c superconductors', C. Laverick and J.K. Hulm: 'Manufacturing and application of superconducting wires', J. Clarke: 'SQUID concepts and systems'. (orig.) With 10 tabs., 128 figs., 219 refs

Time variations of fields in superconducting magnets and their effects on accelerators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herrup, D.A.; Syphers, M.J.; Johnson, D.E.; Johnson, R.P.; Tollestrup, A.V.; Hanft, R.W.; Brown, B.C.; Lamm, M.J.; Kuchnir, M.; McInturff, A.D.

1988-08-22

A report on the time dependence of magnetic fields in the superconducting magnets of the Fermilab Tevatron has been published. A field variation of order 1 gauss at the aperture radius is observed. Studies on both full sized Tevatron, dipoles and prototype magnets have been used to elucidate these effects. Explanations based on eddy currents in the coil matrix or on flux creep in the superconducting filaments are explored with these tests. Measurement results and techniques for controlling the effect based on new laboratory tests and the latest accelerator operation are presented. 9 refs., 4 figs.

Time variations of fields in superconducting magnets and their effects on accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrup, D.A.; Syphers, M.J.; Johnson, D.E.

1988-01-01

A report on the time dependence of magnetic fields in the superconducting magnets of the Fermilab Tevatron has been published. A field variation of order 1 gauss at the aperture radius is observed. Studies on both full sized Tevatron, dipoles and prototype magnets have been used to elucidate these effects. Explanations based on eddy currents in the coil matrix or on flux creep in the superconducting filaments are explored with these tests. Measurement results and techniques for controlling the effect based on new laboratory tests and the latest accelerator operation are presented. 9 refs., 4 figs

The effects of filament magnetization in superconducting magnets as calculated by POISSON

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caspi, S.; Gilbert, W.S.; Helm, M.; Laslett, L.J.

1986-09-01

Magnetization of superconducting material can be introduced into POISSON through a field dependent permeability table (in the same way that iron characteristics are introduced). This can be done by representing measured magnetization data of the increasing and decreasing field by two independent B-γ curves (γ = 1/μ). Magnetization curves of this type were incorporated into the current regions of the program POISSON and their effect on the field coefficients observed. We have used this technique to calculate the effect of magnetization on the multipole coefficients of a SSC superconducting dipole magnet and to compare these coefficients with measured values

Effect of low temperature baking on the RF properties of niobium superconducting cavities for particle accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gianluigi Ciovati

2004-01-01

Radio-frequency superconducting (SRF) cavities are widely used to accelerate a charged particle beam in particle accelerators. The performance of SRF cavities made of bulk niobium has significantly improved over the last ten years and is approaching the theoretical limit for niobium. Nevertheless, RF tests of niobium cavities are still showing some ''anomalous'' losses that require a better understanding in order to reliably obtain better performance. These losses are characterized by a marked dependence of the surface resistance on the surface electromagnetic field and can be detected by measuring the quality factor of the resonator as a function of the peak surface field. A low temperature (100 C-150 C) ''in situ'' bake under ultra-high vacuum has been successfully applied as final preparation of niobium RF cavities by several laboratories over the last few years. The benefits reported consist mainly of an improvement of the cavity quality factor at low field and a recovery from ''anomalous'' losses (so-called ''Q-drop'') without field emission at higher field. A series of experiments with a CEBAF single-cell cavity have been carried out at Jefferson Lab to carefully investigate the effect of baking at progressively higher temperatures for a fixed time on all the relevant material parameters. Measurements of the cavity quality factor in the temperature range 1.37 K-280 K and resonant frequency shift between 6 K-9.3 K provide information about the surface resistance, energy gap, penetration depth and mean free path. The experimental data have been analyzed with the complete BCS theory of superconductivity. The hydrogen content of small niobium samples inserted in the cavity during its surface preparation was analyzed with Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA). The single-cell cavity has been tested at three different temperatures before and after baking to gain some insight on thermal conductivity and Kapitza resistance and the data are compared with different models

A new quantum interferometer effect in superconducting oxide ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chela Flores, J.; Shehata, L.N.

1987-08-01

On the basis of a phenomenological approach to type II high T c superconductivity, we suggest that in the lanthanum compounds the Mercereau effect for a coupled junction pair should display and ex-dependent shift in the period of modulation of the tunnelling current. (author). 14 refs

Superconducting Ferromagnetic Nanodiamond.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Gufei; Samuely, Tomas; Xu, Zheng; Jochum, Johanna K; Volodin, Alexander; Zhou, Shengqiang; May, Paul W; Onufriienko, Oleksandr; Kačmarčík, Jozef; Steele, Julian A; Li, Jun; Vanacken, Johan; Vacík, Jiri; Szabó, Pavol; Yuan, Haifeng; Roeffaers, Maarten B J; Cerbu, Dorin; Samuely, Peter; Hofkens, Johan; Moshchalkov, Victor V

2017-06-27

Superconductivity and ferromagnetism are two mutually antagonistic states in condensed matter. Research on the interplay between these two competing orderings sheds light not only on the cause of various quantum phenomena in strongly correlated systems but also on the general mechanism of superconductivity. Here we report on the observation of the electronic entanglement between superconducting and ferromagnetic states in hydrogenated boron-doped nanodiamond films, which have a superconducting transition temperature T c ∼ 3 K and a Curie temperature T Curie > 400 K. In spite of the high T Curie , our nanodiamond films demonstrate a decrease in the temperature dependence of magnetization below 100 K, in correspondence to an increase in the temperature dependence of resistivity. These anomalous magnetic and electrical transport properties reveal the presence of an intriguing precursor phase, in which spin fluctuations intervene as a result of the interplay between the two antagonistic states. Furthermore, the observations of high-temperature ferromagnetism, giant positive magnetoresistance, and anomalous Hall effect bring attention to the potential applications of our superconducting ferromagnetic nanodiamond films in magnetoelectronics, spintronics, and magnetic field sensing.

AC Losses and Their Thermal Effect in High Temperature Superconducting Machines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Song, Xiaowei (Andy); Mijatovic, Nenad; Zou, Shengnan

2015-01-01

In transient operations or fault conditions, high temperature superconducting (HTS) machines suffer AC losses which have an influence on the thermal stability of superconducting windings. In this paper, a method to calculate AC losses and their thermal effect in HTS machines is presented....... The method consists of three sub-models that are coupled only in one direction. The magnetic field distribution is first solved in a machine model, assuming a uniform current distribution in HTS windings. The magnetic fields on the boundaries are then used as inputs for an AC loss model which has...

AC Losses and Their Thermal Effect in High-Temperature Superconducting Machines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Song, Xiaowei (Andy); Mijatovic, Nenad; Zou, Shengnan

2016-01-01

In transient operations or fault conditions, hightemperature superconducting (HTS) machines suffer ac losses, which have an influence on the thermal stability of superconducting windings. In this paper, a method to calculate ac losses and their thermal effect in HTS machines is presented....... The method consists of three submodels that are coupled only in one direction. The magnetic field distribution is first solved in a machine model, assuming a uniform current distribution in HTS windings. The magnetic fields on the boundaries are then used as inputs for an ac loss model that has a homogeneous...

Superconducting proximity effect in MBE grown Nb-InAs junctions

Science.gov (United States)

Kan, Carolyn; Xue, Chi; Law, Stephanie; Eckstein, James

2013-03-01

Several proposals for the realization of Majorana fermions rely on excellent quality proximity coupling between a superconductor and a high-mobility semiconductor. We examine the long-range proximity coupling between MBE-grown InAs and in situ grown superconducting overlayers by fabricating transport devices, and investigate the effect of substrate choice and growth conditions on the quality of the MBE InAs. GaAs is commonly available as a high quality insulating substrate. Overcoming its lattice mismatch with InAs using GaSb and AlSb layers results in locally smooth terraced surfaces, but global spiral dislocation structures also appear and have a negative impact on the InAs mobility. Growing InAs on homoepitaxial GaSb results in improved morphology and increases the mean free path. We compare the proximity effect in devices made both ways. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Division of Materials Sciences under Award No. DE-FG02 07ER46453, through the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Stabilized superconducting materials and fabrication process. Materiaux supraconducteurs stabilises et leur procede d'obtention

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chevallier, B; Dance, J M; Etourneau, J; Lozano, L; Tressaud, A; Tournier, R; Sulpice, A; Chaussy, J; Lejay, P

1989-10-06

Superconducting ceramics are fluorinated at a temperature {le} 120{sup 0}C. Are also claimed new superconducting materials with a fluorine concentration gradient decreasing from the surface to the core. Superconductivity is stabilized and/or improved.

Measurements of the surface impedance and the ac critical field of superconducting thin tin films at 10 GHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spencer, G.L.

1976-01-01

The surface impedances and ac critical fields of superconducting thin tin films were studied. These experiments were performed using a superconducting frequency stabilized microwave cavity of high Q. Measurements of the power losses in the cavity and the center frequency of the cavity were used to determine the surface impedance and the critical field of a thin film sample placed in the cavity. In this case a theoretical treatment based on a model proposed by I.O. Kulik was used to fit the data. The general agreement between the modified Kulik treatment and the data, obtained in this experiment, was substantial. The second method was to modify the thin film data to correspond to a bulk situation. This modification was accomplished by taking into account the measuring techniques used and the geometric consideration inherent in the experiment. The comparison between the modified experimental data and calculations obtained from the Mattis-Bardeen bulk model was generally very good. One aspect of the results which was not explained was the presence of a slight increase in the surface resistance in the vicinity of the transition temperature. The critical field measurements were compared to the (1 - (T/T/sub c/)/sup 1/2) dependence predicted by Bardeen. If it is assumed that substantial microwave heating took place in the sample near T/sub c/, then remarkable agreement with the Bardeen model can be reached

Radiation effects on superconducting fusion magnet components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, H.W.

2011-01-01

Nuclear fusion devices based on the magnetic confinement principle heavily rely on the existence and performance of superconducting magnets and have always significantly contributed to advancing superconductor and magnet technology to their limits. In view of the presently ongoing construction of the tokamak device ITER and the stellerator device Wendelstein 7X and their record breaking parameters concerning size, complexity of design, stored energy, amperage, mechanical and magnetic forces, critical current densities and stability requirements, it is deemed timely to review another critical parameter that is practically unique to these devices, namely the radiation response of all magnet components to the lifetime fluence of fast neutrons and gamma rays produced by the fusion reactions of deuterium and tritium. I will review these radiation effects in turn for the currently employed standard "technical" low temperature superconductors NbTi and Nb 3 Sn, the stabilizing material (Cu) as well as the magnet insulation materials and conclude by discussing the potential of high temperature superconducting materials for future generations of fusion devices, such as DEMO. (author)

Theory of superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crisan, M.

1988-01-01

This book discusses the most important aspects of the theory. The phenomenological model is followed by the microscopic theory of superconductivity, in which modern formalism of the many-body theory is used to treat most important problems such as superconducting alloys, coexistence of superconductivity with the magnetic order, and superconductivity in quasi-one-dimensional systems. It concludes with a discussion on models for exotic and high temperature superconductivity. Its main aim is to review, as complete as possible, the theory of superconductivity from classical models and methods up to the 1987 results on high temperature superconductivity. Contents: Phenomenological Theory of Superconductivity; Microscopic Theory of Superconductivity; Theory of Superconducting Alloys; Superconductors in a Magnetic Field; Superconductivity and Magnetic Order; Superconductivity in Quasi-One-Dimensional Systems; and Non-Conventional Superconductivity

Applied superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Newhouse, Vernon L

1975-01-01

Applied Superconductivity, Volume II, is part of a two-volume series on applied superconductivity. The first volume dealt with electronic applications and radiation detection, and contains a chapter on liquid helium refrigeration. The present volume discusses magnets, electromechanical applications, accelerators, and microwave and rf devices. The book opens with a chapter on high-field superconducting magnets, covering applications and magnet design. Subsequent chapters discuss superconductive machinery such as superconductive bearings and motors; rf superconducting devices; and future prospec

Possible nucleation of a 2D superconducting phase on WO3 single crystals surface doped with Na+

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reich, S.; Tsabba, Y.

1999-01-01

WO 3 crystals with a surface composition of Na 0.05 WO 3 were grown. These crystals exhibit a sharp diamagnetic step in magnetization at 91 K, and a magnetic hysteresis below this temperature. As the temperature is lowered below 100 K in transport measurements, a sharp metal to insulator transition is observed, this is followed by a sharp decrease in the resistivity when the temperature is lowered to about 90 K. When the surface of the crystals was covered by gold the depth of the diamagnetic step had decreased considerably. These results indicate a possible nucleation of a superconducting phase on the surface of these crystals. This is a non cuprate system exhibiting a critical temperature in the HTS range. (orig.)

Moessbauer effect in superconducting organosol of tin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dekhtyar, I.Ya.; Zhelibo, E.P.; Kushnir, B.G.; Nishchenko, M.M.; Pan, V.M.; Popov, A.G.; Khvorov, M.M.; AN Ukrainskoj SSR, Kiev. Inst. Kolloidnoj Khimii i Khimii Vody)

1977-01-01

Structure of disperse particles (approximately 1 μm) of tin organosols have been investigated by means of the Moessbauer effect. A considerable amount of oxides (up to 20%) in amorphous (SnO 2 ) or in metastable crystalline (SnO) states has been discovered. The observed properties of the Moessbauer spectrum of organosols are compared with measurements of their critical temperature. The effect of impurities and of other structural defects on the dynamic and superconducting properties of organosols is observed. Temperature broadening of lines and temperature variation of the Moessbauer effect value for the particle of different dimensions are in a qualitative agreement with the theory of the granular Moessbauer absorbers

Superconducting quantum circuits theory and application

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Xiuhao

Superconducting quantum circuit models are widely used to understand superconducting devices. This thesis consists of four studies wherein the superconducting quantum circuit is used to illustrate challenges related to quantum information encoding and processing, quantum simulation, quantum signal detection and amplification. The existence of scalar Aharanov-Bohm phase has been a controversial topic for decades. Scalar AB phase, defined as time integral of electric potential, gives rises to an extra phase factor in wavefunction. We proposed a superconducting quantum Faraday cage to detect temporal interference effect as a consequence of scalar AB phase. Using the superconducting quantum circuit model, the physical system is solved and resulting AB effect is predicted. Further discussion in this chapter shows that treating the experimental apparatus quantum mechanically, spatial scalar AB effect, proposed by Aharanov-Bohm, can't be observed. Either a decoherent interference apparatus is used to observe spatial scalar AB effect, or a quantum Faraday cage is used to observe temporal scalar AB effect. The second study involves protecting a quantum system from losing coherence, which is crucial to any practical quantum computation scheme. We present a theory to encode any qubit, especially superconducting qubits, into a universal quantum degeneracy point (UQDP) where low frequency noise is suppressed significantly. Numerical simulations for superconducting charge qubit using experimental parameters show that its coherence time is prolong by two orders of magnitude using our universal degeneracy point approach. With this improvement, a set of universal quantum gates can be performed at high fidelity without losing too much quantum coherence. Starting in 2004, the use of circuit QED has enabled the manipulation of superconducting qubits with photons. We applied quantum optical approach to model coupled resonators and obtained a four-wave mixing toolbox to operate photons

Introduction to superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Darriulat, Pierre

1998-01-01

The lecture series will address physicists, such as particle and nuclear physicists, familiar with non-relativistic quantum mechanics but not with solid state physics. The aim of this introduction to low temperature superconductivity is to give sufficient bases to the student for him/her to be able to access the scientific literature on this field. The five lectures will cover the following topics : 1. Normal metals, free electron gas, chambers equation. 2. Cooper pairs, the BCS ground state, quasi particle excitations. 3. DC superconductivity, Meissner state, dirty superconductors.4. Self consistent approach, Ginsburg Landau equations, Abrikosov fluxon lattice. 5. Josephson effects, high temperature superconductivity.

Remarkable effects of disorder on superconductivity of single atomic layers of lead on silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Brun, Christophe

2015-03-01

It is well known that conventional superconductivity is very robust against non-magnetic disorder. Nevertheless for thin and ultrathin films the structural properties play a major role in determining the superconducting properties, through a subtle interplay between disorder and Coulomb interactions. Unexpectedly, in 2010 superconductivity was discovered in single atomic layers of lead and indium grown on silicon substrate using scanning tunneling spectroscopy and confirmed later on by macroscopic transport measurements. Such well-controlled and tunable crystalline monolayers are ideal systems for studying the influence of various kinds of structural defects on the superconducting properties at the atomic and mesoscopic scale. In particular, Pb monolayers offer the opportunity of probing new effects of disorder because not only superconductivity is 2D but also the electronic wave functions are 2D. Our study of two Pb monolayers of different crystal structures by very-low temperature STM (300 mK) under magnetic field reveals unexpected results involving new spatial spectroscopic variations. Our results show that although the sheet resistance of the Pb monolayers is much below the resistance quantum, strong non-BCS corrections appear leading to peak heights fluctuations in the dI/dV tunneling spectra at a spatial scale much smaller than the superconducting coherence length. Furthermore, strong local evidence of the signature of Rashba effect on the superconductivity of the Pb/Si(111) monolayer is revealed through filling of in gap states and local spatial variations of this filling. Finally the nature of vortices in a monolayer is found to be very sensitive to the properties of step edges areas. This work was supported by University Pierre et Marie Curie UPMC `Emergence' project, French ANR Project `ElectroVortex,' ANR-QuDec and Templeton Foundation (40381), ARO (W911NF-13-1-0431) and CNRS PICS funds. Partial funding by US-DOE Grant DE-AC02-07CH1.

Technical tasks in superconducting cavities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saito, Kenji [High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)

1997-11-01

The feature of superconducting rf cavities is an extremely small surface resistance on the wall. It brings a large energy saving in the operation, even those are cooled with liquid helium. That also makes possible to operate themselves in a higher field gradient comparing to normal conducting cavities, and brings to make accelerators compact. These merits are very important for the future accelerator engineering which is planed at JAERI for the neutron material science and nuclear waste transmutation. This machine is a high intensity proton linac and uses sc cavities in the medium and high {beta} sections. In this paper, starting R and D of proton superconducting cavities, several important technical points which come from the small surface resistance of sc cavities, are present to succeed it and also differences between the medium and high - {beta} structures are discussed. (author)

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caruana, C.M.

1988-01-01

Despite reports of new, high-temperature superconductive materials almost every day, participants at the First Congress on Superconductivity do not anticipate commercial applications with these materials soon. What many do envision is the discovery of superconducting materials that can function at much warmer, perhaps even room temperatures. Others hope superconductivity will usher in a new age of technology as semiconductors and transistors did. This article reviews what the speakers had to say at the four-day congress held in Houston last February. Several speakers voiced concern that the Reagan administration's apparent lack of interest in funding superconductivity research while other countries, notably Japan, continue to pour money into research and development could hamper America's international competitiveness

Chromatic effects in the superconducting accelerator NUCLOTRON

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinev, D.

1998-01-01

A systematic study of the chromatic effects in the superconducting heavy ion synchrotron NUCLOTRON in the JINR, Dubna has been performed. The natural chromaticity has been evaluated taking into account the effect of the dipole magnets. The impact of the systematic and random imperfections in the magnetic field of dipoles on the chromaticity and the dependence of the betatron tunes on the amplitude of oscillations have been investigated. The strengths of the sextupole corrections necessary to cancel the chromaticity have been calculated. The chromatic perturbations have been studied by the means of the Montague chromatic functions (author)

Effect of dislocations on superconductivity. O vliyanii dislokatsiy na sverkhrpovodimost'

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agap' ev, B D; Bytsenko, A A; Sukhanov, S A

1976-01-01

Electron-dislocation interaction is analyzed here. The effect of dislocations on the superconductor characteristics is determined according to the Ginzburg-Landau method. Appreciable changes in the stability of the superconductive state are found to occur in the vicinity of dislocations.

Exact mapping of the dx2-y2 Cooper-pair wavefunction onto the spin fluctuations in cuprates: the Fermi surface as a driver for 'high Tc' superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, Ross D; Harrison, Neil; Singleton, John

2009-01-01

We propose that the extraordinarily high superconducting transition temperatures in the cuprates are driven by an exact mapping of the d x 2 -y 2 Cooper-pair wavefunction onto the incommensurate spin fluctuations observed in neutron-scattering experiments. This is manifested in the direct correspondence between the inverse of the incommensurability factor δ seen in inelastic neutron-scattering experiments and the measured superconducting coherence length ξ 0 . Strikingly, the relationship between ξ 0 and δ is valid for both La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x , suggesting a common mechanism for superconductivity across the entire hole-doped cuprate family. Using data from recent quantum-oscillation experiments in the cuprates, we propose that the fluctuations responsible for superconductivity are driven by a Fermi-surface instability. On the basis of these findings, one can specify the optimal characteristics of a solid that will exhibit 'high T c ' superconductivity. (fast track communication)

Chern-Simons gauge theories for the fractional-quantum-Hall-effect hierarchy and anyon superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ezawa, Z.F.; Iwazaki, A.

1991-01-01

It is shown that Chern-Simons gauge theories describe both the fractional-quantum-Hall-effect (FQHE) hierarchy and anyon superconductivity, simply by field-theoretically extracting the effects of vortex excitations. Vortices correspond to Laughlin's quasiparticles or bound states of anyons. Both of these phenomena are explained by the condensations of these vortices. We clarify why the anyon systems become incompressible (FQHE) or compressible (anyon superconductivity) depending on the statistics. It is to be emphasized that we can derive an effective Lagrangian describing fully the FQHE hierarchy from a basic Chern-Simons gauge theory

Three-terminal superconducting devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gallagher, W.J.

1985-01-01

The transistor has a number of properties that make it so useful. The authors discuss these and the additional properties a transistor would need to have for high performance applications at temperatures where superconductivity could contribute advantages to system-level performance. These properties then serve as criteria by which to evaluate three-terminal devices that have been proposed for applications at superconducting temperatures. FETs can retain their transistor properties at low temperatures, but their power consumption is too large for high-speed, high-density cryogenic applications. They discuss in detail why demonstrated superconducting devices with three terminals -Josephson effect based devices, injection controlled weak links, and stacked tunnel junction devices such as the superconducting transistor proposed by K. Gray and the quiteron -- each fail to have true transistor-like properties. They conclude that the potentially very rewarding search for a transistor compatible with superconductivity in high performance applications must be in new directions

Modern high-temperature superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ching Wu Chu

1988-01-01

Ever since the discovery of superconductivity in 1911, its unusual scientific challenge and great technological potential have been recognized. For the past three-quarters of a century, superconductivity has done well on the science front. This is because sueprconductivity is interesting not only just in its own right but also in its ability to act as a probe to many exciting nonsuperconducting phenomena. For instance, it has continued to provide bases for vigorous activities in condensed matter science. Among the more recent examples are heavy-fermion systems and organic superconductors. During this same period of time, superconductivity has also performed admirably in the applied area. Many ideas have been conceived and tested, making use of the unique characteristics of superconductivity - zero resistivity, quantum interference phenomena, and the Meissner effect. In fact, it was not until late January 1987 that it became possible to achieve superconductivity with the mere use of liquid nitrogen - which is plentiful, cheap, efficient, and easy to handle - following the discovery of supercondictivity above 90 K in Y-Ba-Cu-O, the first genuine quaternary superconductor. Superconductivity above 90 K poses scientific and technological challenges not previously encountered: no existing theories can adequately describe superconductivity above 40 K and no known techniques can economically process the materials for full-scale applications. In this paper, therefore, the author recalls a few events leading to the discovery of the new class of quaternary compounds with a superconducting transition temperature T c in the 90 K range, describes the current experimental status of high-temperature superconductivity and, finally, discusses the prospect of very-high-temperature superconductivity, i.e., with a T c substantially higher than 100 K. 97 refs., 7 figs

Towards inducing superconductivity into graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Efetov, Dmitri K.

Graphenes transport properties have been extensively studied in the 10 years since its discovery in 2004, with ground-breaking experimental observations such as Klein tunneling, fractional quantum Hall effect and Hofstadters butterfly. Though, so far, it turned out to be rather poor on complex correlated electronic ground states and phase transitions, despite various theoretical predictions. The purpose of this thesis is to help understanding the underlying theoretical and experimental reasons for the lack of strong electronic interactions in graphene, and, employing graphenes high tunability and versatility, to identify and alter experimental parameters that could help to induce stronger correlations. In particular graphene holds one last, not yet experimentally discovered prediction, namely exhibiting intrinsic superconductivity. With its vanishingly small Fermi surface at the Dirac point, graphene is a semi-metal with very weak electronic interactions. Though, if it is doped into the metallic regime, where the size of the Fermi surface becomes comparable to the size of the Brillouin zone, the density of states becomes sizeable and electronic interactions are predicted to be dramatically enhanced, resulting in competing correlated ground states such as superconductivity, magnetism and charge density wave formation. Following these predictions, this thesis first describes the creation of metallic graphene at high carrier doping via electrostatic doping techniques based on electrolytic gates. Due to graphenes surface only properties, we are able to induce carrier densities above n>1014 cm-2 (epsilonF>1eV) into the chemically inert graphene. While at these record high carrier densities we yet do not observe superconductivity, we do observe fundamentally altered transport properties as compared to semi-metallic graphene. Here, detailed measurements of the low temperature resistivity reveal that the electron-phonon interactions are governed by a reduced, density

Connectivity and superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Rubinstein, Jacob

2000-01-01

The motto of connectivity and superconductivity is that the solutions of the Ginzburg--Landau equations are qualitatively influenced by the topology of the boundaries, as in multiply-connected samples. Special attention is paid to the "zero set", the set of the positions (also known as "quantum vortices") where the order parameter vanishes. The effects considered here usually become important in the regime where the coherence length is of the order of the dimensions of the sample. It takes the intuition of physicists and the awareness of mathematicians to find these new effects. In connectivity and superconductivity, theoretical and experimental physicists are brought together with pure and applied mathematicians to review these surprising results. This volume is intended to serve as a reference book for graduate students and researchers in physics or mathematics interested in superconductivity, or in the Schrödinger equation as a limiting case of the Ginzburg--Landau equations.

Superconducting Properties of Lead-Bismuth Films Controlled by Ferromagnetic Nanowire Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Zuxin; Lyuksyutov, Igor F.; Wu, Wenhao; Naugle, Donald G.

2011-03-01

Superconducting properties of lead-bismuth (82% Pb and 18% Bi) alloy films deposited on ferromagnetic nanowire arrays have been investigated. Ferromagnetic Co or Ni nanowires are first electroplated into the columnar pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes. Superconducting Pb 82 Bi 18 films are then quench-condensed onto the polished surface of the AAO membranes filled with magnetic nanowires. A strong dependence of the Pb 82 Bi 18 superconducting properties on the ratio of the superconducting film thickness to the magnetic nanowire diameter and the material variety was observed.

Effect of low-temperature baking on the radio-frequency properties of niobium superconducting cavities for particle accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciovati, Gianluigi

2004-01-01

Radio-frequency superconducting (SRF) cavities are widely used to accelerate a charged particle beam in particle accelerators. The performance of SRF cavities made of bulk niobium has significantly improved over the last ten years and is approaching the theoretical limit for niobium. Nevertheless, RF tests of niobium cavities are still showing some 'anomalous' losses that require a better understanding in order to reliably obtain better performance. These losses are characterized by a marked dependence of the surface resistance on the surface electromagnetic field and can be detected by measuring the quality factor of the resonator as a function of the peak surface field. A low-temperature (100-150 deg. C) 'in situ' bake under ultrahigh vacuum has been successfully applied as final preparation of niobium RF cavities by several laboratories over the last few years. The benefits reported consist mainly of an improvement of the cavity quality factor at low field and a recovery from 'anomalous' losses (so-called 'Q drop') without field emission at higher field. A series of experiments with a CEBAF single-cell cavity have been carried out at Jefferson Lab to carefully investigate the effect of baking at progressively higher temperatures for a fixed time on all the relevant material parameters. Measurements of the cavity quality factor in the temperature range 1.37-280 K and resonant frequency shift between 6-9.3 K provide information about the surface resistance, energy gap, penetration depth, and mean free path. The experimental data have been analyzed with the complete BCS theory of superconductivity. The hydrogen content of small niobium samples inserted in the cavity during its surface preparation was analyzed with nuclear reaction analysis. The single-cell cavity has been tested at three different temperatures before and after baking to gain some insight on thermal conductivity and Kapitza resistance and the data are compared with different models. This paper

Effect of low-temperature baking on the radio-frequency properties of niobium superconducting cavities for particle accelerators

Science.gov (United States)

Ciovati, Gianluigi

2004-08-01

Radio-frequency superconducting (SRF) cavities are widely used to accelerate a charged particle beam in particle accelerators. The performance of SRF cavities made of bulk niobium has significantly improved over the last ten years and is approaching the theoretical limit for niobium. Nevertheless, RF tests of niobium cavities are still showing some "anomalous" losses that require a better understanding in order to reliably obtain better performance. These losses are characterized by a marked dependence of the surface resistance on the surface electromagnetic field and can be detected by measuring the quality factor of the resonator as a function of the peak surface field. A low-temperature (100-150°C) "in situ" bake under ultrahigh vacuum has been successfully applied as final preparation of niobium RF cavities by several laboratories over the last few years. The benefits reported consist mainly of an improvement of the cavity quality factor at low field and a recovery from "anomalous" losses (so-called "Q drop") without field emission at higher field. A series of experiments with a CEBAF single-cell cavity have been carried out at Jefferson Lab to carefully investigate the effect of baking at progressively higher temperatures for a fixed time on all the relevant material parameters. Measurements of the cavity quality factor in the temperature range 1.37-280K and resonant frequency shift between 6-9.3K provide information about the surface resistance, energy gap, penetration depth, and mean free path. The experimental data have been analyzed with the complete BCS theory of superconductivity. The hydrogen content of small niobium samples inserted in the cavity during its surface preparation was analyzed with nuclear reaction analysis. The single-cell cavity has been tested at three different temperatures before and after baking to gain some insight on thermal conductivity and Kapitza resistance and the data are compared with different models. This paper describes

Superconducting joint of Bi-2223/Ag superconducting tapes by diffusion bonding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Wei; Zou Guisheng; Wu Aiping; Wang Yanjun; Bai Hailin; Ren Jialie

2009-01-01

61-Filaments Bi-2223/Ag superconducting tapes have been joined by diffusion bonding. The critical currents (I C s) of the joints are obtained by using standard four probe method under no magnetic field in the liquid nitrogen. The microstructures of the joints are evaluated by the electron microscope in electron backscatter diffraction mode and the phase compositions of the superconducting cores of the joint and the original tape are determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show diffusion bonding is effective bonding technique for HTS tapes, and the bonding time is reduced greatly from hundreds of hours to a few hours, and the bonding pressure also changes from 140-4000 MPa to 3 MPa. Furthermore, the diffusion bonding joints sustain superconducting properties, and the critical current ratios (CCR O ) of the joints are in the range of 35%-80%. Microstructures of the typical joint display a good bonding and some defects existed in traditional method are avoided. XRD results show that the phase compositions of the superconducting cores have no obvious changes before and after diffusion bonding, which offers physical and material bases for high superconducting property of the joints.

Unconventional superconductivity in heavy fermionic and high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volovik, G.E.

1989-01-01

Splitting of the superconducting transition and glass spectrum in heavy fermion companies and oxide superconductors are discussed. The multicomponent order parameter leads to splitting of transition due to magnetic field, impurities, orthorhombic distortion, etc... Linear specific heat in oxide superconductors may be explained in terms of the Fermi-surface arising in superconducting state if interband is pairing strong enough

Origin of Superconductivity and Latent Charge Density Wave in NbS2

Science.gov (United States)

Heil, Christoph; Poncé, Samuel; Lambert, Henry; Schlipf, Martin; Margine, Elena R.; Giustino, Feliciano

2017-08-01

We elucidate the origin of the phonon-mediated superconductivity in 2 H -NbS2 using the ab initio anisotropic Migdal-Eliashberg theory including Coulomb interactions. We demonstrate that superconductivity is associated with Fermi surface hot spots exhibiting an unusually strong electron-phonon interaction. The electron-lattice coupling is dominated by low-energy anharmonic phonons, which place the system on the verge of a charge density wave instability. We also provide definitive evidence for two-gap superconductivity in 2 H -NbS2 , and show that the low- and high-energy peaks observed in tunneling spectra correspond to the Γ - and K -centered Fermi surface pockets, respectively. The present findings call for further efforts to determine whether our proposed mechanism underpins superconductivity in the whole family of metallic transition metal dichalcogenides.

Thin Film Approaches to the SRF Cavity Problem Fabrication and Characterization of Superconducting Thin Films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beringer, Douglas [College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States)

2017-08-01

Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities are responsible for the acceleration of charged particles to relativistic velocities in most modern linear accelerators, such as those employed at high-energy research facilities like Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory’s CEBAF and the LHC at CERN. Recognizing SRF as primarily a surface phenomenon enables the possibility of applying thin films to the interior surface of SRF cavities, opening a formidable tool chest of opportunities by combining and designing materials that offer greater performance benefit. Thus, while improvements in radio frequency cavity design and refinements in cavity processing techniques have improved accelerator performance and efficiency – 1.5 GHz bulk niobium SRF cavities have achieved accelerating gradients in excess of 35 MV/m – there exist fundamental material bounds in bulk superconductors limiting the maximally sustained accelerating field gradient (≈ 45 MV/m for Nb) where inevitable thermodynamic breakdown occurs. With state of the art Nb based cavity design fast approaching these theoretical limits, novel material innovations must be sought in order to realize next generation SRF cavities. One proposed method to improve SRF performance is to utilize thin film superconducting-insulating-superconducting (SIS) multilayer structures to effectively magnetically screen a bulk superconducting layer such that it can operate at higher field gradients before suffering critically detrimental SRF losses. This dissertation focuses on the production and characterization of thin film superconductors for such SIS layers for radio frequency applications. Correlated studies on structure, surface morphology and superconducting properties of epitaxial Nb and MgB2 thin films are presented.

Effective valence as the control parameter of the superconducting ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

One approach to investigating the superconductivity in the ironbased materials is understanding the chemical and structural parameters that can be used to tune their remarkably high Tc. In this paper, we have demonstrated that the effective valence of iron can be used as the control parameter to tune the Tc of this family of ...

Modern aspects of Josephson dynamics and superconductivity electronics

CERN Document Server

Askerzade, Iman; Cantürk, Mehmet

2017-01-01

In this book new experimental investigations of properties of Josephson junctions and systems are explored with the help of recent developments in superconductivity. The theory of the Josephson effect is presented taking into account the influence of multiband and anisotropy effects in new superconducting compounds. Anharmonicity effects in current-phase relation on Josephson junctions dynamics are discussed. Recent studies in analogue and digital superconductivity electronics are presented. Topics of special interest include resistive single flux quantum logic in digital electronics. Application of Josephson junctions in quantum computing as superconducting quantum bits are analyzed. Particular attention is given to understanding chaotic behaviour of Josephson junctions and systems. The book is written for graduate students and researchers in the field of applied superconductivity.

Conduction spectroscopy of a proximity induced superconducting topological insulator

Science.gov (United States)

Stehno, M. P.; Hendrickx, N. W.; Snelder, M.; Scholten, T.; Huang, Y. K.; Golden, M. S.; Brinkman, A.

2017-09-01

The combination of superconductivity and the helical spin-momentum locking at the surface state of a topological insulator (TI) has been predicted to give rise to p-wave superconductivity and Majorana bound states. The superconductivity can be induced by the proximity effect of a s-wave superconductor (S) into the TI. To probe the superconducting correlations inside the TI, dI/dV spectroscopy has been performed across such S-TI interfaces. Both the alloyed Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.7Se1.3 and the stoichiometric BiSbTeSe2 have been used as three-dimensional TI. In the case of Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.7Se1.3, the presence of disorder induced electron-electron interactions can give rise to an additional zero-bias resistance peak. For the stoichiometric BiSbTeSe2 with less disorder, tunnel barriers were employed in order to enhance the signal from the interface. The general observations in the spectra of a large variety of samples are conductance dips at the induced gap voltage, combined with an increased sub-gap conductance, consistent with p-wave predictions. The induced gap voltage is typically smaller than the gap of the Nb superconducting electrode, especially in the presence of an intentional tunnel barrier. Additional uncovered spectroscopic features are oscillations that are linearly spaced in energy, as well as a possible second order parameter component.

Magnetically leviated superconducting bearing

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberger, Bernard R.; Lynds, Jr., Lahmer

1993-01-01

A magnetically levitated superconducting bearing includes a magnet (2) mounted on a shaft (12) that is rotatable around an axis of rotation and a Type II superconductor (6) supported on a stator (14) in proximity to the magnet (2). The superconductor (6) is positioned so that when it is cooled to its superconducting state in the presence of a magnetic field, it interacts with the magnet (2) to produce an attractive force that levitates the magnet (2) and supports a load on the shaft (12). The interaction between the superconductor (6) and magnet(2) also produces surface screening currents (8) that generate a repulsive force perpendicular to the load. The bearing also has means for maintaining the superconductor at a temperature below its critical temperature (16, 18). The bearing could also be constructed so the magnet (2) is supported on the stator (14) and the superconductor (6) is mounted on the shaft (12). The bearing can be operated by cooling the superconductor (6) to its superconducting state in the presence of a magnetic field.

Theory of the isotope effect in superconducting compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Culetto, F.J.; Rainer, D.

1978-05-01

We present a theoretical analysis of the isotope effect on the superconducting transition temperature. Our method is to calculate via formal perturbation theory the response of the transition temperature to small changes of the masses of the various constituents of the compound. We discuss the relation between the isotope effect and various more fundamental parameters in strong coupling superconductors. As illustrative examples, we consider the systems Pd-H(D) alloys and the binary Chevrel phase superconductor Mo 6 Se 8 , and show that analysis of the isotope effect can yield useful information concerning interaction mechanisms in these compounds. (orig.)

Flux-quantization effects in disordered normal metal rings and superconducting networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Qiming.

1989-01-01

The effects of the magnetic flux on the properties of disordered normal metal rings and bond or site diluted two-dimensional superconducting networks are investigated theoretically, with an emphasis on the quantum coherence of the electrons and the localization nature in the disordered systems. The conductance of disordered metal rings in magnetic field is obtained via the Landauer's formula through calculations of the localization length L c . The important role of the ensemble averaging and the self-averaging to obtain the half-flux-quantum h/2e conductance oscillation is demonstrated unambiguously in both rings of a strictly one-dimensional geometry and rings with a finite width. The amplitude of the localization length oscillation is found to follow a universal relation for all the numerical data: Δ(L c /L) = α(L c /L) 2 . L is the radius of the ring. The expected universal conductance fluctuations are observed for L c /L ∼ 1. For L c > L, much larger oscillation amplitudes are obtained. In the case of two-dimensional site or bond percolation superconducting networks, the nature of the eigenstates and the effects on the superconducting-to-normal phase boundary is examined by finite-size transfer matrix calculations within the mean-field Ginzburg-Landau theory of second order phase transitions

Dai Omega, a large solid angle axial focusing superconducting surface muon channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyadera, H.; Nagamine, K.; Shimomura, K.; Nishiyama, K.; Tanaka, H.; Fukuchi, K.; Makimura, S.; Ishida, K.

2003-01-01

An axial focusing surface muon channel, Dai Omega, was installed at KEK-MSL in the summer of 2001. Large aperture superconducting coils are utilized instead of quadrupole magnets. Dai Omega adopts an axial focusing beam path using symmetric magnetic fields from four coils. Computer simulations were performed on constructing Dai Omega, and the calculated solid angle acceptance of Dai Omega was larger than 1 sr at the optimum momentum. The momentum acceptance of Dai Omega was 6% FWHM. Dai Omega improved the solid angle acceptance by almost 20 times, in comparison with conventional muon channels. Beam tuning tests of Dai Omega have been carried out, and a beam intensity of 10 6 μ + /s was achieved at KEK-NML (500 MeV, 5 μA), which was almost comparable with that of RAL (800 MeV, 200 μA)

Pairing fluctuation effects on the single-particle spectra for the superconducting state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pieri, P.; Pisani, L.; Strinati, G.C.

2004-01-01

Single-particle spectra are calculated in the superconducting state for a fermionic system with an attractive interaction, as functions of temperature and coupling strength from weak to strong. The fermionic system is described by a single-particle self-energy that includes pairing-fluctuation effects in the superconducting state. The theory reduces to the ordinary BCS approximation in weak coupling and to the Bogoliubov approximation for the composite bosons in strong coupling. Several features of the single-particle spectral function are shown to compare favorably with experimental data for cuprate superconductors

Direct observation of superconducting gaps in MgB 2 by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Souma, S.; Machida, Y.; Sato, T.; Takahashi, T.; Matsui, H.; Wang, S.-C.; Ding, H.; Kaminski, A.; Campuzano, J. C.; Sasaki, S.; Kadowaki, K.

2004-08-01

High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy has been carried out to clarify the anomalous superconductivity of MgB 2. We observed three bands crossing the Fermi level, which are ascribed to B2p-σ, π and surface bands. We have succeeded for the first time in directly observing the superconducting gaps of these bands separately. We have found that the superconducting-gap sizes of σ and surface bands are 6.5 ± 0.5 and 6.0 ± 0.5 meV, respectively, while that of the π band is much smaller (1.5 ± 0.5 meV). The present experimental result unambiguously demonstrates the validity of the two-band superconductivity in MgB 2.

Direct observation of superconducting gaps in MgB2 by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souma, S.; Machida, Y.; Sato, T.; Takahashi, T.; Matsui, H.; Wang, S.-C.; Ding, H.; Kaminski, A.; Campuzano, J.C.; Sasaki, S.; Kadowaki, K.

2004-01-01

High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy has been carried out to clarify the anomalous superconductivity of MgB 2 . We observed three bands crossing the Fermi level, which are ascribed to B2p-σ, π and surface bands. We have succeeded for the first time in directly observing the superconducting gaps of these bands separately. We have found that the superconducting-gap sizes of σ and surface bands are 6.5 ± 0.5 and 6.0 ± 0.5 meV, respectively, while that of the π band is much smaller (1.5 ± 0.5 meV). The present experimental result unambiguously demonstrates the validity of the two-band superconductivity in MgB 2

Half-metallic superconducting triplet spin multivalves

Science.gov (United States)

Alidoust, Mohammad; Halterman, Klaus

2018-02-01

We study spin switching effects in finite-size superconducting multivalve structures. We examine F1F2SF3 and F1F2SF3F4 hybrids where a singlet superconductor (S) layer is sandwiched among ferromagnet (F) layers with differing thicknesses and magnetization orientations. Our results reveal a considerable number of experimentally viable spin-valve configurations that lead to on-off switching of the superconducting state. For S widths on the order of the superconducting coherence length ξ0, noncollinear magnetization orientations in adjacent F layers with multiple spin axes leads to a rich variety of triplet spin-valve effects. Motivated by recent experiments, we focus on samples where the magnetizations in the F1 and F4 layers exist in a fully spin-polarized half-metallic phase, and calculate the superconducting transition temperature, spatially and energy resolved density of states, and the spin-singlet and spin-triplet superconducting correlations. Our findings demonstrate that superconductivity in these devices can be completely switched on or off over a wide range of magnetization misalignment angles due to the generation of equal-spin and opposite-spin triplet pairings.

Origin and Reduction of 1 /f Magnetic Flux Noise in Superconducting Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, P.; Sendelbach, S.; Beck, M. A.; Freeland, J. W.; Wang, Zhe; Wang, Hui; Yu, Clare C.; Wu, R. Q.; Pappas, D. P.; McDermott, R.

2016-10-01

Magnetic flux noise is a dominant source of dephasing and energy relaxation in superconducting qubits. The noise power spectral density varies with frequency as 1 /fα, with α ≲1 , and spans 13 orders of magnitude. Recent work indicates that the noise is from unpaired magnetic defects on the surfaces of the superconducting devices. Here, we demonstrate that adsorbed molecular O2 is the dominant contributor to magnetism in superconducting thin films. We show that this magnetism can be reduced by appropriate surface treatment or improvement in the sample vacuum environment. We observe a suppression of static spin susceptibility by more than an order of magnitude and a suppression of 1 /f magnetic flux noise power spectral density of up to a factor of 5. These advances open the door to the realization of superconducting qubits with improved quantum coherence.

Fast superconducting magnetic field switch

Science.gov (United States)

Goren, Yehuda; Mahale, Narayan K.

1996-01-01

The superconducting magnetic switch or fast kicker magnet is employed with electron stream or a bunch of electrons to rapidly change the direction of flow of the electron stream or bunch of electrons. The apparatus employs a beam tube which is coated with a film of superconducting material. The tube is cooled to a temperature below the superconducting transition temperature and is subjected to a constant magnetic field which is produced by an external dc magnet. The magnetic field produced by the dc magnet is less than the critical field for the superconducting material, thus, creating a Meissner Effect condition. A controllable fast electromagnet is used to provide a magnetic field which supplements that of the dc magnet so that when the fast magnet is energized the combined magnetic field is now greater that the critical field and the superconducting material returns to its normal state allowing the magnetic field to penetrate the tube. This produces an internal field which effects the direction of motion and of the electron stream or electron bunch. The switch can also operate as a switching mechanism for charged particles.

Fast superconducting magnetic field switch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goren, Y.; Mahale, N.K.

1996-01-01

The superconducting magnetic switch or fast kicker magnet is employed with electron stream or a bunch of electrons to rapidly change the direction of flow of the electron stream or bunch of electrons. The apparatus employs a beam tube which is coated with a film of superconducting material. The tube is cooled to a temperature below the superconducting transition temperature and is subjected to a constant magnetic field which is produced by an external dc magnet. The magnetic field produced by the dc magnet is less than the critical field for the superconducting material, thus, creating a Meissner Effect condition. A controllable fast electromagnet is used to provide a magnetic field which supplements that of the dc magnet so that when the fast magnet is energized the combined magnetic field is now greater that the critical field and the superconducting material returns to its normal state allowing the magnetic field to penetrate the tube. This produces an internal field which effects the direction of motion and of the electron stream or electron bunch. The switch can also operate as a switching mechanism for charged particles. 6 figs

Origin of photovoltaic effect in superconducting YBa2Cu3O6.96 ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, F.; Han, M. Y.; Chang, F. G.

2015-01-01

We report remarkable photovoltaic effect in YBa2Cu3O6.96 (YBCO) ceramic between 50 and 300 K induced by blue-laser illumination, which is directly related to the superconductivity of YBCO and the YBCO-metallic electrode interface. There is a polarity reversal for the open circuit voltage Voc and short circuit current Isc when YBCO undergoes a transition from superconducting to resistive state. We show that there exists an electrical potential across the superconductor-normal metal interface, which provides the separation force for the photo-induced electron-hole pairs. This interface potential directs from YBCO to the metal electrode when YBCO is superconducting and switches to the opposite direction when YBCO becomes nonsuperconducting. The origin of the potential may be readily associated with the proximity effect at metal-superconductor interface when YBCO is superconducting and its value is estimated to be ~10–8 mV at 50 K with a laser intensity of 502 mW/cm2. Combination of a p-type material YBCO at normal state with an n-type material Ag-paste forms a quasi-pn junction which is responsible for the photovoltaic behavior of YBCO ceramics at high temperatures. Our findings may pave the way to new applications of photon-electronic devices and shed further light on the proximity effect at the superconductor-metal interface. PMID:26099727

Interplay of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in cuprates with impurity effect and d-wave pairing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohapatra, Rasmita, E-mail: rmrmmohapatra@gmail.com [P.G. Department of Applied Physics and Ballistics, F.M. University, Balasore, Odisha 756019 (India); Rout, G.C., E-mail: gcr@iopb.res.in [Physics Enclave, Plot no-664/4825, Lane-4A, Shree Vihar, Patia, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751024 (India)

2015-05-15

Highlights: • We considered here the interplay of antiferromagnetism (AFM) and Superconductivity (SC) with d-wave pairing symmetry in presence of impurity effect. • The tunneling conductance explains the multiple peaks and dip-hump structure. • It is observed that AFM coupling enhances the superconducting transition temperature. • The low temperature specific heat anomaly due to impurity atoms. - Abstract: We present here a model Hamiltonian to study the interplay between staggered magnetic field and the superconductivity with d-wave pairing symmetry in presence of hybridization between impurity f-electrons of rare-earth ions and 3d-electrons of copper ions. The staggered field and superconducting (SC) gaps are calculated by Green’s function technique and solved self-consistently. The coupling constants are compared using s-wave and d-wave pairings. The strength of hybridization suppresses the magnitude of the gaps; while antiferromagnetic coupling enhances the superconducting transition temperature, but suppresses the Neel temperature. The density of states (DOS) representing tunneling conductance shows complex character with impurity level lying at the Fermi level. The electronic specific heat explains prototype heavy fermion behavior in cuprate systems at low temperatures.

Interplay of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in cuprates with impurity effect and d-wave pairing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohapatra, Rasmita; Rout, G.C.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We considered here the interplay of antiferromagnetism (AFM) and Superconductivity (SC) with d-wave pairing symmetry in presence of impurity effect. • The tunneling conductance explains the multiple peaks and dip-hump structure. • It is observed that AFM coupling enhances the superconducting transition temperature. • The low temperature specific heat anomaly due to impurity atoms. - Abstract: We present here a model Hamiltonian to study the interplay between staggered magnetic field and the superconductivity with d-wave pairing symmetry in presence of hybridization between impurity f-electrons of rare-earth ions and 3d-electrons of copper ions. The staggered field and superconducting (SC) gaps are calculated by Green’s function technique and solved self-consistently. The coupling constants are compared using s-wave and d-wave pairings. The strength of hybridization suppresses the magnitude of the gaps; while antiferromagnetic coupling enhances the superconducting transition temperature, but suppresses the Neel temperature. The density of states (DOS) representing tunneling conductance shows complex character with impurity level lying at the Fermi level. The electronic specific heat explains prototype heavy fermion behavior in cuprate systems at low temperatures

Theory of RF superconductivity for resonant cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Gurevich, Alex

2017-03-01

An overview of a theory of electromagnetic response of superconductors in strong radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields is given with the emphasis on applications to superconducting resonant cavities for particle accelerators. The paper addresses fundamentals of the BCS surface resistance, the effect of subgap states and trapped vortices on the residual surface resistance at low RF fields, and a nonlinear surface resistance at strong fields, particularly the effect of the RF field suppression of the surface resistance. These issues are essential for the understanding of the field dependence of high quality factors Q({B}a)˜ {10}10{--}{10}11 achieved on the Nb cavities at 1.3-2 K in strong RF fields B a close to the depairing limit, and the extended Q({B}a) rise which has been observed on Ti and N-treated Nb cavities. Possible ways of further increase of Q({B}a) and the breakdown field by optimizing impurity concentration at the surface and by multilayer nanostructuring with materials other than Nb are discussed.

Method of stabilizing Nb3Sn superconducting foils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruzliak, J.; Lences, P.; Allarova, H.

1982-01-01

The stabilization of niobium-tin Nb 3 Sn superconducting foils with copper is carried out by deposition or by diffusion in pure copper or in a tin bath containing different copper levels, with the surface etched or unetched. The foils are covered with a copper film at a temperature of 300 to 5O0 degC using a tin solder, spread on a copper, silver or nickel layer deposited on the foil surface from solutions for electroless plating. The bond between the surface of the superconducting foil and the electroless plated metal layer is annealed in a controlled atmosphere or in a vacuum at a temperature of 200 to 500 degC for over 20 to 60 minutes. The copper stabilization layer can also be produced electrolytically. (J.B.)

Mirror-smooth surfaces and repair of defects in superconducting RF cavities by mechanical polishing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cooper, C. A. [Fermilab; Cooley, L. D. [Fermilab

2012-11-22

Mechanical techniques for polishing the inside surface of niobium superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities have been systematically explored. By extending known techniques to fine polishing, mirror-like finishes were produced, with <15 nm RMS (root mean square) roughness over 1 mm2 scan area. This is an order of magnitude less than the typical roughness produced by the electropolishing of niobium cavities. The extended mechanical polishing (XMP) process was applied to several SRF cavities which exhibited equator defects that caused quench at <20 MV m-1 and were not improved by further electropolishing. Cavity optical inspection equipment verified the complete removal of these defects, and minor acid processing, which dulled the mirror finish, restored performance of the defective cells to the high gradients and quality factors measured for adjacent cells when tested with other harmonics. This innate repair feature of XMP could be used to increase manufacturing yield. Excellent superconducting properties resulted after initial process optimization, with quality factor Q of 3 × 1010 and accelerating gradient of 43 MV m-1 being attained for a single-cell TESLA cavity, which are both close to practical limits. Several repaired nine-cell cavities also attained Q > 8 × 109 at 35 MV m-1, which is the specification for the International Linear Collider. Future optimization of the process and pathways for eliminating requirements for acid processing are also discussed.

Superconducting coil and method of stress management in a superconducting coil

Science.gov (United States)

McIntyre, Peter M.; Shen, Weijun; Diaczenko, Nick; Gross, Dan A.

1999-01-01

A superconducting coil (12) having a plurality of superconducting layers (18) is provided. Each superconducting layer (18) may have at least one superconducting element (20) which produces an operational load. An outer support structure (24) may be disposed outwardly from the plurality of layers (18). A load transfer system (22) may be coupled between at least one of the superconducting elements (20) and the outer support structure (24). The load transfer system (22) may include a support matrix structure (30) operable to transfer the operational load from the superconducting element (20) directly to the outer support structure (24). A shear release layer (40) may be disposed, in part, between the superconducting element (20) and the support matrix structure (30) for relieving a shear stress between the superconducting element (20) and the support matrix structure (30). A compliant layer (42) may also be disposed, in part, between the superconducting element (20) and the support matrix structure (30) for relieving a compressive stress on the superconducting element (20).

Heat conduction in superconducting lead thallium alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, J.L.N.

1975-01-01

The heat conduction of six strong coupling superconducting Pb--Tl alloy specimens (1 to 20 percent wt Tl) was investigated with the emphasis on the effects of impurities upon the phonon thermal conductivity. All the specimens were annealed at 275 0 C for one week. Results show that the superconducting state phonon thermal conductivity of Pb--Tl is in reasonably good agreement with BRT theory. The strong coupling superconductivity of lead alloys can be handled by scaling the gap parameter using a constant factor. The results presented also show that the phonon thermal conductivity at low temperatures of well annealed lead-thallium alloys can be analyzed in terms of phonon scattering by the grain boundaries, point defects, conduction electrons, and other phonons. The phonon-dislocation scattering was found to be unimportant. The phonon relaxation rate due to point defects is in reasonably good agreement with the Klemens theory for the long range strain field scattering introduced by the thallium impurities. At low temperatures, the normal state phonon thermal conductivity showed an increase in the phonon-electron relaxation rate as the thallium concentration increases. The increase of the phonon-electron relaxation rate is attributed to the change of the Fermi surface caused by the presence of thallium impurity. The effect of the strong electron-phonon coupling character upon the phonon-electron relaxation rate has also been considered in terms of the electron-phonon enhancement factor found in the specific heat measurements

Magnetic field dependence of the superconducting proximity effect in a two atomic layer thin metallic film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caminale, Michael; Leon Vanegas, Augusto A.; Stepniak, Agnieszka; Oka, Hirofumi; Fischer, Jeison A.; Sander, Dirk; Kirschner, Juergen [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Mikrostrukturphysik, Halle (Germany)

2015-07-01

The intriguing possibility to induce superconductivity in a metal, in direct contact with a superconductor, is under renewed interest for applications and for fundamental aspects. The underlying phenomenon is commonly known as proximity effect. In this work we exploit the high spatial resolution of scanning tunneling spectroscopy at sub-K temperatures and in magnetic fields. We probe the differential conductance along a line from a superconducting 9 ML high Pb nanoisland into the surrounding two layer thin Pb/Ag wetting layer on a Si(111) substrate. A gap in the differential conductance indicates superconductivity of the Pb island. We observe an induced gap in the wetting layer, which decays with increasing distance from the Pb island. This proximity length is 21 nm at 0.38 K and 0 T. We find a non-trivial dependence of the proximity length on magnetic field. Surprisingly, we find that the magnetic field does not affect the induced superconductivity up to 0.3 T. However, larger fields of 0.6 T suppress superconductivity in the wetting layer, where the Pb island still remains superconducting. We discuss the unexpected robustness of induced superconductivity in view of the high electronic diffusivity in the metallic wetting layer.

Unconventional superconductivity in a two-dimensional repulsive gas of fermions with spin-orbit coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Luyang; Vafek, Oskar

2014-02-01

We investigate the superconducting instability of a two-dimensional repulsive Fermi gas with Rashba spin-orbit coupling αR. Using renormalization group approach, we find the superconducting transition temperature as a function of the dimensionless ratio Θ=1}/{2}mαR2/EF where EF = 0 when the smaller Fermi surface shrinks to a (Dirac) point. The general trend is that superconductivity is enhanced as Θ increases, but in an intermediate regime Θ ∼ 0.1, a dome-like behavior appears. At a very small value of Θ, the angular momentum channel jz in which superconductivity occurs is quite high. With increasing Θ, jz decreases with a step of 2 down to jz = 6, after which we find the sequence jz = 6, 4, 6, 2, the last value of which continues to Θ → ∞. In an extended range of Θ, the superconducting gap predominantly resides on the large Fermi surface, while Josephson coupling induces a much smaller gap on the small Fermi surface. Below the superconducting transition temperature, we apply mean field theory to derive the self-consistent equations and find the condensation energies. The state with the lowest condensation energy is an unconventional superconducting state which breaks time-reversal symmetry, and in which singlet and triplet pairings are mixed. In general, these states are topologically nontrivial, and the Chern number of the state with total angular momentum jz is C = 2jz.

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakani, S.L.; Kakani, Shubhra

2007-01-01

The monograph provides readable introduction to the basics of superconductivity for beginners and experimentalists. For theorists, the monograph provides nice and brief description of the broad spectrum of experimental properties, theoretical concepts with all details, which theorists should learn, and provides a sound basis for students interested in studying superconducting theory at the microscopic level. Special chapter on the theory of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates is devoted

Korea's developmental program for superconductivity

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Gye-Won; Won, Dong-Yeon; Kuk, Il-Hyun; Park, Jong-Chul

1995-04-01

Superconductivity research in Korea was firstly carried out in the late 70's by a research group in Seoul National University (SNU), who fabricated a small scale superconducting magnetic energy storage system under the financial support from Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO). But a few researchers were involved in superconductivity research until the oxide high Tc superconductor was discovered by Bednorz and Mueller. After the discovery of YBaCuO superconductor operating above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K)(exp 2), Korean Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) sponsored a special fund for the high Tc superconductivity research to universities and national research institutes by recognizing its importance. Scientists engaged in this project organized 'High Temperature Superconductivity Research Association (HITSRA)' for effective conducting of research. Its major functions are to coordinate research activities on high Tc superconductivity and organize the workshop for active exchange of information. During last seven years the major superconductivity research has been carried out through the coordination of HITSRA. The major parts of the Korea's superconductivity research program were related to high temperature superconductor and only a few groups were carrying out research on conventional superconductor technology, and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) have led this research. In this talk, the current status and future plans of superconductivity research in Korea will be reviewed based on the results presented in interim meeting of HITSRA, April 1-2, 1994. Taejeon, as well as the research activity of KAERI.

On anyon superconductivity--

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Y.-H.; Wilczek, F.; Witten, E.; Halperin, B.I.

1989-01-01

We investigate the statistical mechanics of a gas of fractional statistics particles in 2 + 1 dimensions. In the case of statistics very close to Fermi statistics (statistical parameter θ = π(1 - 1/n), for large n), the effect of the statistics is a weak attraction. Building upon earlier RPA calculation for the case n = 2, the authors argue that for large n perturbation theory is reliable and exhibits superfluidity (or superconductivity after coupling to electromagnetism). They describe the order parameter for this superconductng phase in terms of spontaneous breaking of commutativity of translations as opposed to the usual pairing order parameters. The vortices of the superconducting anyon gas are charged, and superconducting order parameters of the usual type vanish. They investigate the characteristic P and T violating phenomenology

Defect Detection in Superconducting Radiofrequency Cavity Surface Using C + + and OpenCV

Science.gov (United States)

Oswald, Samantha; Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility Collaboration

2014-03-01

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) uses superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities to accelerate an electron beam. If theses cavities have a small particle or defect, it can degrade the performance of the cavity. The problem at hand is inspecting the cavity for defects, little bubbles of niobium on the surface of the cavity. Thousands of pictures have to be taken of a single cavity and then looked through to see how many defects were found. A C + + program with Open Source Computer Vision (OpenCV) was constructed to reduce the number of hours searching through the images and finds all the defects. Using this code, the SRF group is now able to use the code to identify defects in on-going tests of SRF cavities. Real time detection is the next step so that instead of taking pictures when looking at the cavity, the camera will detect all the defects.

Conventional proximity effect in bilayers of superconducting underdoped $La_{1.88}Sr_{0.12}CuO_4$ islands coated with non superconducting overdoped $La_{1.65}Sr_{0.35}CuO_4$

OpenAIRE

Koren, G.; Millo, O.

2009-01-01

Following a recent study by our group in which a large $T_c$ enhancement was reported in bilayers of the non-superconducting $La_{1.65}Sr_{0.35}CuO_4$ and superconducting $La_{1.88}Sr_{0.12}CuO_4$ films [Phys. Rev. Lett. \\textbf{101}, 057005 (2008)], we checked if a similar effect occurs when superconducting $La_{1.88}Sr_{0.12}CuO_4$ islands are coated with a continuous layer of the non superconducting $La_{1.65}Sr_{0.35}CuO_4$. We found that no such phenomenon is observed. The bare supercond...

Plasma treatment of bulk niobium surface for superconducting rf cavities: Optimization of the experimental conditions on flat samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Rašković

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Accelerator performance, in particular the average accelerating field and the cavity quality factor, depends on the physical and chemical characteristics of the superconducting radio-frequency (SRF cavity surface. Plasma based surface modification provides an excellent opportunity to eliminate nonsuperconductive pollutants in the penetration depth region and to remove the mechanically damaged surface layer, which improves the surface roughness. Here we show that the plasma treatment of bulk niobium (Nb presents an alternative surface preparation method to the commonly used buffered chemical polishing and electropolishing methods. We have optimized the experimental conditions in the microwave glow discharge system and their influence on the Nb removal rate on flat samples. We have achieved an etching rate of 1.7  μm/min⁡ using only 3% chlorine in the reactive mixture. Combining a fast etching step with a moderate one, we have improved the surface roughness without exposing the sample surface to the environment. We intend to apply the optimized experimental conditions to the preparation of single cell cavities, pursuing the improvement of their rf performance.

Recent advances in fullerene superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Margadonna, S

2002-01-01

Superconducting transition temperatures in bulk chemically intercalated fulleride salts reach 33 K at ambient pressure and in hole-doped C sub 6 sub 0 derivatives in field-effect-transistor (FET) configurations, they reach 117 K. These advances pose important challenges for our understanding of high-temperature superconductivity in these highly correlated organic metals. Here we review the structures and properties of intercalated fullerides, paying particular attention to the correlation between superconductivity and interfullerene separation, orientational order/disorder, valence state, orbital degeneracy, low-symmetry distortions, and metal-C sub 6 sub 0 interactions. The metal-insulator transition at large interfullerene separations is discussed in detail. An overview is also given of the exploding field of gate-induced superconductivity of fullerenes in FET electronic devices.

A study on the effect of tantalum-impurity content on the superconducting properties of niobium materials used for making superconducting radio frequency cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, S. B.; Sharath Chandra, L. S.; Chattopadhyay, M. K.; Tiwari, M. K.; Lodha, G. S.; Myneni, G. R.

2012-11-01

Niobium materials in highly pure form are used in the fabrication of superconducting radio frequency cavities. We present here a study of the superconducting properties of such niobium materials that have been used in the fabrication of high accelerating gradient superconducting radio frequency cavities after determining their tantalum-impurity contents using a synchrotron-based x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy technique. Our results show that there is a small change in superconducting parameters such as TC,HC1 and HC2 when the tantalum-impurity content varies from ≈150 to ≈1300 ppm. In contrast, a buffered chemical polishing of the same niobium samples changes all these superconducting parameters more significantly. The implications of these results on the performance of niobium superconducting radio frequency cavities are discussed.

Superconductivity pairing mechanism from cobalt impurity doping in FeSe: Spin (s±) or orbital (s++) fluctuation

Science.gov (United States)

Urata, T.; Tanabe, Y.; Huynh, K. K.; Yamakawa, Y.; Kontani, H.; Tanigaki, K.

2016-01-01

In high-superconducting transition temperature (Tc) iron-based superconductors, interband sign reversal (s±) and sign preserving (s++) s -wave superconducting states have been primarily discussed as the plausible superconducting mechanism. We study Co impurity scattering effects on the superconductivity in order to achieve an important clue on the pairing mechanism using single-crystal Fe1 -xCoxSe and depict a phase diagram of a FeSe system. Both superconductivity and structural transition/orbital order are suppressed by the Co replacement on the Fe sites and disappear above x = 0.036. These correlated suppressions represent a common background physics behind these physical phenomena in the multiband Fermi surfaces of FeSe. By comparing experimental data and theories so far proposed, the suppression of Tc against the residual resistivity is shown to be much weaker than that predicted in the case of general sign reversal and full gap s± models. The origin of the superconducting paring in FeSe is discussed in terms of its multiband electronic structure.

Thermoelectric flux effect in superconducting indium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Harlingen, D.J.

1977-01-01

In this paper we discuss a thermoelectric effect in superconductors which provides a mechanism for studying quasiparticle relaxation and scattering processes in non-equilibrium superconductors by transport measurements. We report measurements of the thermoelecric flux effect in samples consisting of indium and lead near the In transition temperature; in this temperature range, the contribution to DELTA/sub TAU/ from the Pb is insignificant and so values of OMEGA(T) are obtained for indium. The results of our experiments may be summarized as follows: (1) we have a thermally-generated flux effect in 5 superconducting In-Pb toroidal samples, (2) experimental tests suggest that the observed effect does indeed arise from the proposed thermoelectric flux effect, (3) OMEGA(T) for indium is found to diverge as (T/sub c/ - T)/sup -3/2/ more rapidly than predicted by simple theory, (4) OMEGA(T) at T/T sub c/ = .999 is nearly 10/sup 5/ larger than initially expected, (5) OMEGA (T) roughly correlates with the magnitude of the normal state thermoelectric coefficient for our samples

Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langone, J.

1989-01-01

This book explains the theoretical background of superconductivity. Includes discussion of electricity, material fabrication, maglev trains, the superconducting supercollider, and Japanese-US competition. The authors reports the latest discoveries

Direct observation of superconducting gaps in MgB{sub 2} by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Souma, S.; Machida, Y.; Sato, T.; Takahashi, T.; Matsui, H.; Wang, S.-C.; Ding, H.; Kaminski, A.; Campuzano, J.C.; Sasaki, S.; Kadowaki, K

2004-08-01

High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy has been carried out to clarify the anomalous superconductivity of MgB{sub 2}. We observed three bands crossing the Fermi level, which are ascribed to B2p-{sigma}, {pi} and surface bands. We have succeeded for the first time in directly observing the superconducting gaps of these bands separately. We have found that the superconducting-gap sizes of {sigma} and surface bands are 6.5 {+-} 0.5 and 6.0 {+-} 0.5 meV, respectively, while that of the {pi} band is much smaller (1.5 {+-} 0.5 meV). The present experimental result unambiguously demonstrates the validity of the two-band superconductivity in MgB{sub 2}.

High-temperature superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginzburg, V.L.

1987-07-01

After a short account of the history of experimental studies on superconductivity, the microscopic theory of superconductivity, the calculation of the control temperature and its possible maximum value are presented. An explanation of the mechanism of superconductivity in recently discovered superconducting metal oxide ceramics and the perspectives for the realization of new high-temperature superconducting materials are discussed. 56 refs, 2 figs, 3 tabs

Superconducting accelerator technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grunder, H.A.; Hartline, B.K.

1986-01-01

Modern and future accelerators for high energy and nuclear physics rely increasingly on superconducting components to achieve the required magnetic fields and accelerating fields. This paper presents a practical overview of the phenomenon of superconductivity, and describes the design issues and solutions associated with superconducting magnets and superconducting rf acceleration structures. Further development and application of superconducting components promises increased accelerator performance at reduced electric power cost

The quest for high-gradient superconducting cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Padamsee, H.

1999-01-01

Superconducting RF cavities excel in applications requiring continuous waves or long pulse voltages. Since power losses in the walls of the cavity increase as the square of the accelerating voltage, copper cavities become uneconomical as demand for high continuous wave voltage grows with particle energy. For these reasons, RF superconductivity has become an important technology for high energy and high luminosity accelerators. The state of art in performance of sheet metal niobium cavities is best represented by the statistics of more than 300 5-cell, 1.5-GHz cavities built for CEBAF. Key aspects responsible for the outstanding performance of the CEBAF cavities set are the anti-multipactor, elliptical cell shape, good fabrication and welding techniques, high thermal conductivity niobium, and clean surface preparation. On average, field emission starts at the electric field of 8.7 MV/m, but there is a large spread, even though the cavities received nominally the same surface treatment and assembly procedures. In some cavities, field emission was detected as low as 3 MV/m. In others, it was found to be as high as 19 MV/m. As we will discuss, the reason for the large spread in the gradients is the large spread in emitter characteristics and the random occurrence of emitters on the surface. One important phenomenon that limits the achievable RF magnetic field is thermal breakdown of superconductivity, originating at sub-millimeter-size regions of high RF loss, called defects. Simulation reveal that if the defect is a normal conducting region of 200 mm radius, it will break down at 5 MV/m. Producing high gradients and high Q in superconducting cavities demands excellent control of material properties and surface cleanliness. The spread in gradients that arises from the random occurrence of defects and emitters must be reduced. It will be important to improve installation procedures to preserve the excellent gradients now obtained in laboratory test in vertical cryostats

Superconducting properties of Pb82Bi18 films controlled by ferromagnetic nanowire arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ye Zuxin; Lyuksyutov, Igor F; Wu Wenhao; Naugle, Donald G

2011-01-01

The superconducting properties of Pb 82 Bi 18 alloy films deposited on ferromagnetic nanowire arrays have been investigated. Ferromagnetic Co or Ni nanowires are first electroplated into the columnar pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes. Superconducting Pb 82 Bi 18 films are then quench condensed onto the polished surface of the AAO membranes filled with magnetic nanowires. A strong dependence of the Pb 82 Bi 18 superconducting properties on the ratio of the superconducting film thickness to the magnetic nanowire diameter and material variety was observed.

Superconducting properties of Pb82Bi18 films controlled by ferromagnetic nanowire arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Zuxin; Lyuksyutov, Igor F.; Wu, Wenhao; Naugle, Donald G.

2011-02-01

The superconducting properties of Pb82Bi18 alloy films deposited on ferromagnetic nanowire arrays have been investigated. Ferromagnetic Co or Ni nanowires are first electroplated into the columnar pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes. Superconducting Pb82Bi18 films are then quench condensed onto the polished surface of the AAO membranes filled with magnetic nanowires. A strong dependence of the Pb82Bi18 superconducting properties on the ratio of the superconducting film thickness to the magnetic nanowire diameter and material variety was observed.

Theory of the superconducting proximity effect below the transition temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silvert, W.

1975-01-01

The form of the low-temperature theory of the superconducting proximity effect depends on whether the non-linear terms are assumed to depend only on the local value of the gap or on its average value over some finite range. The local assumption leads to smaller values of the gap and to unphysical results at low temperatures. The effect of non-locality is significant even in the Ginsburg-Landau regime. (author)

A study on metastable superconducting magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koyama, Kenichi

1976-01-01

It is important to construct superconducting magnets as cheap as possible. One of the methods to achieve such a purpose is to save the superconducting material and operate the magnets at a high current density. Therefore it is useful to investigate the requirements for the operation of metastable superconducting magnets which can work at a current higher than the recovery current. Using the theory of flux jump, we introduce a ''stable current'' below which no flux jump can occur. On a rough approximation, it is given by I sub(s) =√A P sub(i) H sub(e) T sub(o) f(x)/rho where A : cross-section of the composite conductor. P sub(i) : total perimeter of all the superconducting cores. h sub(e) : effective heat transfer coefficient to the liquid helium through the stabilizer. T sub(o) : a characteristic temperature of the superconducting cores. f(x) : a characteristic function for the relative core radius x. rho : effective resistivity of the composite. Then it is shown that superconducting magnets can operate without unexpected normal transitions in the region enclosed by the two curves of I sub(s) and I sub(c). Next, we discuss the characteristics of our saddle shaped superconducting magnet for an one-KW MHD generator. We found that, 1) the magnet does safely operate in the metastable state; 2) the characteristics of the magnet are consistent with our theoretical results. (auth.)

Switching, storage, and erasure effects in a superconducting thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Testardi, L.R.

1976-01-01

Thin niobium films can be switched from a superconducting to a resistive state permanently by application of a short electrical pulse. Application of a short pulse of opposite polarity returns the film to the superconducting state

Ultrasonic attenuation in superconducting zinc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Auluck, S.

1978-01-01

The differences in the Zn ultrasonic attenuation data of different workers are analyzed. The superconducting energy gaps deduced from our analysis of the ultrasonic-attenuation data of Cleavelin and Marshall are consistent with the gaps deduced from the knowledge of the Fermi surface and the electron-phonon mass enhancement factor

Angle-resolved photoemission studies of the superconducting gap symmetry in Fe-based superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y.-B. Huang

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The superconducting gap is the fundamental parameter that characterizes the superconducting state, and its symmetry is a direct consequence of the mechanism responsible for Cooper pairing. Here we discuss about angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements of the superconducting gap in the Fe-based high-temperature superconductors. We show that the superconducting gap is Fermi surface dependent and nodeless with small anisotropy, or more precisely, a function of the momentum location in the Brillouin zone. We show that while this observation seems inconsistent with weak coupling approaches for superconductivity in these materials, it is well supported by strong coupling models and global superconducting gaps. We also suggest that a smaller lifetime of the superconducting Cooper pairs induced by the momentum dependent interband scattering inherent to these materials could affect the residual density of states at low energies, which is critical for a proper evaluation of the superconducting gap.

ISTS of Fe adatoms in contact to superconducting Ta

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kamlapure, Anand; Cornils, Lasse; Wiebe, Jens; Wiesendanger, Roland [Department of Physics, Hamburg University, Hamburg (Germany); Zhou, Lihui [Department of Physics, Hamburg University, Hamburg (Germany); Max-Planck Institute for Solid State-Research, Stuttgart (Germany); Khajetoorians, Alexander A. [Department of Physics, Hamburg University, Hamburg (Germany); Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen (Netherlands)

2015-07-01

Recent local scale investigations of the competition of superconductivity and magnetism in molecular systems revealed rich physics associated with a quantum phase transition. Here, we experimentally study individual Fe atoms adsorbed on a reconstructed surface of superconducting Ta by inelastic scanning tunneling spectroscopy (ISTS) at a temperature of 1 K and as a function of magnetic field of strength up to 3 T perpendicular to the surface. We observe strong inelastic excitations at three different adsorption sites of the Fe adatoms. The majority site shows a sharp step around 2 meV which is almost independent of the magnetic field. The other two sites exhibit excitations around 1 meV and 4 meV which have a weak magnetic field dependence indicating the magnetic origin of this excitation. In all three cases the superconducting energy gap and coherence peaks are preserved at zero magnetic field indicating very weak coupling between the magnetic moment and the cooper pairs.

Gauge Model of High-Tc Superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, Sze Kui

2012-01-01

A simple gauge model of superconductivity is presented. The seagull vertex term of this gauge model gives an attractive potential between electrons for the forming of Cooper pairs of superconductivity. This gauge model gives a unified description of superconductivity and magnetism including antiferromagnetism, pseudogap phenomenon, stripes phenomenon, paramagnetic Meissner effect, Type I and Type II supeconductivity and high-T c superconductivity. The doping mechanism of superconductivity is found. It is shown that the critical temperature T c is related to the ionization energies of elements and can be computed by a formula of T c . For the high-T c superconductors such as La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 , Y Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7 , and MgB 2 , the computational results of T c agree with the experimental results.

Superconductivity mediated by quantum critical antiferromagnetic fluctuations: The rise and fall of hot spots

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaoyu; Schattner, Yoni; Berg, Erez; Fernandes, Rafael M.

2017-05-01

In several unconventional superconductors, the highest superconducting transition temperature Tc is found in a region of the phase diagram where the antiferromagnetic transition temperature extrapolates to zero, signaling a putative quantum critical point. The elucidation of the interplay between these two phenomena—high-Tc superconductivity and magnetic quantum criticality—remains an important piece of the complex puzzle of unconventional superconductivity. In this paper, we combine sign-problem-free quantum Monte Carlo simulations and field-theoretical analytical calculations to unveil the microscopic mechanism responsible for the superconducting instability of a general low-energy model, called the spin-fermion model. In this approach, low-energy electronic states interact with each other via the exchange of quantum critical magnetic fluctuations. We find that even in the regime of moderately strong interactions, both the superconducting transition temperature and the pairing susceptibility are governed not by the properties of the entire Fermi surface, but instead by the properties of small portions of the Fermi surface called hot spots. Moreover, Tc increases with increasing interaction strength, until it starts to saturate at the crossover from hot-spots-dominated to Fermi-surface-dominated pairing. Our work provides not only invaluable insights into the system parameters that most strongly affect Tc, but also important benchmarks to assess the origin of superconductivity in both microscopic models and actual materials.

Magnetism, superconductivity and Fermi surfaces of plutonium compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haga, Y.; Aoki, D.; Yamagami, H.; Matsuda, T.D.; Nakajima, K.; Arai, Y.; Homma, Y.; Shiokawa, Y.; Yamamoto, E.; Nakamura, A.; Onuki, Y.

2007-01-01

Single crystals of plutonium compounds PuRhGa 5 and PuIn 3 are successfully grown. For PuRhGa 5 , anisotropy of the superconducting upper critical field was found and analyzed by the anisotropic mass model, consistent with quasi-two-dimensional electronic states predicted by band calculations. On the other hand, the de Haas-van Alphen oscillation was observed in PuIn 3 . By comparing with the band calculations, it is concluded that 5f electrons are itinerant in PuIn 3

Superconducting technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

Superconductivity has a long history of about 100 years. Over the past 50 years, progress in superconducting materials has been mainly in metallic superconductors, such as Nb, Nb-Ti and Nb 3 Sn, resulting in the creation of various application fields based on the superconducting technologies. High-T c superconductors, the first of which was discovered in 1986, have been changing the future vision of superconducting technology through the development of new application fields such as power cables. On basis of these trends, future prospects of superconductor technology up to 2040 are discussed. In this article from the viewpoints of material development and the applications of superconducting wires and electronic devices. (author)

Quasiparticle losses at the surface of superconducting tunnel junction detectors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Panteleit, F.; Schroeder, T.; Martin, J.; Huebener, R.P.; Kiewiet, F.B.; Berg, van den M.L.; Korte, P.A.J.

1999-01-01

Superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) are promising as high energy resolution x-ray detectors. However, the theoretical limit of the energy resolution of STJs has not yet been reached for several reasons. In many cases quasiparticle losses limit the energy resolution. We have investigated STJs

The role of local repulsion in superconductivity in the Hubbard–Holstein model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Chungwei, E-mail: clin@merl.com; Wang, Bingnan; Teo, Koon Hoo

2017-01-15

Highlights: • There exists an optimal Boson energy for superconductivity in Hubbard–Holstein model. • The electron-Boson coupling is essential for superconductivity, but the same coupling can lead to polaron insulator, which is against superconductivity. • The local Coulomb repulsion can sometimes enhance superconductivity. - Abstract: We examine the superconducting solution in the Hubbard–Holstein model using Dynamical Mean Field Theory. The Holstein term introduces the site-independent Boson fields coupling to local electron density, and has two competing influences on superconductivity: The Boson field mediates the effective electron-electron attraction, which is essential for the S-wave electron pairing; the same coupling to the Boson fields also induces the polaron effect, which makes the system less metallic and thus suppresses superconductivity. The Hubbard term introduces an energy penalty U when two electrons occupy the same site, which is expected to suppress superconductivity. By solving the Hubbard–Holstein model using Dynamical Mean Field theory, we find that the Hubbard U can be beneficial to superconductivity under some circumstances. In particular, we demonstrate that when the Boson energy Ω is small, a weak local repulsion actually stabilizes the S-wave superconducting state. This behavior can be understood as an interplay between superconductivity, the polaron effect, and the on-site repulsion: As the polaron effect is strong and suppresses superconductivity in the small Ω regime, the weak on-site repulsion reduces the polaron effect and effectively enhances superconductivity. Our calculation elucidates the role of local repulsion in the conventional S-wave superconductors.

A study on the effect of tantalum-impurity content on the superconducting properties of niobium materials used for making superconducting radio frequency cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, S B; Sharath Chandra, L S; Chattopadhyay, M K; Tiwari, M K; Lodha, G S; Myneni, G R

2012-01-01

Niobium materials in highly pure form are used in the fabrication of superconducting radio frequency cavities. We present here a study of the superconducting properties of such niobium materials that have been used in the fabrication of high accelerating gradient superconducting radio frequency cavities after determining their tantalum-impurity contents using a synchrotron-based x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy technique. Our results show that there is a small change in superconducting parameters such as T C ,H C1 and H C2 when the tantalum-impurity content varies from ≈150 to ≈1300 ppm. In contrast, a buffered chemical polishing of the same niobium samples changes all these superconducting parameters more significantly. The implications of these results on the performance of niobium superconducting radio frequency cavities are discussed. (paper)

Measuring the microwave response of superconducting Nb:STO and Ti at mK temperatures using superconducting resonators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thiemann, Markus; Beutel, Manfred; Dressel, Martin; Scheffler, Marc [1. Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Stuttgart (Germany); Fillis-Tsirakis, Evangelos; Boschker, Hans; Mannhart, Jochen [Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart (Germany)

2016-07-01

Niobium doped SrTiO{sub 3} is a superconductor, with the lowest charge carrier density among all superconductors. It shows a dome in the transition temperature as a function of doping concentration with a maximum T{sub c} ∼ 0.3 K. The superconducting dome may originate from the different bands being occupied depending on the doping level. The low energy scales of the system, as indicated by the low T{sub c} are within the GHz-regime. Therefore microwave measurements are a powerful technique to reveal the electronic properties of these superconductors. We preformed microwave measurements on Nb:STO of different doping levels in a dilution refrigerator, using superconducting stripline resonators. Measurements were done in a temperature and frequency range from 40-400 mK and 1-20 GHz, covering the normal and superconducting states. For comparison we also measured the temperature dependence of the surface impedance of superconducting titanium (T{sub c} ∼ 0.5 K), which can be well described by the Mattis-Bardeen equations with a ratio (2Δ)/(k{sub B}T{sub c}) = 3.56. Therefore titanium is an ideal reference sample representing a conventional BCS-superconductor.

Foreword: Focus on Superconductivity in Semiconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshihiko Takano

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Since the discovery of superconductivity in diamond, much attention has been given to the issue of superconductivity in semiconductors. Because diamond has a large band gap of 5.5 eV, it is called a wide-gap semiconductor. Upon heavy boron doping over 3×1020 cm−3, diamond becomes metallic and demonstrates superconductivity at temperatures below 11.4 K. This discovery implies that a semiconductor can become a superconductor upon carrier doping. Recently, superconductivity was also discovered in boron-doped silicon and SiC semiconductors. The number of superconducting semiconductors has increased. In 2008 an Fe-based superconductor was discovered in a research project on carrier doping in a LaCuSeO wide-gap semiconductor. This discovery enhanced research activities in the field of superconductivity, where many scientists place particular importance on superconductivity in semiconductors.This focus issue features a variety of topics on superconductivity in semiconductors selected from the 2nd International Workshop on Superconductivity in Diamond and Related Materials (IWSDRM2008, which was held at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS, Tsukuba, Japan in July 2008. The 1st workshop was held in 2005 and was published as a special issue in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM in 2006 (Takano 2006 Sci. Technol. Adv. Mater. 7 S1.The selection of papers describe many important experimental and theoretical studies on superconductivity in semiconductors. Topics on boron-doped diamond include isotope effects (Ekimov et al and the detailed structure of boron sites, and the relation between superconductivity and disorder induced by boron doping. Regarding other semiconductors, the superconducting properties of silicon and SiC (Kriener et al, Muranaka et al and Yanase et al are discussed, and In2O3 (Makise et al is presented as a new superconducting semiconductor. Iron-based superconductors are presented as a new series of high

Thermal coupling effect on the vortex dynamics of superconducting thin films: time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Jing, Ze; Yong, Huadong; Zhou, Youhe

2018-05-01

In this paper, vortex dynamics of superconducting thin films are numerically investigated by the generalized time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau (TDGL) theory. Interactions between vortex motion and the motion induced energy dissipation is considered by solving the coupled TDGL equation and the heat diffusion equation. It is found that thermal coupling has significant effects on the vortex dynamics of superconducting thin films. Branching in the vortex penetration path originates from the coupling between vortex motion and the motion induced energy dissipation. In addition, the environment temperature, the magnetic field ramp rate and the geometry of the superconducting film also greatly influence the vortex dynamic behaviors. Our results provide new insights into the dynamics of superconducting vortices, and give a mesoscopic understanding on the channeling and branching of vortex penetration paths during flux avalanches.

Earlier and recent aspects of superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bednorz, J.G.; Muller, K.A.

1990-01-01

Contemporary knowledge of superconductivity is set against its historical background in this book. First, the highlights of superconductivity research in the twentieth century are reviewed. Further contributions then describe the basic phenomena resulting from the macroscopic quantum state of superconductivity (such as zero resistivity, the Meissner-Ochsenfeld effect, and flux quantization) and review possible mechanisms, including the classical BCS theory and the more recent alternative theories. The main categories of superconductors - elements, intermetallic phases, chalcogenides, oxides and organic compounds - are described. Common features and differences in their structure and electronic properties are pointed out. This overview of superconductivity is completed by a discussion of properties related to the coherence length

Two-step superconducting transition in Cu-V-Si alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, R.G.; Krishna, M.M.; Narlikar, A.V.

1980-01-01

Copper ternary alloys containing small amounts of vanadium and silicon exhibit a two-step superconducting resistive transition. The first transition occurs around 17 K, the transition temperature of β-W V 3 Si, followed by a plateau and a second transition around 10 K. The resistivity, however, does not drop to zero down to 2.5 K. Reduction of the wire diameter causes the two transitions to shift to lower temperatures. Complete superconductivity in these specimens is absent for two reasons. Firstly, the superconducting volume fraction present in these alloy-wires is below the threshold given by either the effective-medium theory or the site percolation theory. Secondly, the superconducting phase V 3 Si does not precipitate in copper matrix in a fine structure and the proximity effect does not operate strongly. Annealing causes the superconducting particles to coalesce and grow in size and suppresses the proximity effect and superconductivity further in these alloy wires. (author)

The Physics of Superconducting Microwave Resonators

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Jiansong

Over the past decade, low temperature detectors have brought astronomers revolutionary new observational capabilities and led to many great discoveries. Although a single low temperature detector has very impressive sensitivity, a large detector array would be much more powerful and are highly demanded for the study of more difficult and fundamental problems in astronomy. However, current detector technologies, such as transition edge sensors and superconducting tunnel junction detectors, are difficult to integrate into a large array. The microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) is a promising new detector technology invented at Caltech and JPL which provides both high sensitivity and an easy solution to the detector integration. It senses the change in the surface impedance of a superconductor as incoming photons break Cooper pairs, by using high-Q superconducting microwave resonators capacitively coupled to a common feedline. This architecture allows thousands of detectors to be easily integrated through passive frequency domain multiplexing. In this thesis, we explore the rich and interesting physics behind these superconducting microwave resonators. The first part of the thesis discusses the surface impedance of a superconductor, the kinetic inductance of a superconducting coplanar waveguide, and the circuit response of a resonator. These topics are related with the responsivity of MKIDs. The second part presents the study of the excess frequency noise that is universally observed in these resonators. The properties of the excess noise, including power, temperature, material, and geometry dependence, have been quantified. The noise source has been identified to be the two-level systems in the dielectric material on the surface of the resonator. A semi-empirical noise model has been developed to explain the power and geometry dependence of the noise, which is useful to predict the noise for a specified resonator geometry. The detailed physical noise

Reduction of field emission in superconducting cavities with high power pulsed RF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graber, J.; Crawford, C.; Kirchgessner, J.; Padamsee, H.; Rubin, D.; Schmueser, P.

1994-01-01

A systematic study is presented of the effects of pulsed high power RF processing (HPP) as a method of reducing field emission (FE) in superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities to reach higher accelerating gradients for future particle accelerators. The processing apparatus was built to provide up to 150 kW peak RF power to 3 GHz cavities, for pulse lengths from 200 μs to 1 ms. Single-cell and nine-cell cavities were tested extensively. The thermal conductivity of the niobium for these cavities was made as high as possible to ensure stability against thermal breakdown of superconductivity. HPP proves to be a highly successful method of reducing FE loading in nine-cell SRF cavities. Attainable continuous wave (CW) fields increase by as much as 80% from their pre-HPP limits. The CW accelerating field achieved with nine-cell cavities improved from 8-15 MV/m with HPP to 14-20 MV/m. The benefits are stable with subsequent exposure to dust-free air. More importantly, HPP also proves effective against new field emission subsequently introduced by cold and warm vacuum ''accidents'' which admitted ''dirty'' air into the cavities. Clear correlations are obtained linking FE reduction with the maximum surface electric field attained during processing. In single cells the maximums reached were E peak =72 MV/m and H peak =1660 Oe. Thermal breakdown, initiated by accompanying high surface magnetic fields is the dominant limitation on the attainable fields for pulsed processing, as well as for final CW and long pulse operation. To prove that the surface magnetic field rather than the surface electric fields is the limitation to HPP effectiveness, a special two-cell cavity with a reduced magnetic to electric field ratio is successfully tested. During HPP, pulsed fields reach E peak =113 MV/m (H peak =1600 Oe) and subsequent CW low power measurement reached E peak =100 MV/m, the highest CW field ever measured in a superconducting accelerator cavity. ((orig.))

In vivo MR imaging of the human skin at subnanoliter resolution using a superconducting surface coil at 1.5 Tesla.

Science.gov (United States)

Laistler, Elmar; Poirier-Quinot, Marie; Lambert, Simon A; Dubuisson, Rose-Marie; Girard, Olivier M; Moser, Ewald; Darrasse, Luc; Ginefri, Jean-Christophe

2015-02-01

To demonstrate the feasibility of a highly sensitive superconducting surface coil for microscopic MRI of the human skin in vivo in a clinical 1.5 Tesla (T) scanner. A 12.4-mm high-temperature superconducting coil was used at 1.5T for phantom and in vivo skin imaging. Images were inspected to identify fine anatomical skin structures. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement by the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil, as compared to a commercial MR microscopy coil was quantified from phantom imaging; the gain over a geometrically identical coil made from copper (cooled or not) was theoretically deduced. Noise sources were identified to evaluate the potential of HTS coils for future studies. In vivo skin images with isotropic 80 μm resolution were demonstrated revealing fine anatomical structures. The HTS coil improved SNR by a factor 32 over the reference coil in a nonloading phantom. For calf imaging, SNR gains of 380% and 30% can be expected over an identical copper coil at room temperature and 77 K, respectively. The high sensitivity of HTS coils allows for microscopic imaging of the skin at 1.5T and could serve as a tool for dermatology in a clinical setting. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Ketterson, John B

2008-01-01

Conceived as the definitive reference in a classic and important field of modern physics, this extensive and comprehensive handbook systematically reviews the basic physics, theory and recent advances in the field of superconductivity. Leading researchers, including Nobel laureates, describe the state-of-the-art in conventional and unconventional superconductors at a particularly opportune time, as new experimental techniques and field-theoretical methods have emerged. In addition to full-coverage of novel materials and underlying mechanisms, the handbook reflects continued intense research into electron-phone based superconductivity. Considerable attention is devoted to high-Tc superconductivity, novel superconductivity, including triplet pairing in the ruthenates, novel superconductors, such as heavy-Fermion metals and organic materials, and also granular superconductors. What’s more, several contributions address superconductors with impurities and nanostructured superconductors. Important new results on...

Radiation effects on superconductivity in A15 materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faehnle, M.

1981-01-01

At present the A15 superconductor Nb 3 Sn is one of the most attractive materials for the design of magnet systems for fusion reactors. There the materials are exposed to a high flux of neutrons up to 10 18 to 10 19 n/cm 2 during a continuous fusion reactor operation within ten years. As a result the critical parameters of the superconducting materials are changed which must be taken into account when designing reliable magnet systems. The neutron radiation damage in A15 materials thereby is characterized by small highly disordered regions within a less disordered matrix. The highly disordered regions are responsible for the increase of the critical current density after low-dose neutron irradiation of non-optimized materials and have an influence on the superconducting transition width. In contrast, the change of the superconducting parameters after high-dose irradiation may be understood essentially by considering the properties of the matrix alone. 23 refs

An introduction to superconductivity. The Meissner effect and the derivation of phenomenological models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Habeney, Lucas

2016-09-23

The purpose of this work was to give the reader insight into the topic of conventional superconductors. It started out with defining the superconductive state itself as a state of ideal conductivity and ideal diamagnetism. An important phenomenon to keep in mind in this regard is the Meissner-Ochsenfeld effect. It then went on to attempt to understand those properties on a macroscopic level. This was achieved in the framework of the two major macroscopic theories, the London theory and the Ginzburg-Landau theory. While the London theory focused on the electrodynamic qualities of the superconductive state, the Ginzburg-Landau theory dealt with events close to the superconducting phase transition in a thermodynamic scope. The highlight of this section was the investigation of the Abrikosov lattice, the geometric disposition of the flux tubes in the intermediate Shubnikov phase. We closed with the BCS theory as the premier microscopic theory of superconductivity. Main subjects of this section were the concept of Cooper pairs and the calculation of various energy gap equations. We also looked at real properties of superconductors such as the specific heat to test our rather abstract calculations and came to outstanding agreements. The principles presented in this document should serve as a foundation to work on more advanced problems in superconductivity. Especially the large field of unconventional superconductivity is of huge interest in current research, as most of the high T{sub c} superconductors fall in that category. As unconventional superconductors can not be explained with BCS theory, the search for a uniform theory to describe them is still on-going. Unconventional superconductors include but are not limited to cuprates (T{sub c}

Asymmetric d-wave superconducting topological insulator in proximity with a magnetic order

Science.gov (United States)

Khezerlou, M.; Goudarzi, H.; Asgarifar, S.

2018-02-01

In the framework of the Dirac-Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism, we investigate the transport properties in the surface of a 3-dimensional topological insulator-based hybrid structure, where the ferromagnetic and superconducting orders are simultaneously induced to the surface states via the proximity effect. The superconductor gap is taken to be spin-singlet d-wave symmetry. The asymmetric role of this gap respect to the electron-hole exchange, in one hand, affects the topological insulator superconducting binding excitations and, on the other hand, gives rise to forming distinct Majorana bound states at the ferromagnet/superconductor interface. We propose a topological insulator N/F/FS junction and proceed to clarify the role of d-wave asymmetry pairing in the resulting subgap and overgap tunneling conductance. The perpendicular component of magnetizations in F and FS regions can be at the parallel and antiparallel configurations leading to capture the experimentally important magnetoresistance (MR) of junction. It is found that the zero-bias conductance is strongly sensitive to the magnitude of magnetization in FS region mzfs and orbital rotated angle α of superconductor gap. The negative MR only occurs in zero orbital rotated angle. This result can pave the way to distinguish the unconventional superconducting state in the relating topological insulator hybrid structures.

Superconducting proximity effect in mesoscopic superconductor/normal-metal junctions

CERN Document Server

Takayanagi, H; Toyoda, E

1999-01-01

The superconducting proximity effect is discussed in mesoscopic superconductor/normal-metal junctions. The newly-developed theory shows long-range phase-coherent effect which explaines early experimental results of giant magnetoresistance oscillations in an Andreev interferometer. The theory also shows that the proximity correction to the conductance (PCC) has a reentrant behavior as a function of energy. The reentrant behavior is systematically studied in a gated superconductor-semiconductor junction. A negative PCC is observed in the case of a weak coupling between the normal metal and the external reservoir. Phase coherent ac effect is also observed when rf is irradiated to the junction.

Tailoring Superconductivity with Quantum Dislocations.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingda; Song, Qichen; Liu, Te-Huan; Meroueh, Laureen; Mahan, Gerald D; Dresselhaus, Mildred S; Chen, Gang

2017-08-09

Despite the established knowledge that crystal dislocations can affect a material's superconducting properties, the exact mechanism of the electron-dislocation interaction in a dislocated superconductor has long been missing. Being a type of defect, dislocations are expected to decrease a material's superconducting transition temperature (T c ) by breaking the coherence. Yet experimentally, even in isotropic type I superconductors, dislocations can either decrease, increase, or have little influence on T c . These experimental findings have yet to be understood. Although the anisotropic pairing in dirty superconductors has explained impurity-induced T c reduction, no quantitative agreement has been reached in the case a dislocation given its complexity. In this study, by generalizing the one-dimensional quantized dislocation field to three dimensions, we reveal that there are indeed two distinct types of electron-dislocation interactions. Besides the usual electron-dislocation potential scattering, there is another interaction driving an effective attraction between electrons that is caused by dislons, which are quantized modes of a dislocation. The role of dislocations to superconductivity is thus clarified as the competition between the classical and quantum effects, showing excellent agreement with existing experimental data. In particular, the existence of both classical and quantum effects provides a plausible explanation for the illusive origin of dislocation-induced superconductivity in semiconducting PbS/PbTe superlattice nanostructures. A quantitative criterion has been derived, in which a dislocated superconductor with low elastic moduli and small electron effective mass and in a confined environment is inclined to enhance T c . This provides a new pathway for engineering a material's superconducting properties by using dislocations as an additional degree of freedom.

Superconductivity revisited

CERN Document Server

Dougherty, Ralph

2013-01-01

While the macroscopic phenomenon of superconductivity is well known and in practical use worldwide in many industries, including MRIs in medical diagnostics, the current theoretical paradigm for superconductivity (BCS theory) suffers from a number of limitations, not the least of which is an adequate explanation of high temperature superconductivity. This book reviews the current theory and its limitations and suggests new ideas and approaches in addressing these issues. The central objective of the book is to develop a new, coherent, understandable theory of superconductivity directly based on molecular quantum mechanics.

Superconducting spin switch based on superconductor-ferromagnet nanostructures for spintronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kehrle, Jan; Mueller, Claus; Obermeier, Guenter; Schreck, Matthias; Gsell, Stefan; Horn, Siegfried; Tidecks, Reinhard; Zdravkov, Vladimir; Morari, Roman; Sidorencko, Anatoli; Prepelitsa, Andrei; Antropov, Evgenii; Socrovisciiuc, Alexei; Nold, Eberhard; Tagirov, Lenar

2011-01-01

Very rapid developing area, spintronics, needs new devices, based on new physical principles. One of such devices - a superconducting spin-switch, consists of ferromagnetic and superconducting layers, and is based on a new phenomenon - reentrant superconductivity. The tuning of the superconducting and ferromagnetic layers thickness is investigated to optimize superconducting spin-switch effect for Nb/Cu 41 Ni 59 based nanoscale layered systems.

Interaction of the superconducting domains induced by external electric field with electromagnetic waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shapiro, B.Y.

1992-01-01

The behavior of a superconductor in time-independent electric field perpendicular to the surface and in the external electromagnetic wave is theoretically investigated. A new type of the resonance interaction between superconducting domains localized along the magnetic field (if the superconducting phase transition takes place in the external magnetic field perpendicular to the surface) and electromagnetic waves is predicted. The surface impedance of the superconductor with domains is calculated. It is shown that the real part of the impedance has a saturation if the skin length equals the domain size. (orig.)

Roughness analysis applied to niobium thin films grown on MgO(001) surfaces for superconducting radio frequency cavity applications

OpenAIRE

D. B. Beringer; W. M. Roach; C. Clavero; C. E. Reece; R. A. Lukaszew

2013-01-01

This paper describes surface studies to address roughness issues inherent to thin film coatings deposited onto superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. This is particularly relevant for multilayered thin film coatings that are being considered as a possible scheme to overcome technical issues and to surpass the fundamental limit of ∼50  MV/m accelerating gradient achievable with bulk niobium. In 2006, a model by Gurevich [Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 012511 (2006)APPLAB0003-695110.1063/1.2162...

Superconducting materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruvalds, J.

1990-01-01

This report discusses the following topics: Fermi liquid nesting in high temperature superconductors; optical properties of high temperature superconductors; Hall effect in superconducting La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 ; source of high transition temperatures; and prospects for new superconductors

Effect of Inhomogeneity on s-wave Superconductivity in the Attractive Hubbard Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aryanpour, K. A. [University of California, Davis; Dagotto, Elbio R [ORNL; Mayr, Matthias [Max-Planck-Institut fur Feskorperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany; Paiva, T. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Pickett, W. E. [University of California, Davis; Scalettar, Richard T [ORNL

2006-01-01

Inhomogeneous s-wave superconductivity is studied in the two-dimensional, square lattice attractive Hubbard Hamiltonian using the Bogoliubov-de Gennes BdG mean field approximation. We find that at weak coupling, and for densities mainly below half-filling, an inhomogeneous interaction in which the on-site interaction Ui takes on two values, Ui=0, 2U results in a larger zero temperature pairing amplitude, and that the superconducting Tc can also be significantly increased, relative to a uniform system with Ui=U on all sites. These effects are observed for stripe, checkerboard, and even random patterns of the attractive centers, suggesting that the pattern of inhomogeneity is unimportant. Monte Carlo calculations which reintroduce some of the fluctuations neglected within the BdG approach see the same effect, both for the attractive Hubbard model and a Hamiltonian with d-wave pairing symmetry.

Manufacture of keystoned flat superconducting cables for use in SSC [Superconducting Super Collider] dipoles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Royet, J.; Scanlan, R.M.

1986-09-01

The superconducting magnets used in the construction of particle accelerators are mostly built from flat, multistrand cables with rectangular or keystoned cross sections. In this paper we will emphasize the differences between the techniques for cabling conventional wires for cabling superconducting wires. Concepts for the tooling will be introduced. The effects of cabling parameters on critical current degradation are being evaluated in collaboration with NBS-Boulder

Effect of lead addition on the formation of superconducting phases in Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinelli, A.E.

1991-01-01

Superconducting ceramics with starting composition Bi 2 - x Pb x Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O y (0,0 ≤ X ≤ 0,6) were prepared in order to investigate the effects of partial substitution of Pb for Bi and sintering time and atmosphere in the formation of superconducting phases. For all samples X-ray diffraction analyses were performed to estimate the amount of superconducting phases; superconductivity was analysed by dc electrical resistance and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements. The main results show that: a) the longer the sintering time (up to 168 h), the larger the volume fraction of superconducting phases with critical temperature (T c ) greater than the temperature of nitrogen liquefaction; b) by partially substituting Pb for Bi it is possible to restrain the formation of 2212 phase (T c = 80 K) and to enhance the amount of 2223 phase (T c = 105 K); C) a heat treatment under oxygen atmosphere before sintering enhances the formation of 2223 phase. (author)

The role of local repulsion in superconductivity in the Hubbard-Holstein model

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chungwei; Wang, Bingnan; Teo, Koon Hoo

2017-01-01

We examine the superconducting solution in the Hubbard-Holstein model using Dynamical Mean Field Theory. The Holstein term introduces the site-independent Boson fields coupling to local electron density, and has two competing influences on superconductivity: The Boson field mediates the effective electron-electron attraction, which is essential for the S-wave electron pairing; the same coupling to the Boson fields also induces the polaron effect, which makes the system less metallic and thus suppresses superconductivity. The Hubbard term introduces an energy penalty U when two electrons occupy the same site, which is expected to suppress superconductivity. By solving the Hubbard-Holstein model using Dynamical Mean Field theory, we find that the Hubbard U can be beneficial to superconductivity under some circumstances. In particular, we demonstrate that when the Boson energy Ω is small, a weak local repulsion actually stabilizesthe S-wave superconducting state. This behavior can be understood as an interplay between superconductivity, the polaron effect, and the on-site repulsion: As the polaron effect is strong and suppresses superconductivity in the small Ω regime, the weak on-site repulsion reduces the polaron effect and effectively enhances superconductivity. Our calculation elucidates the role of local repulsion in the conventional S-wave superconductors.

Progress in diagnostic techniques for SC [superconducting] cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reece, C.E.

1988-01-01

Despite the very real progress that has been made, the routine performance of superconducting cavities still falls far short of both the theoretical expectations and the performance of afew exceptional examples. It is the task of systematically applied diagnostic techniques to reveal additional information concerning the response of superconducting surfaces to applied RF fields. In this paper we will direct our attention to discussions of recent developments in diagnostic techniqeus, such as thermometry in superfluid helium, and scanning laser acoustic microscopy. 18 refs., 12 figs

Investigation of the temperature and frequency dependence of the surface resistance of superconducting Nb-resonators between 12 and 18 GHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, W.

1978-08-01

Up to now, all measurements on superconducting niobium cavities are restricted to the frequency range below 12 GHz. This paper reports on the investigation of the temperature and frequency dependence of the surface resistance of superconducting niobium between 12 and 18 GHz. Beside the study of TM modes which are important for accelerators, TE modes have been measured also to be able to separate between different loss mechanisms. The dimensions D = L = 40 mm are choosen so that the cavity is operated in higher order modes. Thereby the fabrication, especially of the coupling, and the handling of the cavity is simplified. We use a fixed magnetic hole coupling. Because the cavity was fabricated in a flanged and in a welded model, the influence of a joint could also be studied. After subtracting the residual resistance Rsub(res) the measured values obtained by the newly installed RF set-up fit in temperature and frequency dependence the superconducting surface resistance Rsub(s1) in the framework of the BCS-theory. The gap parameter Δ/kTsub(c) determined from the temperature dependence lies between 1.94 and 1.98. The frequency dependence of Rsub(s1) shows with Rsub(s1) approximately f 1 . 62 the for Nb expected shape. The highest Q 0 in the flanged cavity was 1.7 x 10 9 (f 0 = 13.260 GHz) and in the welded one 1.8 X 10 9 (f 0 = 13.310 GHz), measured in each case in a TE mode at T = 1.3 K. The residual resistance increases with f 2 and stronger and is especially high in the flanged cavity in modes with currents across the joint. (orig.) 891 WBU [de

Josephson scanning tunneling microscopy -- a local and direct probe of the superconducting order parameter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kimura, Hikari; Dynes, Robert; Barber Jr., Richard. P.; Ono, S.; Ando, Y.

2009-09-01

Direct measurements of the superconducting superfluid on the surface of vacuum-cleaved Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta (BSCCO) samples are reported. These measurements are accomplished via Josephson tunneling into the sample using a novel scanning tunneling microscope (STM) equipped with a superconducting tip. The spatial resolution of the STM of lateral distances less than the superconducting coherence length allows it to reveal local inhomogeneities in the pair wavefunction of the BSCCO. Instrument performance is demonstrated first with Josephson measurements of Pb films followed by the layered superconductor NbSe2. The relevant measurement parameter, the Josephson ICRN product, is discussed within the context of both BCS superconductors and the high transition temperature superconductors. The local relationship between the ICRN product and the quasiparticle density of states (DOS) gap are presented within the context of phase diagrams for BSCCO. Excessive current densities can be produced with these measurements and have been found to alter the local DOS in the BSCCO. Systematic studies of this effect were performed to determine the practical measurement limits for these experiments. Alternative methods for preparation of the BSCCO surface are also discussed.

Superconductivity in Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso, Jose R.; Antaya, Timothy A.

2012-01-01

Superconductivity is playing an increasingly important role in advanced medical technologies. Compact superconducting cyclotrons are emerging as powerful tools for external beam therapy with protons and carbon ions, and offer advantages of cost and size reduction in isotope production as well. Superconducting magnets in isocentric gantries reduce their size and weight to practical proportions. In diagnostic imaging, superconducting magnets have been crucial for the successful clinical implementation of magnetic resonance imaging. This article introduces each of those areas and describes the role which superconductivity is playing in them.

Superconducting spoke cavities for high-velocity applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hopper, Christopher S. [Old Dominion U.; Delayen, Jean R. [Old Dominion U., JLAB

2013-10-01

To date, superconducting spoke cavities have been designed, developed, and tested for particle velocities up to {beta}{sub 0}~0.6, but there is a growing interest in possible applications of multispoke cavities for high-velocity applications. We have explored the design parameter space for low-frequency, high-velocity, double-spoke superconducting cavities in order to determine how each design parameter affects the electromagnetic properties, in particular the surface electromagnetic fields and the shunt impedance. We present detailed design for cavities operating at 325 and 352 MHz and optimized for {beta}{sub 0}~=0.82 and 1.

Quantum oscillations in antiferromagnetic CaFe2As2 on the brink of superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrison, N; McDonald, R D; Mielke, C H; Bauer, E D; Ronning, F; Thompson, J D

2009-01-01

We report quantum oscillation measurements on CaFe 2 As 2 under strong magnetic fields-recently reported to become superconducting under pressures of as little as a kilobar. The largest observed carrier pocket occupies less than 0.05% of the paramagnetic Brillouin zone volume-consistent with Fermi surface reconstruction caused by antiferromagnetism. On comparing several alkaline earth AFe 2 As 2 antiferromagnets (with A = Ca, Sr and Ba), the dependences of the Fermi surface cross-sectional area F α and the effective mass m α * of the primary observed pocket on the antiferromagnetic/structural transition temperature T s are both found to be consistent with the case for quasiparticles in a conventional spin-density wave model. These findings suggest that the recently proposed strain-enhanced superconductivity in these materials occurs within a broadly conventional spin-density wave phase. (fast track communication)

Longitudinal Proximity Effect Superconducting Transition-Edge Sensor

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Superconducting Transition-Edge Sensors (TESs) hold the highest energy resolving power of any nondispersive spectrometer.   They are used for imaging spectroscopy...

Fulde-Ferrell state in superconducting core/shell nanowires: role of the orbital effect

Science.gov (United States)

Mika, Marek; Wójcik, Paweł

2017-11-01

The orbital effect on the Fulde-Ferrell (FF) phase is investigated in superconducting core/shell nanowires subjected to the axial magnetic field. Confinement in the radial direction results in quantization of the electron motion with energies determined by the radial j and orbital m quantum numbers. In the external magnetic field, the twofold degeneracy with respect to the orbital magnetic quantum number m is lifted which leads to the Fermi wave vector mismatch between the paired electrons, (k, j, m, \\uparrow) ≤ftrightarrow (-k, j, -m, \\downarrow) . This mismatch is transferred to the nonzero total momentum of the Cooper pairs, which results in a formation of the FF phase occurring sequentially with increasing magnetic field. By changing the nanowire radius R and the superconducting shell thickness d, we discuss the role of the orbital effect in the FF phase formation in both the nanowire-like (R/d \\ll 1 ) and nanofilm-like (R/d \\gg 1 ) regime. We have found that the irregular pattern of the FF phase which appears for the case of the nanowire-like regime, for the nanofilm-like geometry evolves towards the regular distribution in which the FF phase stability regions emerge periodically between the BCS states. The transition between these two different phase diagrams is explained as resulting from the orbital effect and the multigap character of superconductivity in the core/shell nanowires.

Thin Film Approaches to the SRF Cavity Problem: Fabrication and Characterization of Superconducting Thin Films

Science.gov (United States)

Beringer, Douglas B.

Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities are responsible for the acceleration of charged particles to relativistic velocities in most modern linear accelerators, such as those employed at high-energy research facilities like Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory's CEBAF and the LHC at CERN. Recognizing SRF as primarily a surface phenomenon enables the possibility of applying thin films to the interior surface of SRF cavities, opening a formidable tool chest of opportunities by combining and designing materials that offer greater benefit. Thus, while improvements in radio frequency cavity design and refinements in cavity processing techniques have improved accelerator performance and efficiency - 1.5 GHz bulk niobium SRF cavities have achieved accelerating gradients in excess of 35 MV/m - there exist fundamental material bounds in bulk superconductors limiting the maximally sustained accelerating field gradient (approximately 45 MV/m for Niobium) where inevitable thermodynamic breakdown occurs. With state of the art niobium based cavity design fast approaching these theoretical limits, novel material innovations must be sought in order to realize next generation SRF cavities. One proposed method to improve SRF performance is to utilize thin film superconducting-insulating-superconducting (SIS) multilayer structures to effectively magnetically screen a bulk superconducting layer such that it can operate at higher field gradients before suffering critically detrimental SRF losses. This dissertation focuses on the production and characterization of thin film superconductors for such SIS layers for radio-frequency applications.

NbN thin films for superconducting radio frequency cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Roach, W. M.; Skuza, J. R.; Beringer, D. B.; Li, Z.; Clavero, C.; Lukaszew, R. A.

2012-12-01

NbN thin films have the potential to be incorporated into radio frequency cavities in a multilayer coating to overcome the fundamental field gradient limit of 50 MV m-1 for the bulk niobium based technology that is currently implemented in particle accelerators. In addition to having a larger critical field value than bulk niobium, NbN films develop smoother surfaces which are optimal for cavity performance and lead to fewer losses. Here, we present a study on the correlation of film deposition parameters, surface morphology, microstructure, transport properties and superconducting properties of NbN thin films. We have achieved films with bulk-like lattice parameters and superconducting transition temperatures. These NbN films have a lower surface roughness than similarly grown niobium films of comparable thickness. The potential application of NbN thin films in accelerator cavities is discussed.

NbN thin films for superconducting radio frequency cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roach, W M; Clavero, C; Lukaszew, R A; Skuza, J R; Beringer, D B; Li, Z

2012-01-01

NbN thin films have the potential to be incorporated into radio frequency cavities in a multilayer coating to overcome the fundamental field gradient limit of 50 MV m −1 for the bulk niobium based technology that is currently implemented in particle accelerators. In addition to having a larger critical field value than bulk niobium, NbN films develop smoother surfaces which are optimal for cavity performance and lead to fewer losses. Here, we present a study on the correlation of film deposition parameters, surface morphology, microstructure, transport properties and superconducting properties of NbN thin films. We have achieved films with bulk-like lattice parameters and superconducting transition temperatures. These NbN films have a lower surface roughness than similarly grown niobium films of comparable thickness. The potential application of NbN thin films in accelerator cavities is discussed. (paper)

Synergy of exchange bias with superconductivity in ferromagnetic-superconducting layered hybrids: the influence of in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic order on superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stamopoulos, D; Manios, E; Pissas, M

2007-01-01

It is generally believed that superconductivity and magnetism are two antagonistic long-range phenomena. However, as was preliminarily highlighted in Stamopoulos et al (2007 Phys. Rev. B 75 014501), and extensively studied in this work, under specific circumstances these phenomena instead of being detrimental to each other may even become cooperative so that their synergy may promote the superconducting properties of a hybrid structure. Here, we have studied systematically the magnetic and transport behavior of such exchange biased hybrids that are comprised of ferromagnetic (FM) Ni 80 Fe 20 and low-T c superconducting (SC) Nb for the case where the magnetic field is applied parallel to the specimens. Two structures have been studied: FM-SC-FM trilayers (TLs) and FM-SC bilayers (BLs). Detailed magnetization data on the longitudinal and transverse magnetic components are presented for both the normal and superconducting states. These data are compared to systematic transport measurements including I-V characteristics. The comparison of the exchange biased BLs and TLs that are studied here with the plain ones studied in Stamopoulos et al (2007 Phys. Rev. B 75 184504) enable us to reveal an underlying parameter that may falsify the interpretation of the transport properties of relevant FM-SC-FM TLs and FM-SC BLs investigated in the recent literature: the underlying mechanism motivating the extreme magnetoresistance peaks in the TLs relates to the suppression of superconductivity mainly due to the magnetic coupling of the two FM layers as the out-of-plane rotation of their magnetizations takes place across the coercive field where stray fields emerge in their whole surface owing to the multidomain magnetic state that they acquire. The relative in-plane magnetization configuration of the outer FM layers exerts a secondary contribution on the SC interlayer. Since the exchange bias directly controls the in-plane magnetic order it also controls the out-of-plane rotation of

Contribution to the study of superconducting magnets using high transition temperature superconducting materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lecrevisse, Thibault

2012-01-01

The new industrial superconductors using high critical temperature compounds offer new possibilities for superconducting magnetism. Indeed they allow higher magnetic field with the same classical cryogenics at 4.2 K on one hand, and on the other hand they also pave the way for superconducting magnets working between 10 K and 30 K. The high temperature superconductors are then needed in order to produce magnetic fields higher than 16 T (case of HTS dipole insert for Large Hadron Collider at CERN) or to increase the specific density stored in one SMES (Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage, in the case of the SuperSMES ANR Project).Nevertheless the indisputable assets (critical temperature, critical magnetic field, mechanical stresses) brought by the use of High critical temperature superconductors like YBCO, used in superconducting magnets, require to solve some challenges. Their behavior is still badly understood, especially during the resistive transitions. To succeed in protecting these conductors we need a new reflection on protection schemes designed to avoid the thermal and mechanical damages. The answer to the question: 'Can we use those materials in the long run inside superconducting magnets?' is now inescapable.Some answers are given here. The use of the conductors is approached through various experimental studies to understand the material (electrical characterization and modeling of the critical surface) and to define the key stages of high critical temperature superconducting magnets manufacturing (work on the junctions between conductors and pancakes). This study led to the creation of two coils in order to identify the issues related to the use of YBCO tapes. A numerical thermo-electrical model of the high critical temperature superconductor has been developed and a numerical code based on the CEA software CASTEM (Finish Elements Model) allowed to study the resistive transition (or quench) behavior of those conductor and coil. The code has been

Macroscopic Magnetic Coupling Effect: The Physical Origination of a High-Temperature Superconducting Flux Pump

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Coombs, Tim

2018-04-01

We have uncovered at the macroscopic scale a magnetic coupling phenomenon in a superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 -δ (YBCO) film, which physically explains the mechanism of the high-temperature superconducting flux pump. The coupling occurs between the applied magnetic poles and clusters of vortices induced in the YBCO film, with each cluster containing millions of vortices. The coupling energy is verified to originate from the inhomogeneous field of the magnetic poles, which reshapes the vortex distribution, aggregates millions of vortices into a single cluster, and accordingly moves with the poles. A contrast study is designed to verify that, to provide the effective coupling energy, the applied wavelength must be short while the field amplitude must be strong, i.e., local-field inhomogeneity is the crucial factor. This finding broadens our understanding of the collective vortex behavior in an applied magnetic field with strong local inhomogeneity. Moreover, this phenomenon largely increases the controlled vortex flow rate by several orders of magnitude compared with existing methods, providing motivation for and physical support to a new branch of wireless superconducting dc power sources, i.e., the high-temperature superconducting flux pump.

Subharmonic energy-gap structure and heating effects in superconducting niobium point contacts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Flensberg, K.; Hansen, Jørn Bindslev

1989-01-01

We present experimental data of the temperature-dependent subharmonic energy-gap structure (SGS) in the current-voltage (I-V) curves of superconducting niobium point contacts. The observed SGS is modified by heating effects. We construct a model of the quasiparticle conductance of metallic...

Effects of disorder on coexistence and competition between superconducting and insulating states

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mostovoy, MV; Marchetti, FM; Simons, BD; Littlewood, PB

We study effects of nonmagnetic impurities on the competition between the superconducting and electron-hole pairing. We show that disorder can result in coexistence of these two types of ordering in a uniform state, even when in clean materials they are mutually exclusive.

Electron mobility, conductivity, and superconductivity near the metal-insulator transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiory, A.T.; Hebard, A.F.

1984-01-01

The disorder parameter k/sub F/l for amorphous InO/sub x/ is measured by a novel application of the surface electric field effect and is varied by thermal annealing. The normal-state conductivity and superconducting T/sub c/ both vary as (k/sub F/l) -2 and critical disorder occurs at k/sub F/lroughly-equal3/sup 1/2/, as a result of Anderson localization in this low-carrier density material

Superconductivity in all its states

CERN Multimedia

Globe Info

2011-01-01

Temporary exhibition at the Saint-Genis-Pouilly Tourist Office. For the 100th anniversary of its discovery, take a plunge into the amazing world of superconductivity. Some materials, when cooled down to extreme temperatures, acquire a remarkable property -  they become superconducting. Superconductivity is a rare example of a quantum effect that can be witnessed on the macroscopic scale and is today at the heart of much research. In laboratories, researchers try to gain a better understanding of its origins, study new superconducting materials, explore the phenomenon at the nanometric scale and pursue their indefatigable search for new applications. Monday to Friday: 09:00 a.m. to 12:00 and 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon » Open to all – Admission free For further information: +33 (0)4 50 42 29 37

Development of partially-stabilized pulsed superconducting magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tateishi, Hiroshi; Onishi, Toshitada; Komuro, Kazuo; Koyama, Kenichi

1987-01-01

Two types of pulsed superconducting cables and four pulsed superconducting magnets have been developed in order to investigate basic problems in constructing ohmic heating coils of a tokamak-type fusion reactor. We found that a compacted cable is superior in mechanical rigidity and a braided cable is superior in cooling capacity as a conductor of a pulsed magnet. Stored energy and a maximum field of the magnets are 78 kJ and 6 T, 68 kJ and 4 T, 375 kJ and 6 T, and 363 kJ and 3 T, respectively. Some of these magnets quenched in pulsive operations due to excessive ac losses or macroscopic wire motions. Therefore, main conditions for operating pulsed magnets without quenching are (1) to make ac losses low enough to be cooled with liquid helium existing near at the conductor surface by reducing filament diameter to the order of 10 μm and utilizing CuNi as matrix effectively, and (2) to prevent macroscopic wire motions by partial solderfilling of a cable or winding a magnet with strong tension. (author)

Superconducting muon channel at J-PARC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimomura, K.; Koda, A.; Strasser, P.; Kawamura, N.; Fujimori, H.; Makimura, S.; Higemoto, W.; Nakahara, K.; Ishida, K.; Nishiyama, K.; Nagamine, K.; Miyake, Y.

2009-01-01

The Muon Science Laboratory at the Materials and Life Science Facility is now under construction in Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC), where four types of muon channels are planned to be installed. A conventional superconducting muon channel will be installed at the first stage, which can extract surface (positive) muons and decay positive/negative muons up to 120 MeV/c, and the expected muon yield is a few 10 6 /s at 60 MeV/c (for both positive and negative). This channel will be used for various kinds of experiments like muon catalyzed fusion, μSR and nondestructive elements analysis. The present status of the superconducting muon channel is briefly reported.

Elementary microscopic treatment of the effect of static disorder on superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiecko, Cristina

1988-01-01

Dividing explicitely both phonon and electrons in extended and localized excitations, the effect of static disorder on superconductivity is derived by standard treatment. Main increase is obtained from localized levels above ε F which are paired by local phonon modes, in agreement with a previous model derived in mean-field approximation. (Author)

Numerical calculation of transient field effects in quenching superconducting magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwerg, Juljan Nikolai

2010-01-01

The maximum obtainable magnetic induction of accelerator magnets, relying on normal conducting cables and iron poles, is limited to around 2 T because of ohmic losses and iron saturation. Using superconducting cables, and employing permeable materials merely to reduce the fringe field, this limit can be exceeded and fields of more than 10 T can be obtained. A quench denotes the sudden transition from the superconducting to the normal conducting state. The drastic increase in electrical resistivity causes ohmic heating. The dissipated heat yields a temperature rise in the coil and causes the quench to propagate. The resulting high voltages and excessive temperatures can result in an irreversible damage of the magnet - to the extend of a cable melt-down. The quench behavior of a magnet depends on numerous factors, e.g. the magnet design, the applied magnet protection measures, the external electrical network, electrical and thermal material properties, and induced eddy current losses. The analysis and optimization of the quench behavior is an integral part of the construction of any superconducting magnet. The dissertation is divided in three complementary parts, i.e. the thesis, the detailed treatment and the appendix. In the thesis the quench process in superconducting accelerator magnets is studied. At first, we give an overview over features of accelerator magnets and physical phenomena occurring during a quench. For all relevant effects numerical models are introduced and adapted. The different models are weakly coupled in the quench algorithm and solved by means of an adaptive time-stepping method. This allows to resolve the variation of material properties as well as time constants. The quench model is validated by means of measurement data from magnets of the Large Hadron Collider. In a second step, we show results of protection studies for future accelerator magnets. The thesis ends with a summary of the results and a critical outlook on aspects which could

Numerical calculation of transient field effects in quenching superconducting magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwerg, Juljan Nikolai

2010-07-01

The maximum obtainable magnetic induction of accelerator magnets, relying on normal conducting cables and iron poles, is limited to around 2 T because of ohmic losses and iron saturation. Using superconducting cables, and employing permeable materials merely to reduce the fringe field, this limit can be exceeded and fields of more than 10 T can be obtained. A quench denotes the sudden transition from the superconducting to the normal conducting state. The drastic increase in electrical resistivity causes ohmic heating. The dissipated heat yields a temperature rise in the coil and causes the quench to propagate. The resulting high voltages and excessive temperatures can result in an irreversible damage of the magnet - to the extend of a cable melt-down. The quench behavior of a magnet depends on numerous factors, e.g. the magnet design, the applied magnet protection measures, the external electrical network, electrical and thermal material properties, and induced eddy current losses. The analysis and optimization of the quench behavior is an integral part of the construction of any superconducting magnet. The dissertation is divided in three complementary parts, i.e. the thesis, the detailed treatment and the appendix. In the thesis the quench process in superconducting accelerator magnets is studied. At first, we give an overview over features of accelerator magnets and physical phenomena occurring during a quench. For all relevant effects numerical models are introduced and adapted. The different models are weakly coupled in the quench algorithm and solved by means of an adaptive time-stepping method. This allows to resolve the variation of material properties as well as time constants. The quench model is validated by means of measurement data from magnets of the Large Hadron Collider. In a second step, we show results of protection studies for future accelerator magnets. The thesis ends with a summary of the results and a critical outlook on aspects which could

Vortex dynamics in ferromagnetic/superconducting bilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cieplak, M.Z.; Adamus, Z. [Polish Acad Sci, Inst Phys, PL-02668 Warsaw, (Poland); Konczykowski, M. [CEA, DSM, DRECAM, Lab Solides Irradies, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS-UMR 7642, F-91128 Palaiseau (France); Zhu, L.Y.; Chien, C.L. [Johns Hopkins Univ, Dept Phys and Astron, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2008-07-01

The dependence of vortex dynamics on the geometry of magnetic domain pattern is studied in the superconducting/ferromagnetic bilayers, in which niobium is a superconductor, and Co/Pt multilayer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy serves as a ferromagnetic layer. Magnetic domain patterns with different density of domains per surface area and different domain size, w, are obtained for Co/Pt with different thickness of Pt. The dense patterns of domains with the size comparable to the magnetic penetration depth (w {>=} {lambda}) produce large vortex pinning and smooth vortex penetration, while less dense patterns with larger domains (w {>=}{>=} {lambda}) enhance pinning less effectively and result in flux jumps during flux motion. (authors)

Theoretical estimates of maximum fields in superconducting resonant radio frequency cavities: stability theory, disorder, and laminates

Science.gov (United States)

Liarte, Danilo B.; Posen, Sam; Transtrum, Mark K.; Catelani, Gianluigi; Liepe, Matthias; Sethna, James P.

2017-03-01

Theoretical limits to the performance of superconductors in high magnetic fields parallel to their surfaces are of key relevance to current and future accelerating cavities, especially those made of new higher-T c materials such as Nb3Sn, NbN, and MgB2. Indeed, beyond the so-called superheating field {H}{sh}, flux will spontaneously penetrate even a perfect superconducting surface and ruin the performance. We present intuitive arguments and simple estimates for {H}{sh}, and combine them with our previous rigorous calculations, which we summarize. We briefly discuss experimental measurements of the superheating field, comparing to our estimates. We explore the effects of materials anisotropy and the danger of disorder in nucleating vortex entry. Will we need to control surface orientation in the layered compound MgB2? Can we estimate theoretically whether dirt and defects make these new materials fundamentally more challenging to optimize than niobium? Finally, we discuss and analyze recent proposals to use thin superconducting layers or laminates to enhance the performance of superconducting cavities. Flux entering a laminate can lead to so-called pancake vortices; we consider the physics of the dislocation motion and potential re-annihilation or stabilization of these vortices after their entry.

Generalized Superconductivity. Generalized Levitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciobanu, B.; Agop, M.

2004-01-01

In the recent papers, the gravitational superconductivity is described. We introduce the concept of generalized superconductivity observing that any nongeodesic motion and, in particular, the motion in an electromagnetic field, can be transformed in a geodesic motion by a suitable choice of the connection. In the present paper, the gravitoelectromagnetic London equations have been obtained from the generalized Helmholtz vortex theorem using the generalized local equivalence principle. In this context, the gravitoelectromagnetic Meissner effect and, implicitly, the gravitoelectromagnetic levitation are given. (authors)

Superconducting rf development at ATLAS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shepard, K.W.; Kedzie, M.; Clifft, B.E. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States); Roy, A.; Potukuchi, P. [Nuclear Science Centre, New Delhi (India); Givens, J.; Potter, J.; Crandall, K. [AccSys Technology, Inc., Pleasanton, CA (United States); Added, N. [Sao Paulo Univ., SP (Brazil)

1993-12-31

The ATLAS superconducting heavy-ion linac began operation in 1978 and has operated nearly continuously since that time, while undergoing a series of upgrades and expansions, the most recent being the ``uranium upgrade`` completed earlier this year and described below. In its present configuration the ATLAS linac consists of an array of 64 resonant cavities operating from 48 to 145 MHz, which match a range of particle velocities .007 < {beta} = v/c < .2. The linac provides approximately 50 MV of effective accelerating potential for ions of q/m > 1/10 over the entire periodic table. Delivered beams include 5 {minus} 7 pnA of {sup 238}U{sup 39+} at 1535 MeV. At present more than 10{sup 6} cavity-hours of operation at surface electric fields of 15 MV/m have been accumulated. Superconducting structure development at ATLAS is aimed at improving the cost/performance of existing low velocity structures both for possible future ATLAS upgrades, and also for heavy-ion linacs at other institutions. An application of particular current interest is to develop structures suitable for accelerating radioactive ion beams. Such structures must accelerate very low charge to mass ratio beams and must also have very large transverse acceptance.

Design of 9 tesla superconducting solenoid for VECC RIB facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Chiranjib; Ghosh, Siddhartha; Fatma, Tabassum; Dey, Malay Kanti; Bhunia, Uttam; Bandyopadhyay, Arup; Chakrabarti, Alok

2013-01-01

An ISOL post-accelerator type of RIB facility is being developed at our centre. The post acceleration scheme of a Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) followed by five IH LINAC cavities will provide energy of about 1.05 MeV/u. For further accelerating up to 2 MeV/u Superconducting Quarter Wave Resonators (SCQWR) will be used. The radial defocusing of the beam bunch during the acceleration using SCQWRs will be taken care of by a Superconducting Solenoid (SCS) within the same cryostat. In this report the electromagnetic design of an SCS will be discussed. A 9 T SCS having effective length of 340 mm has been designed with the special requirement that the fringing field should fall sharply to a value less than 100 mT at the surfaces of the adjacent superconducting cavities. The designed solenoid comprise of two co-axial split solenoid conductors surrounded by iron shields and a pair of bucking coils. Optimizations have been carried out for the total current sharing of the main coils and the bucking coils as well as for the relative orientation and dimension of each component of the solenoid. (author)

Design of 9 tesla superconducting solenoid for VECC RIB facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, Chiranjib; Ghosh, Siddhartha; Fatma, Tabassum; Dey, Malay Kanti; Bhunia, Uttam; Bandyopadhyay, Arup; Chakrabarti, Alok [Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Kolkata (India)

2013-07-01

An ISOL post-accelerator type of RIB facility is being developed at our centre. The post acceleration scheme of a Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) followed by five IH LINAC cavities will provide energy of about 1.05 MeV/u. For further accelerating up to 2 MeV/u Superconducting Quarter Wave Resonators (SCQWR) will be used. The radial defocusing of the beam bunch during the acceleration using SCQWRs will be taken care of by a Superconducting Solenoid (SCS) within the same cryostat. In this report the electromagnetic design of an SCS will be discussed. A 9 T SCS having effective length of 340 mm has been designed with the special requirement that the fringing field should fall sharply to a value less than 100 mT at the surfaces of the adjacent superconducting cavities. The designed solenoid comprise of two co-axial split solenoid conductors surrounded by iron shields and a pair of bucking coils. Optimizations have been carried out for the total current sharing of the main coils and the bucking coils as well as for the relative orientation and dimension of each component of the solenoid. (author)

Critical current density of BiSrCaCuO superconductors: effect of surface barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konczykowski, M.; Chikumoto, N.

1992-01-01

Effects of surface barriers on vortex motion in BiSrCaCuO-2212 high-temperature superconducting crystals is summarized. Characteristic features of this phenomenon appear in the hysteresis loop (shape of its ascending and descending branches), in the effect of 2.5 MeV electron irradiation, and in flux creep measurements (magnetization dependence to the crystal lateral dimension, size of the flux-creep barrier and the crossover as a function of temperature and time persistent current density). (A.B.). 25 refs., 3 figs

Transverse ratchet effect and superconducting vortices: simulation and experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinis, L; Parrondo, J M R; Perez de Lara, D; Gonzalez, E M; Vicent, J L; Anguita, J V

2009-01-01

A transverse ratchet effect has been measured in magnetic/superconducting hybrid films fabricated by electron beam lithography and magnetron sputtering techniques. The samples are Nb films grown on top of an array of Ni nanotriangles. Injecting an ac current parallel to the triangle reflection symmetry axis yields an output dc voltage perpendicular to the current, due to a net motion of flux vortices in the superconductor. The effect is reproduced by numerical simulations of vortices as Langevin particles with realistic parameters. Simulations provide an intuitive picture of the ratchet mechanism, revealing the fundamental role played by the random intrinsic pinning of the superconductor.

Superconducting inductive displacement detection of a microcantilever

Science.gov (United States)

Vinante, A.

2014-07-01

We demonstrate a superconducting inductive technique to measure the displacement of a micromechanical resonator. In our scheme, a type I superconducting microsphere is attached to the free end of a microcantilever and approached to the loop of a dc Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) microsusceptometer. A local magnetic field as low as 100 μT, generated by a field coil concentric to the SQUID, enables detection of the cantilever thermomechanical noise at 4.2 K. The magnetomechanical coupling and the magnetic spring are in good agreement with image method calculations assuming pure Meissner effect. These measurements are relevant to recent proposals of quantum magnetomechanics experiments based on levitating superconducting microparticles.

Development and testing of a superconducting acceleration resonator using new methods in design and fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steck, M.

1986-01-01

A superconducting quarter-wave resonator at 325 MHz was studied for the implementation at the Heidelberg post-accelerator. Using the computer programs SUPERFISH and URMEL the first design derived from analytical approaches was optimized regarding the superconducting operation. The measurements on the model showed good agreement with the calculations. By modification of the standard techniques the fabrication of the resonator body and the preparation of the superconducting surface could be simplified. On the superconducting resonator 1 μm thick superconducting surfaces of pure lead as well as a lead/tin alloy were tested. Thereby with lead a quality of the resonator Q 0 =8.5.10 7 and a maximal electrical acceleration field in the continuous region of epsilonsub(acc)=2.16 MV/m at Q=1.10 7 were reached. The measurements with a surface of lead/tin yielded Q 0 =1.4.10 8 and as maximal acceleration field epsilonsub(acc)=1.93 MV/m at Q=1.10 7 . A further increasing of the maximal electric field by conditioning of the resonator can be expected because of the test results. The excellent mechanical stability not reachable with other resonator types which manifests by a static frequency shift of 4 Hz/(MV/m) 2 and rapid frequency oscillations [de

A common thread in unconventional superconductivity. The functional renormalization group in multi-band systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Platt, Christian

2012-01-01

The superconducting properties of complex materials like the recently discovered iron-pnictides or strontium-ruthenate are often governed by multi-orbital effects. In order to unravel the superconductivity of those materials, we develop a multi-orbital implementation of the functional renormalization group and study the pairing states of several characteristic material systems. Starting with the iron-pnictides, we find competing spin-fluctuation channels that become attractive if the superconducting gap changes sign between the nested portions of the Fermi surface. Depending on material details like doping or pnictogen height, these spin fluctuations then give rise to s ± -wave pairing with or without gap nodes and, in some cases, also change the symmetry to d-wave. Near the transition from nodal s ± -wave to d-wave pairing, we predict the occurrence of a time-reversal symmetry-broken (s+id)-pairing state which avoids gap nodes and is therefore energetically favored. We further study the electronic instabilities of doped graphene, another fascinating material which has recently become accessible and which can effectively be regarded as multi-orbital system. Here, the hexagonal lattice structure assures the degeneracy of two d-wave pairing channels, and the system then realizes a chiral (d+id)-pairing state in a wide doping range around van-Hove filling. In addition, we also find spin-triplet pairing as well as an exotic spin-density wave phase which both become leading if the long-ranged hopping or interaction parameters are slightly modified, for example, by choosing different substrate materials. Finally, we consider the superconducting state of strontium-ruthenate, a possible candidate for chiral spin-triplet pairing with fascinating properties like the existence of half-quantum vortices obeying non-Abelian statistics. Using a microscopic three orbital description including spin-orbit coupling, we demonstrate that ferromagnetic fluctuations are still

Anomalous superconducting spin-valve effect in NbN/FeN/Cu/FeN/FeMn multilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Tae Jong; Kim, Dong Ho [Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan (Korea, Republic of)

2017-09-15

We have studied magnetic and transport properties of NbN/FeN/Cu/FeN/FeMn spin-valve structure. In-plane magnetic moment exhibited typical hysteresis loops of spin valves in the normal state of NbN film at 20 K. On the other hand, the magnetic hysteresis loop in the superconducting state exhibited more complex behavior in which exchange bias provided by antiferrmagnetic FeMn layer to adjacent FeN layer was disturbed by superconductivity. Because of this, the ideal superconducting spin-valve effect was not detected. Instead the stray field originated from unsaturated magnetic states dominated the transport properties of NbN/FeN/Cu/FeN/FeMn multilayer.

Florida State University superconducting linac

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, E.G.; Fox, J.D.; Frawley, A.D.; Allen, P.; Faragasso, J.; Smith, D.; Wright, L.

1988-01-01

As early as the fall of 1977 it was decided that the future research needs of their nuclear structure laboratory required an increase in energy capability to at least 8 MeV per nucleon for the lighter ions, and that these needs could be met by the installation of a 17 MV tandem Van de Graaff accelerator. The chief problem with this proposal was the high cost. It became apparent that a far less expensive option was to construct a linear accelerator to boost the energy from their existing 9 MV tandem. The options open to them among linac boosters were well represented by the room temperature linac at Heidelberg and the superconducting Stony Brook and Argonne systems. By the Spring of 1979 it had been decided that both capital cost and electric power requirements favored a superconducting system. As regards the two superconducting resonator technologies - the Argonne niobium-copper or the Caltech-Stony Brook lead plated copper - the Argonne resonators, though more expensive to construct, had the advantages of more boost per resonator, greater durability of the superconducting surface and less stringent beam bunching requirements. In 1980 pilot funding from the State of Florida enabled the construction of a building addition to house the linac and a new target area, and the setting up of a small, three resonator, test booster. Major funding by the NSF for the laboratory upgrade started in 1984. With these funds they purchased their present helium liquefaction and transfer system and constructed three large cryostats, each housing four Argonne beta = 0.105 resonators and two superconducting solenoids. The last large cryostat was completed and installed on-line early this year and the linac was dedicated on March 20. Nuclear physics experiments using the whole linac began in early June. 4 references, 6 figures, 1 table

Non-uniform absorption of terahertz radiation on superconducting hot electron bolometer microbridges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miao, W.; Zhang, W.; Zhong, J. Q.; Shi, S. C.; Delorme, Y.; Lefevre, R.; Feret, A.; Vacelet, T.

2014-01-01

We interpret the experimental observation of a frequency-dependence of superconducting hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixers by taking into account the non-uniform absorption of the terahertz radiation on the superconducting HEB microbridge. The radiation absorption is assumed to be proportional to the local surface resistance of the HEB microbridge, which is computed using the Mattis-Bardeen theory. With this assumption the dc and mixing characteristics of a superconducting niobium-nitride (NbN) HEB device have been modeled at frequencies below and above the equilibrium gap frequency of the NbN film

Effective theory of exotic superconductivity in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Esmailzadeh, Haniyeh; Moghaddam, Ali G.

2018-05-01

Motivated by experimental and theoretical works about superconductivity at the oxide interfaces, we provide a simple model for possible unconventional pairings inside the exotic two-dimensional electron gas formed in heterostructures of SrTiO3 and LaAlO3. At the low energy limit, the electron gas at the interfaces is usually modeled with an effective three band model considering of 3d t2g orbitals which are slightly coupled by atomic spin-orbit couplings (SOC). Considering direct superconducting pairing in two higher delocalized bands and by exploiting a perturbative scheme based on canonical transformation, we derive the effective pairing amplitudes with possibly exotic nature inside the localized dxy band as well as various inter-band pairing components. In particular we show that equal-spin triplet pairings are possible between the band dxy and any of other dxz and dyz bands. In addition weaker effective pairings take place inside the localized band itself and between delocalized dxz and dyz bands with singlet and opposite-spin triplet characters. These unconventional effective pairings are indeed mediated by SOC-induced higher order virtual transitions between the bands and particularly into the localized band. Our model suggest that unconventional effective superconductivity is possible at oxide interfaces, simply, due to the special band structure and important role of atomic SOC and perhaps other magnetic effects present at these heterostructures.

On the proximity effect in a superconductive slab bordered by metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liniger, W.

1993-01-01

The first Ginzburg-Landau equation for the order parameter ψ in the absence of magnetic fields is solved analytically for a superconducting slab of thickness 2d boardered by semi-infinite regions of normal metal at each face. The real-valued normalized wave function f=ψ/ψ ∞ depends only on the transversal spatial coordinate x, normalized with respect to the coherence length ξ of the superconductor, provided the de Gennes boundary condition df/dx=f/b is used. The closed-form solution expresses x as an elliptic integral of f, depending on the normalized parameters d and b. It is predicted theoretically that, for b c =arctan(1/b), the proximity effect is so strong that the superconductivity is completely suppressed. In fact, in this case, the first Ginzburg-Landau equation possesses only the trivial solution f≡0

Effect of superconducting solenoid model cores on spanwise iron magnet roll control

Science.gov (United States)

Britcher, C. P.

1985-01-01

Compared with conventional ferromagnetic fuselage cores, superconducting solenoid cores appear to offer significant reductions in the projected cost of a large wind tunnel magnetic suspension and balance system. The provision of sufficient magnetic roll torque capability has been a long-standing problem with all magnetic suspension and balance systems; and the spanwise iron magnet scheme appears to be the most powerful system available. This scheme utilizes iron cores which are installed in the wings of the model. It was anticipated that the magnetization of these cores, and hence the roll torque generated, would be affected by the powerful external magnetic field of the superconducting solenoid. A preliminary study has been made of the effect of the superconducting solenoid fuselage model core concept on the spanwise iron magnet roll torque generation schemes. Computed data for one representative configuration indicate that reductions in available roll torque occur over a range of applied magnetic field levels. These results indicate that a 30-percent increase in roll electromagnet capacity over that previously determined will be required for a representative 8-foot wind tunnel magnetic suspension and balance system design.

Etching of Niobium Sample Placed on Superconducting Radio Frequency Cavity Surface in Ar/CL2 Plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Upadhyay, Janardan; Phillips, Larry; Valente, Anne-Marie

2011-01-01

Plasma based surface modification is a promising alternative to wet etching of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. It has been proven with flat samples that the bulk Niobium (Nb) removal rate and the surface roughness after the plasma etchings are equal to or better than wet etching processes. To optimize the plasma parameters, we are using a single cell cavity with 20 sample holders symmetrically distributed over the cell. These holders serve the purpose of diagnostic ports for the measurement of the plasma parameters and for the holding of the Nb sample to be etched. The plasma properties at RF (100 MHz) and MW (2.45 GHz) frequencies are being measured with the help of electrical and optical probes at different pressures and RF power levels inside of this cavity. The niobium coupons placed on several holders around the cell are being etched simultaneously. The etching results will be presented at this conference.

Etching of Niobium Sample Placed on Superconducting Radio Frequency Cavity Surface in Ar/CL2 Plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janardan Upadhyay, Larry Phillips, Anne-Marie Valente

2011-09-01

Plasma based surface modification is a promising alternative to wet etching of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. It has been proven with flat samples that the bulk Niobium (Nb) removal rate and the surface roughness after the plasma etchings are equal to or better than wet etching processes. To optimize the plasma parameters, we are using a single cell cavity with 20 sample holders symmetrically distributed over the cell. These holders serve the purpose of diagnostic ports for the measurement of the plasma parameters and for the holding of the Nb sample to be etched. The plasma properties at RF (100 MHz) and MW (2.45 GHz) frequencies are being measured with the help of electrical and optical probes at different pressures and RF power levels inside of this cavity. The niobium coupons placed on several holders around the cell are being etched simultaneously. The etching results will be presented at this conference.

Designing focusing solenoids for superconducting RF accelerators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davis, G.; Kashikhin, V.V.; Page, T.; Terechkine, I.; Tompkins, J.; Wokas, T.; /Fermilab

2006-08-01

The design of a focusing solenoid for use in a superconducting RF linac requires resolving a range of problems with conflicting requirements. Providing the required focusing strength contradicts the goal of minimizing the stray field on the surfaces of adjacent superconducting RF cavities. The requirement of a compact solenoid, able to fit into a gap between cavities, contradicts the need of mechanical support necessary to restrain electromagnetic forces that can result in coil motion and subsequent quenching. In this report we will attempt to address these and other issues arising during the development of focusing solenoids. Some relevant test data will also be presented.

Understanding and application of superconducting materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, Byeong Mu; Lee, Chun Heung

1997-02-01

This book deals with superconducting materials, which contains from basic theory to application of superconducting materials. The contents of this book are mystery of superconducting materials, properties of superconducting materials, thermodynamics of superconducting materials, theoretical background of superconducting materials, tunnelling and quantum interference, classification and properties of superconducting materials, high temperature superconducting materials, production and analysis of superconducting materials and application of superconducting materials.

INTERLAYER OPTICAL CONDUCTIVITY OF A SUPERCONDUCTING BILAYER

NARCIS (Netherlands)

GARTSTEIN, YN; RICE, MJ; VANDERMAREL, D

1994-01-01

We employ the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory to calculate the frequency-dependent interlayer conductivity of a superconducting bilayer, the two layers of which are coupled by weak single-particle tunneling. The effect of the superconducting transition on the normal-state absorption band is to

Full-gap superconductivity with strong electron correlations in the β-pyrochlore KOs2O6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasahara, Y.; Shimono, Y.; Kato, T.; Hashimoto, K.; Shibauchi, T.; Matsuda, Y.; Yonezawa, S.; Muraoka, Y.; Yamaura, J.; Nagao, Y.; Hiroi, Z.

2008-01-01

To elucidate the superconducting gap structure and the influence of rattling motion on quasiparticle dynamics in the superconducting state of KOs 2 O 6 , the thermal conductivity and microwave surface impedance were measured at low temperatures. The magnetic field dependence of thermal conductivity and temperature dependence of penetration depth demonstrate full-gap superconductivity in KOs 2 O 6 . The quasiparticle scattering time is strongly enhanced in the superconducting state, indicating a strong electron inelastic scattering in the normal state. These results highlight that KOs 2 O 6 is unique among superconductors with strong electron correlations

Study of the surface resistance of superconducting niobium films at 1.5 GHz

CERN Document Server

Benvenuti, Cristoforo; Campisi, I E; Darriulat, Pierre; Peck, M A; Russo, R; Valente, A M

1999-01-01

A systematic study of superconducting properties of niobium films sputtered on the inner wall of radiofrequency cavities is presented. The measured quantities include in particular the response to 1.5 GHz microwaves, the critical temperature, the penetration depth and the magnetic penetration field. In addition to films grown in different gas discharges (Xe, Kr, Ar and Ar/Ne mixtures) and to films grown on substrates prepared under different conditions, the study also includes bulk niobium cavities. The surface resistance is analysed in terms of its dependence on temperature, on RF field and, when relevant, on the density of trapped fluxons. A simple parameterisation is found to give a good fit to the data. Once allowance for the presence of impurities and defects is made by means of a single parameter, the electron mean free path, good agreement with BCS theory is observed. The fluxon-induced losses are studied in detail and their dependence on RF field, on temperature and on the density of trapped fluxons i...

Changes of superconducting interaction in interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halbritter, J.

1976-01-01

The leakage of conduction electrons from metals into dielectric or semiconducting coatings yields changes in electron phonon coupling and hybridization with localized states in the coating. The changed electron-phonon coupling explains the observed strengthened superconducting interaction with some monolayer thick coating. The hybridization with localized states, i.e. resonance scattering, yields pair weakening and hence a monotonic depression of superconductivity with coating thickness in agreement with experiments. The latter effect explains quantitatively the Tsub(c) and Δ depression (Δ/kTsub(c) approximately equal to const) and a decrease in the Maki-Thompson-fluctuation term observed with thin superconducting films. (author)

Apparent increase in the thickness of superconducting particles at low temperatures measured by electron holography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirsch, J.E.

2013-01-01

We predict that superconducting particles will show an apparent increase in thickness at low temperatures when measured by electron holography. This will result not from a real thickness increase, rather from an increase in the mean inner potential sensed by the electron wave traveling through the particle, originating in expansion of the electronic wavefunction of the superconducting electrons and resulting negative charge expulsion from the interior to the surface of the superconductor, giving rise to an increase in the phase shift of the electron wavefront going through the sample relative to the wavefront going through vacuum. The temperature dependence of the observed phase shifts will yield valuable new information on the physics of the superconducting state of metals. - Highlights: • A new property of superconducting particles is predicted. • Electron holography will show an apparent increase in thickness at low temperatures. • This will result from a predicted increase in the mean inner potential. • This will originate in expulsion of electrons from the interior to the surface. • This is not predicted by the conventional BCS theory of superconductivity

Effect of anitiferromagnetism on superconducting gap of cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rout, G.C.; Panda, B.N.; Bishoyi, K.C.

2000-01-01

The interplay between superconductivity (SC) and antiferromagnetism (AF) is studied in strongly correlated systems: R 2-x M x CuO 4 (R = Nd, La, Pr, Gd; M = Sr, Ge). It is assumed that superconductivity arises due to BCS pairing mechanism in presence of AF in Cu lattices of Cu-O planes. Temperature dependence of SC gap as well as staggered magnetic field are calculated analytically and solved self-consistently with respect to half-filled band situation for different model parameters λ 1 , and λ 2 being SC and AF coupling parameters respectively. The SC gap is studied in the coexistent phase of SC and AFM. (author)

Quenching effect on properties of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconducting ceramics of various composition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amitin, E.B.; Gromilov, S.A.; Naumov, V.N.; Royak, A.Ya.; Starikov, M.A.

1989-01-01

Bismuth ceramics quenching effect on superconducting properties of samples of various composition is investigated. Two types of quenching effect on sample properties are detected: an increase of superconducting transition temperature T c by 15-20 K; broadening of temperature interval of the phase transition without anynatable T c displacement. X ray diffraction investigations have not detected sufficient differences in diffraction patterns of quenched and non-quenched samples. Within the limits of composition analysis by oxygen (±3%) no change of its content prior to and after quenching is detected. A correlation between the presence of an amorphous phase in a sample and the type of quenching effect is observed: T c increases in ceramics where an amorphous component is detected

Academic training: Applied superconductivity

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

LECTURE SERIES 17, 18, 19 January from 11.00 to 12.00 hrs Council Room, Bldg 503 Applied Superconductivity : Theory, superconducting Materials and applications E. PALMIERI/INFN, Padova, Italy When hearing about persistent currents recirculating for several years in a superconducting loop without any appreciable decay, one realizes that we are dealing with a phenomenon which in nature is the closest known to the perpetual motion. Zero resistivity and perfect diamagnetism in Mercury at 4.2 K, the breakthrough during 75 years of several hundreds of superconducting materials, the revolution of the "liquid Nitrogen superconductivity"; the discovery of still a binary compound becoming superconducting at 40 K and the subsequent re-exploration of the already known superconducting materials: Nature discloses drop by drop its intimate secrets and nobody can exclude that the last final surprise must still come. After an overview of phenomenology and basic theory of superconductivity, the lectures for this a...

Field quality of LHC superconducting dipole magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishra, R.K.

2003-01-01

The author reports here the main results of field measurements performed so far on the LHC superconducting dipoles at superfluid helium temperature. The main field strength at injection, collision conditions and higher order multipoles are discussed. Superconducting magnets exhibit additional field imperfections due to diamagnetic properties of superconducting cables, apart from geometric error, saturation of iron yoke and eddy currents error. Dynamic effects on field harmonics, such as field decay at injection and subsequent snap back are also discussed. (author)

Co60 and Cs137 gamma radiation effects on textured bscco Superconducting fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leyva Fabelo, A.; Bouza Dominguez, J.; Cruz Inclan, Crlos M.

2001-01-01

Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox superconducting fibers synthesized by solid state reaction and textured by the method of zonal laser ablation were irradiated with gamma rays of 1.25 MeV and 662 keV and studied the behavior of some of its properties with the exposition dose. The measurements of dynamic magnetic susceptibility were used for the characterization of the samples. It was observed that for the dose of up to 600 kGy in the case of the Co60 and until 500 mGy for the Cs137, the fibers preserve its superconducting intragrain properties. It is an evidence of the high resistance of the material to the radiacional damage. In all the cases were verified that with the increase of the dose the Ton of the transition grows. Two possible mechanisms that play the most important role in this effect are explained in the text. The ac measurements allowed to verified the increasing behavior of the superconducting volume fraction in the sample with the exposition dose

Design considerations for high-current superconducting ion linacs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delayen, J.R.; Bohn, C.L.; Micklich, B.J.; Roche, C.T.; Sagalovsky, L.

1993-01-01

Superconducting linacs may be a viable option for high-current applications such as fusion materials irradiation testing, spallation neutron source, transmutation of radioactive waste, tritium production, and energy production. These linacs must run reliably for many years and allow easy routine maintenance. Superconducting cavities operate efficiently with high cw gradients, properties which help to reduce operating and capital costs, respectively. However, cost-effectiveness is not the sole consideration in these applications. For example, beam impingement must be essentially eliminated to prevent unsafe radioactivation of the accelerating structures, and thus large apertures are needed through which to pass the beam. Because of their high efficiency, superconducting cavities can be designed with very large bore apertures, thereby reducing the effect of beam impingement. Key aspects of high-current cw superconducting linac designs are explored in this context

Laser polishing of niobium for application to superconducting radio frequency cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singaravelu, Senthil; Klopf, John Michael; Xu, Chen; Krafft, Geoffrey; Kelley, Michael J.

2012-01-01

Superconducting radio frequency niobium cavities are at the heart of an increasing number of particle accelerators. Their performance is dominated by a several nanometer thick layer at the interior surface. Maximizing the smoothness of this surface is critical, and aggressive chemical treatments are now employed to this end. The authors describe laser-induced surface melting as an alternative 'greener' approach. Selection of laser parameters guided by modeling achieved melting that reduced the surface roughness from the fabrication process. The resulting topography was examined by scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope (AFM). Plots of power spectral density computed from the AFM data give further insight into the effect of laser melting on the topography of the mechanically polished (only) niobium

Effect of localized electron states on superconductivity of ultrathin beryllium films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tutov, V.I.; Semenenko, E.E.

1988-01-01

A wide spectrum of distortions is induced in ultrathin beryllium films of thickness less than 10 A, which are responsible for the system transition from the strong localization state completely suppressing superconductivity (in this case R □ of the layer reaches 97600 Ohm) to the weak localization stae coexisting with superconductivity at comparatively high T c (5 K). The resistance per square R □ of the films decreases more than by an order of magnitude. The superconductivity with T c =1.7 K occurs at rather strong localization, when R □ of the layer is 34000 Ohm

Effect of polar surfaces on organic molecular crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Sharia, Onise; Tsyshevskiy, Roman; Kuklja, Maija; University of Maryland College Park Team

Polar oxide materials reveal intriguing opportunities in the field of electronics, superconductivity and nanotechnology. While behavior of polar surfaces has been widely studied on oxide materials and oxide-oxide interfaces, manifestations and properties of polar surfaces in molecular crystals are still poorly understood. Here we discover that the polar catastrophe phenomenon, known on oxides, also takes place in molecular materials as illustrated with an example of cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (HMX) crystals. We show that the surface charge separation is a feasible compensation mechanism to counterbalance the macroscopic dipole moment and remove the electrostatic instability. We discuss the role of surface charge on degradation of polar surfaces, electrical conductivity, optical band-gap closure and surface metallization. Research is supported by the US ONR (Grants N00014-16-1-2069 and N00014-16-1-2346) and NSF. We used NERSC, XSEDE and MARCC computational resources.

Superconductivity in inhomogeneous granular metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLean, W.L.

1980-01-01

A model of elongated metal ellipsoids imbedded in a granular metal is treated by an effective medium approach to explain the observed temperature dependence of the normal-state conductivity of superconducting granular aluminum. Josephson tunneling is thus still required to account for the superconductivity. The model predicts the same kind of contrasting behavior on opposite sides of the metal-insulator transition as is found in the recent scaling treatment of Anderson localization

Superconductivity - applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The paper deals with the following subjects: 1) Electronics and high-frequency technology, 2) Superconductors for energy technology, 3) Superconducting magnets and their applications, 4) Electric machinery, 5) Superconducting cables. (WBU) [de

Development of a theoretical model for polycrystalline superconducting anisotropic using the effective medium approximation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruz-García, A.; Muné, P; Govea-Alcaide, E.

2008-01-01

Full text: In this paper, is a study of the transport properties in anisotropic polycrystalline superconducting. The presence of certain order of orientation of grains in polycrystalline superconducting (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+delta , is modeled by introducing a probability of orientation, gamma factor. In addition, is included in the model the concentration c, which characterize the contribution of porosity to the decrease in the conductivity of the Crystal, transparent. Assumes that pores and pimples are ellipsoid flattened with similar dimensions and takes into account the values of conductivity of beads in each direction. The calculation is based on the application of a generalization of the approximation of the effective way to the study of heterogeneous media, which is called coherent potential approximation (APC). The results are compared with an empirical model developed recently for samples of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 -delta (YBCO) which enriches its employment and applied to ceramic superconducting in general. (author)

Probing the unconventional superconducting state of LiFeAs by quasiparticle interference.

Science.gov (United States)

Hänke, Torben; Sykora, Steffen; Schlegel, Ronny; Baumann, Danny; Harnagea, Luminita; Wurmehl, Sabine; Daghofer, Maria; Büchner, Bernd; van den Brink, Jeroen; Hess, Christian

2012-03-23

A crucial step in revealing the nature of unconventional superconductivity is to investigate the symmetry of the superconducting order parameter. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy has proven a powerful technique to probe this symmetry by measuring the quasiparticle interference (QPI) which sensitively depends on the superconducting pairing mechanism. A particularly well-suited material to apply this technique is the stoichiometric superconductor LiFeAs as it features clean, charge neutral cleaved surfaces without surface states and a relatively high T(c)∼18  K. Our data reveal that in LiFeAs the quasiparticle scattering is governed by a van Hove singularity at the center of the Brillouin zone which is in stark contrast to other pnictide superconductors where nesting is crucial for both scattering and s(±) superconductivity. Indeed, within a minimal model and using the most elementary order parameters, calculations of the QPI suggest a dominating role of the holelike bands for the quasiparticle scattering. Our theoretical findings do not support the elementary singlet pairing symmetries s(++), s(±), and d wave. This brings to mind that the superconducting pairing mechanism in LiFeAs is based on an unusual pairing symmetry such as an elementary p wave (which provides optimal agreement between the experimental data and QPI simulations) or a more complex order parameter (e.g., s+id wave symmetry).

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy of Co adsorbates on superconducting Pb nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Decker, Regis; Caminale, Michael; Oka, Hirofumi; Stepniak, Agnieszka; Leon Vanegas, Augusto A.; Sander, Dirk; Kirschner, Juergen [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Mikrostrukturphysik, Weinberg 2, 06120 Halle (Germany)

2015-07-01

Superconductivity in low-dimensional structures has become an active research area. In order to understand the superconducting pairing, long-standing work has been devoted to the pair breaking effect, where magnetic impurities break Cooper pair singlets. We performed scanning tunneling spectroscopy at low temperature on Co adsorbates on superconducting Pb nanoislands. On the Co adsorbates, we observe spectral features in the superconductor's energy gap, which we attribute to magnetic impurity induced bound states, a hallmark of the pair breaking effect. We discuss the response of the superconducting islands to the presence of Co adsorbates.

Basic Study of Superconductive Actuator

OpenAIRE

涌井, 和也; 荻原, 宏康

2000-01-01

There are two kinds of electromagnetic propulsion ships : a superconductive electromagnetic propulsion ship and a superconductive electricity propulsion ship. A superconductive electromagnetic propulsion ship uses the electromagnetic force (Lorenz force) by the interaction between a magnetic field and a electric current. On the other hand, a superconductive electricity propulsion ship uses screws driven by a superconductive motor. A superconductive propulsion ship technique has the merits of ...

100 years of superconductivity

CERN Document Server

Rogalla, Horst

2011-01-01

Even a hundred years after its discovery, superconductivity continues to bring us new surprises, from superconducting magnets used in MRI to quantum detectors in electronics. 100 Years of Superconductivity presents a comprehensive collection of topics on nearly all the subdisciplines of superconductivity. Tracing the historical developments in superconductivity, the book includes contributions from many pioneers who are responsible for important steps forward in the field.The text first discusses interesting stories of the discovery and gradual progress of theory and experimentation. Emphasizi

Superconducting current in a bisoliton superconductivity model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ermakov, V.N.; Kruchinin, S.P.; Ponezha, E.A.

1991-01-01

It is shown that the transition into a superconducting state with the current which is described by a bisoliton superconductivity model is accompanied by the deformation of the spectrum of one-particle states of the current carriers. The deformation value is proportional to the conducting current force. The residuaby resistance in such state is absent

Coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity in the hole doped FeAs-based superconducting compound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, T.P.; Wu, C.C.; Chou, W.H.; Lan, M.D.

2010-01-01

The magnetic and superconducting properties of the Sm-doped FeAs-based superconducting compound were investigated under wide ranges of temperature and magnetic field. After the systematical magnetic ion substitution, the superconducting transition temperature decreases with increasing magnetic moment. The hysteresis loop of the La 0.87-x Sm x Sr 0.13 FeAsO sample shows a superconducting hysteresis and a paramagnetic background signal. The paramagnetic signal is mainly attributed to the Sm moments. The experiment demonstrates that the coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity in the hole doped FeAs-based superconducting compounds is possible. Unlike the electron doped FeAs-based superconducting compounds SmFeAsOF, the hole doped superconductivity is degraded by the substitution of La by Sm. The hole-doped and electron-doped sides are not symmetric.

Studies on Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O glasses and superconducting glass ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, R.; Zacharias, E.

1991-01-01

Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O glasses and glass ceramics of various compositions were synthesised. The glass transition temperature varies from 396 to 422degC depending on the glass composition. The bulk glass ceramics of 4334, 4336, 2223 and 4246 compositions show superconductivity when the corresponding glass samples were heat-treated in air at 820degC for 3, 9, 12 and 24 h respectively. X-ray diffraction studies show that the superconducting phase present in all these compositions is Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O x . The 4334 glass ceramic is almost a single-phase material with a preferred orientation such that the c axis is normal to the sample surface. The 2223 glass ceramic has a higher T c (onset) than the other three compositions indicating the presence of high T c phase (110 K) also. ESR studies on the glass samples indicate the existence of Cu 2+ . The effect of heat treatment on ESR shows that the intensity of resonance decreases with increase in heat-treatment duration. This effect is more pronounced for the 4334 and 2223 compositions. The advantages of synthesizing superconducting materials by glass route are discussed in view of practical applications. (author). 9 refs., 6 figs

Anomalous electron doping independent two-dimensional superconductivity

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Wei; Xing, Xiangzhuo; Zhao, Haijun; Feng, Jiajia; Pan, Yongqiang; Zhou, Nan; Zhang, Yufeng; Qian, Bin; Shi, Zhixiang

2017-07-01

Transition metal (Co and Ni) co-doping effects are investigated on an underdoped Ca0.94La0.06Fe2As2 compound. It is discovered that electron doping from substituting Fe with transition metal (TM = Co, Ni) can trigger high-{T}{{c}} superconductivity around 35 K, which emerges abruptly before the total suppression of the innate spin-density-wave/anti-ferromagnetism (SDW/AFM) state. Remarkably, the critical temperature for the high-{T}{{c}} superconductivity remains constant against a wide range of TM doping levels. And the net electron doping density dependence of the superconducting {T}{{c}} based on the rigid band model can be nicely scaled into a single curve for Co and Ni substitutions, in stark contrast to the case of Ba(Fe1-x TM x )2As2. This carrier density independent superconductivity and the unusual scaling behavior are presumably resulted from the interface superconductivity based on the similarity with the interface superconductivity in a La2-x Sr x CuO4-La2CuO4 bilayer. Evidence of the two-dimensional character of the superfluid by angle-resolved magneto-resistance measurements can further strengthen the interface nature of the high-{T}{{c}} superconductivity.

A vibrating wire parallel to a high temperature superconducting slab. Vol. 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saif, A G; El-sabagh, M A [Department of Mathematic and Theoretical physics, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo (Egypt)

1996-03-01

The power losses problem for an idealized high temperature type II superconducting system of a simple geometry is studied. This system is composed of a vibrating normal conducting wire (two wires) carrying a direct current parallel to an uniaxial anisotropic type II superconducting slab (moving slab). First, the electromagnetic equation governing the dynamics of this system, and its solutions are obtained. Secondly, a modified anisotropic london equation is developed to study these systems in the case of the slab moving. Thirdly, it is found that, the power losses is dependent on the frequency, london penetration depth, permeability, conductivity, velocity, and the distance between the normal conductors and the surfaces of the superconducting slab. Moreover, the power losses decreases as the distance between the normal conductors and the surface of the superconducting slab decreases; and increases as the frequency, the london penetration depth, permeability, conductivity, and velocity are increased. These losses along the versor of the anisotropy axis is increased as {lambda}{sub |}| increases. Moreover, it is greater than the power losses along the crystal symmetry direction. In the isotropic case as well as the slab thickness tends to infinity, agreement with previous results are obtained. 2 figs.

Anisotropic superconductivity in β-(BDA-TTP)2SbF6: STM spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Nomura, K.; Muraoka, R.; Matsunaga, N.; Ichimura, K.; Yamada, J.

2009-03-01

We have investigated the gap symmetry in the superconducting phase of β-(BDA-TTP)2SbF6 with use of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The tunneling spectra obtained on the conducting surface show a clear superconducting gap structure. Its functional form is of V-shaped similarly to κ-(BEDT-TTF)2X and suggests the anisotropic superconducting gap with line nodes. For lateral surfaces the shape of tunneling spectra varies from the U-shape with relatively large gap to the V-shape with small gap depending on the tunneling direction alternately twice between directional angle 0 and π. From the analysis of conductance curve taking the k dependence of the tunneling probability into account, it is found that the gap has maximum near the a* and c* axes and the nodes appear along near a*+c* and the a-c* directions. These indicate that the d like superconducting pair is formed in this system as the case of κ-(BEDT-TTF)2X. This node direction is consistent with the theoretical prediction based on the spin fluctuation mechanism. However, the zero-bias conductance peak has not been observed yet.

Anisotropic superconductivity in β-(BDA-TTP)2SbF6: STM spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nomura, K.; Muraoka, R.; Matsunaga, N.; Ichimura, K.; Yamada, J.

2009-01-01

We have investigated the gap symmetry in the superconducting phase of β-(BDA-TTP) 2 SbF 6 with use of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The tunneling spectra obtained on the conducting surface show a clear superconducting gap structure. Its functional form is of V-shaped similarly to κ-(BEDT-TTF) 2 X and suggests the anisotropic superconducting gap with line nodes. For lateral surfaces the shape of tunneling spectra varies from the U-shape with relatively large gap to the V-shape with small gap depending on the tunneling direction alternately twice between directional angle 0 and π. From the analysis of conductance curve taking the k dependence of the tunneling probability into account, it is found that the gap has maximum near the a* and c* axes and the nodes appear along near a*+c* and the a-c* directions. These indicate that the d x 2 -y 2 like superconducting pair is formed in this system as the case of κ-(BEDT-TTF) 2 X. This node direction is consistent with the theoretical prediction based on the spin fluctuation mechanism. However, the zero-bias conductance peak has not been observed yet

Warm damper for a superconducting rotor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hooper, G.D.

1984-01-01

A warm damper for a superconducting rotor is described which uses a laminar assembly of a conductive tube and a plurality of support tubes. The conductive tube is soldered to axially adjacent support tubes and the resulting composite tube is explosively welded to two or more support tubes disposed adjacent to its radially inner and outer surfaces

Probing chiral superconductivity in Sr_2RuO_4 underneath the surface by point contact measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, He; Luo, Jiawei; Lou, Weijian

2017-01-01

Sr2RuO4 (SRO) is the prime candidate for a chiral p-wave superconductor with critical temperature T_c(SRO)∼1.5 K. Chiral domains with opposite chiralities p_x±ip_y have been proposed, but are yet to be confirmed. We measure the field dependence of the point contact (PC) resistance between a tungsten tip and an SRO–Ru eutectic crystal, where micrometer-sized Ru inclusions are embedded in SRO with an atomically sharp interface. Ruthenium is an s-wave superconductor with T_c(Ru)∼0.5 K; flux pinned near the Ru inclusions can suppress its superconductivity, as reflected in the PC resistance and spectra. This flux pinning effect originates from SRO underneath the surface and is very strong once flux is introduced. To fully remove flux pinning, one needs to thermally cycle the sample above T_c(SRO) or apply alternating fields with decreasing amplitude. With alternating fields, the observed hysteresis in magnetoresistance can be explained by domain dynamics, providing support for the existence of chiral domains. The origin of the strong pinning could be the chiral domains themselves.

Observation of quantum Zeno effect in a superconducting flux qubit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakuyanagi, K; Baba, T; Matsuzaki, Y; Nakano, H; Saito, S; Semba, K

2015-01-01

When a quantum state is subjected to frequent measurements, the time evolution of the quantum state is frozen. This is called the quantum Zeno effect. Here, we observe such an effect by performing frequent discrete measurements in a macroscopic quantum system, a superconducting quantum bit. The quantum Zeno effect induced by discrete measurements is similar to the original idea of the quantum Zeno effect. By using a Josephson bifurcation amplifier pulse readout, we have experimentally suppressed the time evolution of Rabi oscillation using projective measurements, and also observed the enhancement of the quantum state holding time by shortening the measurement period time. This is a crucial step to realize quantum information processing using the quantum Zeno effect. (papers)

Pressure effect on the superconducting and the normal state of β -B i2Pd

Science.gov (United States)

Pristáš, G.; Orendáč, Mat.; Gabáni, S.; Kačmarčík, J.; Gažo, E.; Pribulová, Z.; Correa-Orellana, A.; Herrera, E.; Suderow, H.; Samuely, P.

2018-04-01

The pressure effect up to 24.0 kbar on superconducting and normal-state properties of β -B i2Pd single crystal (Tc≈4.98 K at ambient pressure) has been investigated by measurements of the electrical resistivity. In addition, we have performed the heat capacity measurements in the temperature range 0.7-300 K at ambient pressure. The recent calculations of electronic density of states, electron-phonon interaction spectral function, and phonon density of states of β -B i2Pd [Zheng and Margine, Phys. Rev. B 95, 014512 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevB.95.014512], are used to fit the resistivity and the heat capacity data. In the superconducting state we have focused on the influence of pressure on the superconducting transition temperature Tc and upper critical field Hc 2 and a negative effect with d Tc/d p =-0.025 K /kbar and d Hc 2/d p =-8 mT /kbar is found. A simplified Bloch-Grüneisen model was used to analyze the pressure effect on the temperature dependence of the normal-state resistivity. The obtained results point to a decrease of the electron-phonon coupling parameter λ and to a shift of phonon frequencies to higher values with pressure. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the normal-state resistivity follows a T2 dependence above Tc up to about 25 K. Together with the enhanced value of Sommerfeld coefficient γ =13.23 mJ mo l-1K-2 these results point to a certain role of the electron-electron interaction in the superconducting pairing mechanism in β -B i2Pd .

Superconductivity in the elements, alloys and simple compounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Webb, G.W. [Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0319 (United States); Marsiglio, F. [Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1 (Canada); Hirsch, J.E., E-mail: jhirsch@ucsd.edu [Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0319 (United States)

2015-07-15

Highlights: • A review of superconductivity in elements, alloys and simple compounds is given. • These materials are believed to be described by BCS–Eliashberg theory. • The McMillan–Rowell inversion process is described. • Calculations of Tc’s from first principles are surveyed. • Other criteria beyond BCS to characterize these superconductors are discussed. - Abstract: We give a brief review of superconductivity at ambient pressure in elements, alloys, and simple three-dimensional compounds. Historically these were the first superconducting materials studied, and based on the experimental knowledge gained from them the BCS theory of superconductivity was developed in 1957. Extended to include the effect of phonon retardation, the theory is believed to describe the subset of superconducting materials known as ‘conventional superconductors’, where superconductivity is caused by the electron–phonon interaction. These include the elements, alloys and simple compounds discussed in this article and several other classes of materials discussed in other articles in this Special Issue.

Superconductivity in the elements, alloys and simple compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Webb, G.W.; Marsiglio, F.; Hirsch, J.E.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A review of superconductivity in elements, alloys and simple compounds is given. • These materials are believed to be described by BCS–Eliashberg theory. • The McMillan–Rowell inversion process is described. • Calculations of Tc’s from first principles are surveyed. • Other criteria beyond BCS to characterize these superconductors are discussed. - Abstract: We give a brief review of superconductivity at ambient pressure in elements, alloys, and simple three-dimensional compounds. Historically these were the first superconducting materials studied, and based on the experimental knowledge gained from them the BCS theory of superconductivity was developed in 1957. Extended to include the effect of phonon retardation, the theory is believed to describe the subset of superconducting materials known as ‘conventional superconductors’, where superconductivity is caused by the electron–phonon interaction. These include the elements, alloys and simple compounds discussed in this article and several other classes of materials discussed in other articles in this Special Issue

High-current applications of superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komarek, P.

1995-01-01

The following topics were dealt with: superconducting materials, design principles of superconducting magnets, magnets for research and engineering, superconductivity for power engineering, superconductivity in nuclear fusion technology, economical considerations

Status report on the Karlsruhe prototype superconducting proton linerar accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Citron, A.

1974-01-01

A short intoduction about linear accelerators in general and the advantage of using superconducting resonators is given. Subsequently some basic efforts on r.f. superconductivity are recalled and the status of technology of surface preparations is reported. The status of the Karlsruhe accelerator is given. In the low energy region some difficulties caused by mechanical instabilities had to be overcome. Protons have been accelerated in this part. Model studies for the subsequent sections of the accelerator have been started and look promising. (author)

Characterization and modification of the interface of superconducting Nb/Cu cavities by ion beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Bouanani, M.

1990-05-01

Radiofrequency superconducting Nb/Cu cavities for electron beam acceleration are studied in a collaboration between CEA and IN2P3 (CNRS). The quality of superconducting cavity is closely related to the purity of the surface material. In such an aim, carbon and oxygen contaminations at the surface and at the interface of the Nb/Cu device has been measured. Since the niobium film is deposited on copper by magnetron sputtering under argon atmosphere, argon analysis is performed using the resonance in the nuclear reaction Ar 40 (p,γ) 41 K at the proton energy of 1102 keV. In order to simulate the energy deposition occurring during particle acceleration, Nb/Cu samples have been irradiated with a 600 keV argon beam. The element distribution evolution is then followed by RBS and NBS. Ion beam mixing effect in the case of samples with oxygen interface contamination (Nb/Nb + Ox + Cu/Cu) is shown to be enhanced [fr

Flux penetration in a ferromagnetic/superconducting bilayer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adamus, Z.; Cieplak, M.Z.; Abal' Oshev, A. [Polish Acad Sci, Inst Phys, PL-02668 Warsaw, (Poland); Konczykowski, M. [CEA/DSM/DRECAM, Laboratoire des Solides Irradies, F-91191 Gif Sur Yvette, (France); Konczykowski, M. [Ecole Polytech, CNRS - UMR 7642, F-91128 Palaiseau, (France); Cheng, X.M.; Zhu, L.Y.; Chien, C.L. [Johns Hopkins Univ, Dept Phys and Astron, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2007-07-01

An array of miniature Hall sensors is used to study the magnetic flux penetration in a ferromagnetic/superconducting bilayer consisting of Nb as a superconducting layer and Co/Pt multilayer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy as a ferromagnetic layer, separated by an amorphous Si layer to avoid the proximity effect. It is found that the magnetic domains in the ferromagnetic layer create a large edge barrier in the superconducting layer which delays flux penetration. The smooth flux profiles observed in the absence of magnetic pinning change into terraced profiles in the presence of domains. (authors)

SNS superconducting linac

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundelin, Ronald M.

2001-01-01

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) decided in early 2000 to use superconducting RF (SRF) in the linac at energies above 185 MeV. Since the SNS duty cycle is 6%, the SRF and normal conducting approaches have capital costs which are about the same, but operating costs and future upgradability are improved by using SRF. The current status of cavity and cryomodule development and procurement, including the basis for decisions made, is discussed. The current plan includes use of 805 MHz, 6-cell cavities with geometrical betas of 0.61 and 0.81. There are 33 medium beta and 60 high beta cavities in 11 and 15 cryomodules, respectively. Each cavity (except the 93rd) is powered by a 550 kW pulsed klystron. Issues addressed include choice of peak surface gradient, optimization of cavity shape, selection of a scaled KEK input power coupler, selection of scaled TESLA higher mode couplers, and control of the effects of higher order modes on the beam. (author)

Inductive Shimming of Superconductive Undulators - Preparations for a realistic test

CERN Document Server

Schoerling, D; Bernhard,; Burkart, F; Ehlers, S; Gerstl, S; Grau, A; Peiffer, P; Rossmanith, R; Wollmann, D

2010-01-01

The monochromaticity and intensity of synchrotron light emitted by undulators strongly depend on the undulator field quality. For the particular case of superconductive undulators it was shown recently that their field quality can be significantly improved by an array of coupled high temperature superconductor loops attached to the surface of the superconductive undulator. Local field errors induce currents in the coupled closed superconducting loops and, as a result, the hereby generated magnetic field minimizes the field errors. In previous papers the concept was described theoretically and a proof-of-principle experiment was reported. This paper reports on a prepatation experiment for the first quantitative measurement of the phase error reduction in a 13-period short model undulator equipped with a full-scale induction shimming system.

Laser activated superconducting switch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolf, A.A.

1976-01-01

A superconducting switch or bistable device is described consisting of a superconductor in a cryogen maintaining a temperature just below the transition temperature, having a window of the proper optical frequency band for passing a laser beam which may impinge on the superconductor when desired. The frequency of the laser is equal to or greater than the optical absorption frequency of the superconducting material and is consistent with the ratio of the gap energy of the switch material to Planck's constant, to cause depairing of electrons, and thereby normalize the superconductor. Some embodiments comprise first and second superconducting metals. Other embodiments feature the two superconducting metals separated by a thin film insulator through which the superconducting electrons tunnel during superconductivity

Radiation considerations for superconducting fusion magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdou, M.A.

1977-01-01

Radiation environment for the magnets is characterized for various conditions expected for tokamak power reactor operation. The radiation levels are translated into radiation effects using available experimental data. The impact of the tradeoffs in radiation shielding and the change in the properties of the superconducting magnets on reactor performance and economics is examined. It is shown that (1) superconducting magnets in fusion reactors will operate at much higher radiation level than was previously anticipated; (2) additional data on radiation damage is required to better accuracy than is presently available in order to accurately quantify the change in properties in the superconducting magnet components; and (3) there is a substantial penalty for increasing (or overestimating) the shielding requirements. A perspective of future tokamak power reactors is presented and questions relating to desirable magnetic field strength and selection of materials for superconducting magnets are briefly examined

Superconducting magnets in high energy physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prodell, A.G.

1978-01-01

The applications of superconducting magnets in high energy physics in the last ten years have made feasible developments which are vital to high energy research. These developments include high magnetic field, large volume detectors, such as bubble chambers, required for effective resolution of high energy particle trajectories, particle beam transport magnets, and superconducting focusing and bending magnets for the very high energy accelerators and storage rings needed to pursue the study of interactions between elementary particles. The acceptance of superconductivity as a proven technology in high energy physics was reinforced by the recognition that the existing large accelerators using copper-iron magnets had reached practical limits in terms of magnetic field intensity, cost, space, and energy usage, and that large-volume, high-field, copper-iron magnets were not economically feasible. Some of the superconducting magnets and associated systems being used in and being developed for high energy physics are described

Cryogenic safety of the superconducting ALPI accelerator at INFN-LNL

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2016-01-01

The superconducting linac ALPI at INFN-LNL is composed of 20 identical cryostats housing, at a group of four (or two), 74 superconducting QWR type cavities: 58 resonators are made of copper with Nb sputtered on the internal surface and 16 are made of Nb bulk. In each cryostat is installed a 100 liter volume LHe reservoir feeding by gravity the QWR’s. The thermal shield around is cooled by GHe at 6 bar abs at 60-80 K. The linac ALPI is a post-accelerator which can receive heavy ions from either the 16 MV Tandem Van de Graaf or from the superconducting injector PIAVE. The latter is composed by an ECR source, two superconducting RFQ, and two cryostats each containg four superconducting bulk Nb QWR. The ALPI cryostats are cooled by a Helium refrigerator whose refrigerator capacity is 1200 W at 4.5 K and 3900 W additional at 60-80 K. PIAVE cryostats are cooled by a separate TCF50 helium refrigerator. The complex ALPI-PIAVE is installed in a semi-open removable concrete tunnel in the same building where the two h...

Superconductivity and electron microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawkes, P.W.; Valdre, U.

1977-01-01

In this review article, two aspects of the role of superconductivity in electron microscopy are examined: (i) the development of superconducting devices (mainly lenses) and their incorporation in electron microscopes; (ii) the development of electron microscope techniques for studying fundamental and technological problems associated with superconductivity. The first part opens with a brief account of the relevant properties of conventional lenses, after which the various types of superconducting lenses are described and their properties compared. The relative merits and inconveniences of superconducting and conventional lenses are examined, particular attention being paid to the spherical and chromatic aberration coefficients at accelerating voltages above a megavolt. This part closes with a survey of the various microscope designs that have been built or proposed, incorporating superconducting components. In the second part, some methods that have been or might be used in the study of superconductivity in the electron microscope are described. A brief account of the types of application for which they are suitable is given. (author)

Superconductivity in transition metals.

Science.gov (United States)

Slocombe, Daniel R; Kuznetsov, Vladimir L; Grochala, Wojciech; Williams, Robert J P; Edwards, Peter P

2015-03-13

A qualitative account of the occurrence and magnitude of superconductivity in the transition metals is presented, with a primary emphasis on elements of the first row. Correlations of the important parameters of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of superconductivity are highlighted with respect to the number of d-shell electrons per atom of the transition elements. The relation between the systematics of superconductivity in the transition metals and the periodic table high-lights the importance of short-range or chemical bonding on the remarkable natural phenomenon of superconductivity in the chemical elements. A relationship between superconductivity and lattice instability appears naturally as a balance and competition between localized covalent bonding and so-called broken covalency, which favours d-electron delocalization and superconductivity. In this manner, the systematics of superconductivity and various other physical properties of the transition elements are related and unified. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Size and dimensionality effects in superconducting Mo thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabrega, L; Gil, O; Camon, A; Parra-BorderIas, M; Fernandez-MartInez, I; Costa-Kraemer, J L; Briones, F; Sese, J; Gonzalez-Arrabal, R

2011-01-01

Molybdenum is a low T c , type I superconductor whose fundamental properties are poorly known. Its importance as an essential constituent of new high performance radiation detectors, the so-called transition edge sensors (TESs) calls for better characterization of this superconductor, especially in thin film form. Here we report on a study of the basic superconducting features of Mo thin films as a function of their thickness. The resistivity is found to rise and the critical temperature decreases on decreasing film thickness, as expected. More relevant, the critical fields along and perpendicular to the film plane are markedly different, thickness dependent and much larger than the thermodynamic critical field of Mo bulk. These results are consistent with a picture of type II 2D superconducting films, and allow estimates of the fundamental superconducting lengths of Mo. The role of morphology in determining the 2D and type II character of the otherwise type I molybdenum is discussed. The possible consequences of this behaviour on the performance of radiation detectors are also addressed.

Particle detection with superconducting tunnel junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jany, P.

1990-08-01

At the Institute of Experimental Nuclear Physics of the University of Karlsruhe (TH) and at the Institute for Nuclear Physics of the Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe we started to produce superconducting tunnel junctions and to investigate them for their suitability as particle detectors. The required facilities for the production of tunnel junctions and the experimental equipments to carry out experiments with them were erected. Experiments are presented in which radiations of different kinds of particles could successfully be measured with the tunnel junctions produced. At first we succeeded in detectioning light pulses of a laser. In experiments with alpha-particles of an energy of 4,6 MeV the alpha-particles were detected with an energy resolution of 1,1%, and it was shown in specific experiments that the phonons originating from the deposition of energy by an alpha-particle in the substrate can be detected with superconducting tunnel junctions at the surface. On that occasion it turned out that the signals could be separated with respect to their point of origin (tunnel junction, contact leads, substrate). Finally X-rays with an energy of 6 keV were detected with an energy resolution of 8% in a test arrangement that makes use of the so-called trapping effect to read out a larger absorber volume. (orig.) [de

Numerical simulation of superconducting accelerator magnets

CERN Document Server

Kurz, Stefan

2002-01-01

Modeling and simulation are key elements in assuring the fast and successful design of superconducting magnets. After a general introduction the paper focuses on electromagnetic field computations, which are an indipensable tool in the design process. A technique which is especially well suited for the accurate computation of magnetic fields in superconducting magnets is presented. This method couples Boundary Elements (BEM) which discretize the surface of the iron yoke and Finite Elements (FEM) for the modeling of the non linear interior of the yoke. The formulation is based on a total magnetic scalar potential throughout the whole problem domain. The results for a short dipole model are presented and compared to previous results, which have been obtained from a similar BEM-FEM coupled vector potential formulation. 10 Refs. --- 25 --- AN

Vortex properties of mesoscopic superconducting samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cabral, Leonardo R.E. [Laboratorio de Supercondutividade e Materiais Avancados, Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901 (Brazil); Barba-Ortega, J. [Grupo de Fi' sica de Nuevos Materiales, Departamento de Fisica, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota (Colombia); Souza Silva, C.C. de [Laboratorio de Supercondutividade e Materiais Avancados, Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901 (Brazil); Albino Aguiar, J., E-mail: albino@df.ufpe.b [Laboratorio de Supercondutividade e Materiais Avancados, Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife 50670-901 (Brazil)

2010-10-01

In this work we investigated theoretically the vortex properties of mesoscopic samples of different geometries, submitted to an external magnetic field. We use both London and Ginzburg-Landau theories and also solve the non-linear Time Dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations to obtain vortex configurations, equilibrium states and the spatial distribution of the superconducting electron density in a mesoscopic superconducting triangle and long prisms with square cross-section. For a mesoscopic triangle with the magnetic field applied perpendicularly to sample plane the vortex configurations were obtained by using Langevin dynamics simulations. In most of the configurations the vortices sit close to the corners, presenting twofold or three-fold symmetry. A study of different meta-stable configurations with same number of vortices is also presented. Next, by taking into account de Gennes boundary conditions via the extrapolation length, b, we study the properties of a mesoscopic superconducting square surrounded by different metallic materials and in the presence of an external magnetic field applied perpendicularly to the square surface. It is determined the b-limit for the occurrence of a single vortex in a mesoscopic square of area d{sup 2}, for 4{xi}(0){<=}d{<=}10{xi}(0).

Superconducting Accelerator Magnets

CERN Document Server

Mess, K H; Wolff, S

1996-01-01

The main topic of the book are the superconducting dipole and quadrupole magnets needed in high-energy accelerators and storage rings for protons, antiprotons or heavy ions. The basic principles of low-temperature superconductivity are outlined with special emphasis on the effects which are relevant for accelerator magnets. Properties and fabrication methods of practical superconductors are described. Analytical methods for field calculation and multipole expansion are presented for coils without and with iron yoke. The effect of yoke saturation and geometric distortions on field quality is studied. Persistent magnetization currents in the superconductor and eddy currents the copper part of the cable are analyzed in detail and their influence on field quality and magnet performance is investigated. Superconductor stability, quench origins and propagation and magnet protection are addressed. Some important concepts of accelerator physics are introduced which are needed to appreciate the demanding requirements ...

Gambling with Superconducting Fluctuations

Science.gov (United States)

Foltyn, Marek; Zgirski, Maciej

2015-08-01

Josephson junctions and superconducting nanowires, when biased close to superconducting critical current, can switch to a nonzero voltage state by thermal or quantum fluctuations. The process is understood as an escape of a Brownian particle from a metastable state. Since this effect is fully stochastic, we propose to use it for generating random numbers. We present protocol for obtaining random numbers and test the experimentally harvested data for their fidelity. Our work is prerequisite for using the Josephson junction as a tool for stochastic (probabilistic) determination of physical parameters such as magnetic flux, temperature, and current.

Enhanced superconductivity of fullerenes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington, II, Aaron L.; Teprovich, Joseph A.; Zidan, Ragaiy

2017-06-20

Methods for enhancing characteristics of superconductive fullerenes and devices incorporating the fullerenes are disclosed. Enhancements can include increase in the critical transition temperature at a constant magnetic field; the existence of a superconducting hysteresis over a changing magnetic field; a decrease in the stabilizing magnetic field required for the onset of superconductivity; and/or an increase in the stability of superconductivity over a large magnetic field. The enhancements can be brought about by transmitting electromagnetic radiation to the superconductive fullerene such that the electromagnetic radiation impinges on the fullerene with an energy that is greater than the band gap of the fullerene.

Effect of pressure on spin fluctuations and superconductivity in heavy-fermion UPt3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willis, J.O.; Thompson, J.D.; Fisk, Z.; de Visser, A.; Franse, J.J.M.; Menovsky, A.

1985-01-01

We have determined the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the susceptibility, on the T 2 temperature dependence of the spin-fluctuation resistivity, and on superconductivity in UPt 3 . The spin-fluctuation temperature T/sub s/, derived from the slope of resistivity versus T 2 , is used within a Fermi-liquid picture to calculate the susceptibility chi at T = 0 K. The depression of this calculated chi with pressure agrees with the directly measured value partial lnchi/partialP = -24 Mbar -1 . Both the superconducting transition temperature T/sub c/ and the initial slope of the upper critical field also decrease under pressure. We find that partial lnT/sub c//partialP = -25 Mbar -1 and speculate upon correlations between chi and T/sub c/

Magnetic hysteresis effects in superconducting coplanar microwave resonators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bothner, D.; Gaber, T.; Kemmler, M.; Gruenzweig, M.; Ferdinand, B.; Koelle, D.; Kleiner, R. [Universitaet Tuebingen (Germany); Wuensch, S.; Siegel, M. [Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie (Germany); Mikheenko, P.; Johansen, T.H. [University of Oslo (Norway)

2013-07-01

We present experimental data regarding the impact of external magnetic fields on quality factor and resonance frequency of superconducting microwave resonators in a coplanar waveguide geometry. In particular we focus on the influence of magnetic history and show with the assistance of numerical calculations that the found hysteretic behaviour can be well understood with a highly inhomogeneous microwave current density in combination with established field penetration models for type-II superconducting thin films. Furthermore we have used magneto-optical imaging techniques to check the field distribution which we have assumed in our calculations. Finally, we demonstrate that and how the observed hysteretic behaviour can be used to optimize and tune the resonator performance for possible hybrid quantum sytems in magnetic fields.

Hole superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirsch, J.E.; Marsiglio, F.

1989-01-01

The authors review recent work on a mechanism proposed to explain high T c superconductivity in oxides as well as superconductivity of conventional materials. It is based on pairing of hole carriers through their direct Coulomb interaction, and gives rise to superconductivity because of the momentum dependence of the repulsive interaction in the solid state environment. In the regime of parameters appropriate for high T c oxides this mechanism leads to characteristic signatures that should be experimentally verifiable. In the regime of conventional superconductors most of these signatures become unobservable, but the characteristic dependence of T c on band filling survives. New features discussed her include the demonstration that superconductivity can result from repulsive interactions even if the gap function does not change sign and the inclusion of a self-energy correction to the hole propagator that reduces the range of band filling where T c is not zero

Superconducting Fullerene Nanowhiskers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshihiko Takano

2012-04-01

Full Text Available We synthesized superconducting fullerene nanowhiskers (C₆₀NWs by potassium (K intercalation. They showed large superconducting volume fractions, as high as 80%. The superconducting transition temperature at 17 K was independent of the K content (x in the range between 1.6 and 6.0 in K-doped C₆₀ nanowhiskers (K_xC₆₀NWs, while the superconducting volume fractions changed with x. The highest shielding fraction of a full shielding volume was observed in the material of K_3.3C₆₀NW by heating at 200 °C. On the other hand, that of a K-doped fullerene (K-C₆₀ crystal was less than 1%. We report the superconducting behaviors of our newly synthesized K_xC₆₀NWs in comparison to those of K_xC₆₀ crystals, which show superconductivity at 19 K in K₃C₆₀. The lattice structures are also discussed, based on the x-ray diffraction (XRD analyses.

Review of progress in superconducting high-beta structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundelin, R.M.

1992-01-01

During the past two years, there has been substantial progress in superconducting high-beta cavities in a number of areas. Understanding of the Q-disease, which occurs when a cavity is held for prolonged periods near 100 K, has advanced, and techniques for mitigating this problem have improved. Progress has been made in the use of high peak power processing to suppress field emission. Cell geometries have improved to reduce the ratio of peak surface electric field to accelerating field, and trapped mode behavior has been found to permit use of nine cells for some applications. The operating experience base for cavities installed in accelerators has increased substantially, as has the performance experience base for industrially manufactured cavities, including both solid niobium and sputter-coated copper. Additional applications for superconducting cavities have been identified. Progress has been made toward the design and construction of a Tera-Electron-Volt Superconducting Linear Accelerator (TESLA) test bed. (author). 25 refs., 1 fig

Superconducting and hybrid systems for magnetic field shielding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gozzelino, L; Gerbaldo, R; Ghigo, G; Laviano, F; Truccato, M; Agostino, A

2016-01-01

In this paper we investigate and compare the shielding properties of superconducting and hybrid superconducting/ferromagnetic systems, consisting of cylindrical cups with an aspect ratio of height/radius close to unity. First, we reproduced, by finite-element calculations, the induction magnetic field values measured along the symmetry axis in a superconducting (MgB 2 ) and in a hybrid configuration (MgB 2 /Fe) as a function of the applied magnetic field and of the position. The calculations are carried out using the vector potential formalism, taking into account simultaneously the non-linear properties of both the superconducting and the ferromagnetic material. On the basis of the good agreement between the experimental and the computed data we apply the same model to study the influence of the geometric parameters of the ferromagnetic cup as well as of the thickness of the lateral gap between the two cups on the shielding properties of the superconducting cup. The results show that in the considered non-ideal geometry, where the edge effect in the flux penetration cannot be disregarded, the superconducting shield is always the most efficient solution at low magnetic fields. However, a partial recovery of the shielding capability of the hybrid configuration occurs if a mismatch in the open edges of the two cups is considered. In contrast, at high magnetic fields the hybrid configurations are always the most effective. In particular, the highest shielding factor was found for solutions with the ferromagnetic cup protruding over the superconducting one. (paper)

The Effect of CuSn Intermetallics on the Interstrand Contact Resistance in Superconducting Cables for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)

CERN Document Server

Scheuerlein, C; Jacob, P; Leroy, D; Oberli, L R; Taborelli, M

2005-01-01

The LHC superconducting cables are submitted to a 200°C heat-treatment in air in order to increase the resistance between the crossing strands (RC) within the cable. During this treatment the as-applied Sn-Ag alloy strand coating is transformed into a CuSn intermetallic compound layer. The microstructure, the surface topography and the surface chemistry of the non-reacted and reacted coatings have been characterised by different techniques, notably focused ion beam (FIB), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Based on the results obtained by these techniques the different influences that the intermetallics have on RC are discussed. The desired RC is obtained only when a continuous Cu3Sn layer is formed, i.e. a sufficient wetting of the Cu substrate by the tinning alloy is crucial. Among other effects the formation of the comparatively hard intermetallics roughens the surface and, thus, reduces the true contact area and i...

Superconducting quantum electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kose, V.

1989-01-01

This book reviews recent accomplishments, presents new results and discusses possible future developments of superconducting quantum electronics and high T c superconductivity. The three main parts of the book deal with fundamentals, sensitive detectors, and precision metrology. New results reported include: correct equivalent circuits modelling superconducting electronic devices; exact solution of the Mattis-Bardeen equations describing various experiments for thin films; complete theoretical description and experimental results for a new broad band spectrum analyzer; a new Josephson junction potentiometer allowing tracing of unknown voltage ratios back to well-known frequency ratios; and fast superconducting SQUID shift registers enabling the production of calculable noise power spectra in the microwave region

Field-Induced Superconductivity in Electric Double Layer Transistors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ueno, Kazunori; Shimotani, Hidekazu; Yuan, Hongtao; Ye, Jianting; Kawasaki, Masashi; Iwasa, Yoshihiro

Electric field tuning of superconductivity has been a long-standing issue in solid state physics since the invention of the field-effect transistor (FET) in 1960. Owing to limited available carrier density in conventional FET devices, electric-field-induced superconductivity was believed to be

Proximity induced ferromagnetism, superconductivity, and finite-size effects on the surface states of topological insulator nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Sengupta, Parijat; Kubis, Tillmann; Tan, Yaohua; Klimeck, Gerhard

2015-01-01

Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3 are well known 3D-topological insulators (TI). Films made of these materials exhibit metal-like surface states with a Dirac dispersion and possess high mobility. The high mobility metal-like surface states can serve as building blocks for a variety of applications that involve tuning their dispersion relationship and opening a band gap. A band gap can be opened either by breaking time reversal symmetry, the proximity effect of a superconductor or ferromagnet or adjusting the dimensionality of the TI material. In this work, methods that can be employed to easily open a band gap for the TI surface states are assessed. Two approaches are described: (1) Coating the surface states with a ferromagnet which has a controllable magnetization axis. The magnetization strength of the ferromagnet is incorporated as an exchange interaction term in the Hamiltonian. (2) An s-wave superconductor, because of the proximity effect, when coupled to a 3D-TI opens a band gap on the surface. Finally, the hybridization of the surface Dirac cones can be controlled by reducing the thickness of the topological insulator film. It is shown that this alters the band gap significantly.

Effect of coupling currents on the dynamic inductance during fast transient in superconducting magnets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Marinozzi

2015-03-01

Full Text Available We present electromagnetic models aiming to calculate the variation of the inductance in a magnet due to dynamic effects such as the variation of magnetization or the coupling with eddy currents. The models are studied with special regard to the calculation of the inductance in superconducting magnets which are affected by interfilament coupling currents. The developed models have been compared with experimental data coming from tests of prototype Nb_{3}Sn magnets designed for the new generation of accelerators. This work is relevant for the quench protection study of superconducting magnets: quench is an unwanted event, when part of the magnet becomes resistive; in these cases, the current should be discharged as fast as possible, in order to maintain the resistive zone temperature under a safe limit. The magnet inductance is therefore a relevant term for the description of the current discharge, especially for the high-field new generation superconducting magnets for accelerators, and this work shows how to calculate the correct value during rapid current changes, providing a mean for simulations of the reached temperature.

Interplay of superconductivity and magnetism in presence of inter sub-lattice effect in cuprates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishoyi, K.C.; Mohapatra, S.P.; Rout, G.C.

2010-01-01

In the present communication, we report a model Hamiltonian to study the interplay between the two long range orders of anti-ferromagnetism (AFM) and superconductivity (SC) in cuprate superconductors in presence of the intersite pairing effect. The BCS type but non-phonon pairing mechanism is considered among the electrons of two equivalent Cu sites. The pairing among the electrons of two nearest neighbour non-equivalent Cu sites is included in the Hamiltonian and its effect on the interplay of SC and AFM is investigated. The Hamiltonian is solved by the Green's function method and the corresponding gap equations are calculated and solved self-consistently. The influence of model parameters like AFM coupling (λ), SC coupling (λ 1 ) and the coupling (λ 2 ) for intersite superconducting interactions on the gaps (SC and AFM) are studied numerically and the results are reported. (author)

Superconducting Materials Applied to EP Systems: Applications of Superconductivity to Hall Thrusters Propulsion

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bruno, Claudio

2001-01-01

This report results from a contract tasking University of Rome as follows: The contractor will investigate the use of superconducting materials for use in high power hall effect type electric propulsion motors...

Local imaging of magnetic flux in superconducting thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shapoval, Tetyana

2010-01-01

Local studies of magnetic flux line (vortex) distribution in superconducting thin films and their pinning by natural and artificial defects have been performed using low-temperature magnetic force microscopy (LT-MFM). Taken a 100 nm thin NbN film as an example, the depinning of vortices from natural defects under the influence of the force that the MFM tip exerts on the individual vortex was visualized and the local pinning force was estimated. The good agreement of these results with global transport measurements demonstrates that MFM is a powerful and reliable method to probe the local variation of the pinning landscape. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the presence of an ordered array of 1-μm-sized ferromagnetic permalloy dots being in a magneticvortex state underneath the Nb film significantly influences the natural pinning landscape of the superconductor leading to commensurate pinning effects. This strong pinning exceeds the repulsive interaction between the superconducting vortices and allows vortex clusters to be located at each dot. Additionally, for industrially applicable YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ thin films the main question discussed was the possibility of a direct correlation between vortices and artificial defects as well as vortex imaging on rough as-prepared thin films. Since the surface roughness (droplets, precipitates) causes a severe problem to the scanning MFM tip, a nanoscale wedge polishing technique that allows to overcome this problem was developed. Mounting the sample under a defined small angle results in a smooth surface and a monotonic thickness reduction of the film along the length of the sample. It provides a continuous insight from the film surface down to the substrate with surface sensitive scanning techniques. (orig.)

Fidelity study of superconductivity in extended Hubbard models

Science.gov (United States)

Plonka, N.; Jia, C. J.; Wang, Y.; Moritz, B.; Devereaux, T. P.

2015-07-01

The Hubbard model with local on-site repulsion is generally thought to possess a superconducting ground state for appropriate parameters, but the effects of more realistic long-range Coulomb interactions have not been studied extensively. We study the influence of these interactions on superconductivity by including nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor extended Hubbard interactions in addition to the usual on-site terms. Utilizing numerical exact diagonalization, we analyze the signatures of superconductivity in the ground states through the fidelity metric of quantum information theory. We find that nearest and next-nearest neighbor interactions have thresholds above which they destabilize superconductivity regardless of whether they are attractive or repulsive, seemingly due to competing charge fluctuations.

First-principles approach for superconducting slabs and heterostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Csire, Gabor [Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Budapest (Hungary)

2016-07-01

We present a fully ab-initio method to calculate the transition temperature for superconducting slabs and heterostructures. In the case of thin superconductor layers the electron-phonon interaction may change significantly. Therefore we calculate the layer dependent phonon spectrum to determine the layer dependence of the electron-phonon coupling for such systems. The phonon spectrum is than coupled to the Kohn-Sham-Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation via the McMillan-Hopfield parameter, and it is solved self-consistently. The theory is applied to niobium slabs and niobium-gold heterostructures. Based on these calculations we investigate both the dependence of the superconducting transition temperature on the thickness of superconducting slabs and the inverse proximity effect observed in thin superconducting heterostructures.

Superconductivity in graphite intercalation compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Robert P.; Weller, Thomas E.; Howard, Christopher A.; Dean, Mark P.M.; Rahnejat, Kaveh C.; Saxena, Siddharth S.; Ellerby, Mark

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Historical background of graphite intercalates. • Superconductivity in graphite intercalates and its place in the field of superconductivity. • Recent developments. • Relevant modeling of superconductivity in graphite intercalates. • Interpretations that pertain and questions that remain. - Abstract: The field of superconductivity in the class of materials known as graphite intercalation compounds has a history dating back to the 1960s (Dresselhaus and Dresselhaus, 1981; Enoki et al., 2003). This paper recontextualizes the field in light of the discovery of superconductivity in CaC 6 and YbC 6 in 2005. In what follows, we outline the crystal structure and electronic structure of these and related compounds. We go on to experiments addressing the superconducting energy gap, lattice dynamics, pressure dependence, and how these relate to theoretical studies. The bulk of the evidence strongly supports a BCS superconducting state. However, important questions remain regarding which electronic states and phonon modes are most important for superconductivity, and whether current theoretical techniques can fully describe the dependence of the superconducting transition temperature on pressure and chemical composition

Superconductivity in graphite intercalation compounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, Robert P. [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Weller, Thomas E.; Howard, Christopher A. [Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College of London, Gower Street, London WCIE 6BT (United Kingdom); Dean, Mark P.M. [Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States); Rahnejat, Kaveh C. [Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College of London, Gower Street, London WCIE 6BT (United Kingdom); Saxena, Siddharth S. [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Ellerby, Mark, E-mail: mark.ellerby@ucl.ac.uk [Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College of London, Gower Street, London WCIE 6BT (United Kingdom)

2015-07-15

Highlights: • Historical background of graphite intercalates. • Superconductivity in graphite intercalates and its place in the field of superconductivity. • Recent developments. • Relevant modeling of superconductivity in graphite intercalates. • Interpretations that pertain and questions that remain. - Abstract: The field of superconductivity in the class of materials known as graphite intercalation compounds has a history dating back to the 1960s (Dresselhaus and Dresselhaus, 1981; Enoki et al., 2003). This paper recontextualizes the field in light of the discovery of superconductivity in CaC{sub 6} and YbC{sub 6} in 2005. In what follows, we outline the crystal structure and electronic structure of these and related compounds. We go on to experiments addressing the superconducting energy gap, lattice dynamics, pressure dependence, and how these relate to theoretical studies. The bulk of the evidence strongly supports a BCS superconducting state. However, important questions remain regarding which electronic states and phonon modes are most important for superconductivity, and whether current theoretical techniques can fully describe the dependence of the superconducting transition temperature on pressure and chemical composition.

Electromagnetic wave attenuation in the superconducting waveguides at frequencies above the critical value

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gashimov, A.M.; Gumbatov, S.G.

2004-01-01

The behavior of attenuation factor α(ν) in a wide relative frequency rAe 1 c ) at microwave energy transmission by the round superconducting waveguides is investigated. It is revealed that, despite of increasing of surface resistance with increasing ν, α(ν) sharply decreases in the rAe 1 min at ν→∞. Such behavior α(ν) is due to joint appearance of opposite influences of wave frequency and surface resistance of the superconducting material. The waveguide with radius r=1 m, made of high-temperature superconductor, has the highest value of efficiency (98% at ν=4)

Hall effect of K-doped superconducting thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Son, Eunseon; Lee, Nam Hoon; Kang, Won Nam [Dept. of physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Tae Jong; Kim, Dong Ho [Dept. of physics, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan(Korea, Republic of)

2013-09-15

We have studied Hall effect for potassium (K)-doped BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2}superconducting thin films by analyzing the relation between the longitudinal resistivity (ρ{sub xy}) and the Hall resistivity (ρ{sub xy}). The thin films used in this study were fabricated on Al{sub O3} (000l) substrates by using an ex-situ pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique under a high-vacuum condition of ∼10{sup -6} Torr. The samples showed the high superconducting transition temperatures (T{sub C}) of ∼40 K. The ρ{sub xx} and ρ{sub xy}the for K-doped BaFeAs{sub 2} thin films were measured by using a physical property measurement system (PPMS) with a temperature sweep (T-sweep) mode at an applied current density of 100 A/cm{sup 2} and at magnetic fields from 0 up to 9 T. We report the T-sweep results of the ρ{sub xx} and the ρ{sub xy} to investigate Hall scaling behavior on the basis of the relation of ρ{sub xy} = A(ρ{sub xy}){sup β}. The ρ{sub xx} values are 3.0 ± 0.2 in the c-axis-oriented K-doped BaFeAs{sub 2} thin films, whereas the thin films with various oriented-directions like a polycrystal showed slightly lower β than that of c-axis-oriented thin films. Interestingly, the β value is decreased with increasing magnetic fields.

Superconducting Material - A study on the near field of a superconducting antenna

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Soon Chil; Lee, Seung Chul; Doe, Joong Hoe; Hoe, Mi Ra [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1996-07-01

The pulse spectroscopy in combination with piezoelectric resonance makes an ideal non-disturbing tool for the measurement of electric field near an antenna. This new field sensing technique was used to investigate the field of a ring antenna the near field of which is widely used such as the plasma generation and NMR. The superconducting wire also have the dominant capacitive AC field in near regions, meaning that the net charge on the ring surface is not due to the ohm`s law as in DC. 23 refs., 8 figs. (author)

Signatures of granular superconductivity and Josephson effects in macroscopic measurements: the case of new superconductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S Senoussi

2006-09-01

Full Text Available   We report systematic investigations of the magnetic superconducting properties of the new superconducting materials (NS: New high temperature superconductors (HTS, Organic superconductors (OS, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, MgB2 etc. We show that, contrary to conventional superconductors where the superconducting state can be coherent over several tenths of km, the macroscopic coherence range lc of the NS is often as short as 0.1 to 10 µm typically. As a consequence, the magnetic properties are dominated by granular-like effects as well as Josephson coupling between grains. Here, we concentrate on HTS ceramics and organic superconductors exclusively. In the first case we observe three distinct regimes: (i At very low field (H < 5 Oe to say all the grains are coupled via Josephson effect and lc can be considered as infinite. (2 At intermediate field (5 < H < 50 Oe, typically the grains are gradually decoupled by H and/or T. (iii At higher fields all the grains are decoupled and lc roughly coincides with the diameter of the metallurgical grains. The case of OS is more subtle and is connected with a kind of order-disorder transition that occurs in most of them. For instance, in this study, we exploit quenched disorder (after crossing such a transition in the -(BEDT-TTF2Cu[N(CN2]Br layered organic superconductor to get new insights on both the superconducting state (T £ 11.6 K and the glassy transition at Tg, by studying the superconducting properties as functions of annealing time and annealing temperature around the glassy transition. Our main result is that the data can be described by a percolation molecular cluster model in which the topology and the growth of the molecular clusters obey an Ising spin-glass-like model with Tg ≈ 80 K for the hydrogenated compound and Tg ≈ 55 K for the fully deuterated one.

Zinc substitution effects on the superconducting properties of Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4-δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Vazquez, V.; Mazumdar, S.; Falco, C.M.; Barlingay, C.; Risbud, S.H.

1990-01-01

With the discovery of the electron superconductors, a new dimension was added to research in the field of high-temperature superconductivity. Studies of these materials should help elucidate the mechanism responsible for high-temperature superconductivity, as well as improve strategies for finding new superconductors. In this paper, we discuss the superconducting structural properties of Nd 1.85 Ce 0.15 (Cu 1-y Zn y )O 4 as a function of the Zn concentration y. Detailed comparisons with previous results of similar substitution studies in the single-CuO 2 -layer hole superconductor La 1.85 Sr 0.15 CuO 4 also are made. We have found that the non-magnetic element Zn has a detrimental effect on the T'-phase electron superconductor, and that this effect is as strong as in the T-phase hole superconductor. Theoretical implications and the question of electron-hole symmetry are also discussed

Buffer layers for REBCO films for use in superconducting devices

Science.gov (United States)

Goyal, Amit; Wee, Sung-Hun

2014-06-10

A superconducting article includes a substrate having a biaxially textured surface. A biaxially textured buffer layer, which can be a cap layer, is supported by the substrate. The buffer layer includes a double perovskite of the formula A.sub.2B'B''O.sub.6, where A is rare earth or alkaline earth metal and B' and B'' are different transition metal cations. A biaxially textured superconductor layer is deposited so as to be supported by the buffer layer. A method of making a superconducting article is also disclosed.

Unconventional superconductivity in iron pnictides: Magnon mediated pairing

Science.gov (United States)

kar, Raskesh; Paul, Bikash Chandra; Misra, Anirban

2018-02-01

We study the phenomenon of unconventional superconductivity in iron pnictides on the basis of localized-itinerant model. In this proposed model, superconductivity arises from the itinerant part of electrons, whereas antiferromagnetism arises from the localized part. The itinerant electrons move over the sea of localized electrons in antiferromagnetic alignment and interact with them resulting in excitation of magnons. We find that triplet pairing of itinerant electrons via magnons is possible in checkerboard antiferromagnetic spin configuration of the substances CaFe2As2 and BaFe2As2 in pure form for umklapp scattering with scattering wave vector Q =(1 , 1) , in the unit of π/a where a being one orthorhombic crystal parameter, which is the nesting vector between two Fermi surfaces. The interaction potential figured out in this way, increases with the decrease in nearest neighbour (NN) exchange couplings. Under ambient pressure, with stripe antiferromagnetic spin configuration, a very small value of coupling constant is obtained which does not give rise to superconductivity. The critical temperature of superconductivity of the substances CaFe2As2 and BaFe2As2 in higher pressure checkerboard antiferromagnetic spin configuration are found to be 12.12 K and 29.95 K respectively which are in agreement with the experimental results.

Unusual temperature evolution of superconductivity in LiFeAs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nag, Pranab Kumar; Schlegel, Ronny; Baumann, Danny; Grafe, Hans-Joachim; Beck, Robert [Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, IFW Dresden (Germany); Wurmehl, Sabine [Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, IFW Dresden (Germany); Institute for Solid State Physics, TU Dresden (Germany); Buechner, Bernd [Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, IFW Dresden (Germany); Institute for Solid State Physics, TU Dresden (Germany); Center for Transport and Devices, TU Dresden (Germany); Hess, Christian [Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, IFW Dresden (Germany); Center for Transport and Devices, TU Dresden (Germany)

2016-07-01

We have performed temperature dependent scanning tunneling spectroscopy on an impurity-free surface area of a LiFeAs single crystal. Our data reveal a highly unusual temperature evolution of superconductivity: at T{sub c}{sup *}=18 K a partial superconducting gap opens, as is evidenced by subtle, yet clear features in the tunneling spectra, i.e. particle-hole symmetric coherence peaks and dip-hump structures. At T{sub c}=16 K, these features substantiate dramatically and become characteristic of full superconductivity. Remarkably, this is accompanied by an almost jump-like increase of the gap energy at T{sub c} to about 87% of its low-temperature gap value. The energy of the dip as measured by its distance to the coherence peak remains practically constant in the whole temperature regime T ≤ T{sub c}{sup *}. We compare these findings with established experimental and theoretical results.

Superconducting augmented rail gun (SARG)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Homan, C.G.; Cummings, C.E.; Fowler, C.M.

1986-01-01

Superconducting augmentation consists of a superconducting coil operating in the persistent mode closely coupled magnetically with a normally conducting rail gun. A theoretical investigation of the effect of this system on a rail gun has shown that two benefits occur. Projectile velocities and launch efficiencies increase significantly depending on the magnetic coupling between the rail and augmentation circuits. Previous work evaluated an idealized system by neglecting energy dissipation effects. In this paper, the authors extend the analysis to include the neglected terms and show improved actual launch efficiencies for the SARG configuration. In this paper, the authors discuss details of projectile design in depth and present preliminary results of rail gun performance

Gossamer superconductivity, new paradigm?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Won, Hyekyung [Department of Physics, Hallym University, Chuncheon 200-702 (Korea); Haas, Stephan; Parker, David [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0484 (United States); Maki, Kazumi [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0484 (United States); Max-Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Noethnitzer Str. 38, 01187 Dresden (Germany); Dora, Balazs [Department of Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1521 Budapest (Hungary); Virosztek, Attila [Department of Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1521 Budapest (Hungary); Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, P.O. Box 49, 1525 Budapest (Hungary)

2006-01-01

We review our recent works on d-wave density wave (dDW) and gossamer superconductivity (i.e. d-wave superconductivity in the presence of dDW) in high-T{sub c} cuprates and CeCoIn{sub 5}. a) We show that both the giant Nernst effect and the angle dependent magnetoresistance (ADMR) in the pseudogap phases of the cuprates and CeCoIn{sub 5} are manifestations of dDW. b) The phase diagram of high-T{sub c} cuprates is understood in terms of mean field theory, which includes two order parameters {delta}{sub 1} and {delta}{sub 2}, where one order paremeter is from dDW and the other from d-wave superconductivity. c) In the optimally to the overdoped region we find the spatially periodic dDW, an analogue of the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state, becomes more stable. d) In the underdoped region where {delta}{sub 2}/{delta}{sub 1}<<1 the Uemera relation is obtained within the present model. We speculate that the gossamer superconductivity is at the heart of high-T{sub c} cuprate superconductors, the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn{sub 5} and the organic superconductors {kappa}-(ET){sub 2}Cu(NCS){sub 2} and (TMTSF){sub 2}PF{sub 6}. (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Smooth surfaces in very thin GdBa2Cu3O7−δ films for application in superconducting tunnel junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Navarro, H.; Sirena, M.; Kim, Jeehoon; Haberkorn, N.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A detailed study of the morphological properties of GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ thin films was realized. • The inclusion of a very thin SrTiO 3 buffer layer modifies the surface of the SrTiO 3 substrates. • The inclusion of the buffer layer suppress the three dimensional nucleation in the GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ film. • GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ films with large areas free of topological defects and T c close to liquid nitrogen can be obtained. - Abstract: This paper provides a systematic analysis of the morphology and the superconducting critical temperature obtained in very thin GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ films grown on (0 0 1) SrTiO 3 substrates by DC sputtering. We find that the use of a very thin SrTiO 3 buffer layer (≈2 nm) modify the nucleation of GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ on the surface of the substrate reducing the formation of 3 dimensional clusters. Our results demonstrate that 16 nm thick GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ films with an average root-mean-square (RMS) smaller than 1 nm and large surface areas (up 10 μm 2 ) free of 3 dimensional topological defects can be obtained. In films thinner than 24 nm the onset (zero resistance) of superconducting transition of the films is reduced, being close to liquid nitrogen. This fact can be associated with stress reducing the orthorhombicity and slightly drop in oxygen stoichiometry

Lattice parameters guide superconductivity in iron-arsenides

Science.gov (United States)

Konzen, Lance M. N.; Sefat, Athena S.

2017-03-01

The discovery of superconducting materials has led to their use in technological marvels such as magnetic-field sensors in MRI machines, powerful research magnets, short transmission cables, and high-speed trains. Despite such applications, the uses of superconductors are not widespread because they function much below room-temperature, hence the costly cooling. Since the discovery of Cu- and Fe-based high-temperature superconductors (HTS), much intense effort has tried to explain and understand the superconducting phenomenon. While no exact explanations are given, several trends are reported in relation to the materials basis in magnetism and spin excitations. In fact, most HTS have antiferromagnetic undoped ‘parent’ materials that undergo a superconducting transition upon small chemical substitutions in them. As it is currently unclear which ‘dopants’ can favor superconductivity, this manuscript investigates crystal structure changes upon chemical substitutions, to find clues in lattice parameters for the superconducting occurrence. We review the chemical substitution effects on the crystal lattice of iron-arsenide-based crystals (2008 to present). We note that (a) HTS compounds have nearly tetragonal structures with a-lattice parameter close to 4 Å, and (b) superconductivity can depend strongly on the c-lattice parameter changes with chemical substitution. For example, a decrease in c-lattice parameter is required to induce ‘in-plane’ superconductivity. The review of lattice parameter trends in iron-arsenides presented here should guide synthesis of new materials and provoke theoretical input, giving clues for HTS.

WORKSHOP: Radiofrequency superconductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1984-10-15

The Second Workshop on Radiofrequency Superconductivity was held at CERN from 23-27 July, four years after the first, organized at Karlsruhe. 35 invited talks were presented to the about 80 participants from Australia, Brazil, Europe, Japan and the United States. For the first time, ten Laboratories operating or planning superconducting accelerators for heavy ions participated and shared their experience with the community proposing the use of superconducting accelerating sections for electron accelerators.

WORKSHOP: Radiofrequency superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1984-01-01

The Second Workshop on Radiofrequency Superconductivity was held at CERN from 23-27 July, four years after the first, organized at Karlsruhe. 35 invited talks were presented to the about 80 participants from Australia, Brazil, Europe, Japan and the United States. For the first time, ten Laboratories operating or planning superconducting accelerators for heavy ions participated and shared their experience with the community proposing the use of superconducting accelerating sections for electron accelerators

Process for producing clad superconductive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cass, R.B.; Ott, K.C.; Peterson, D.E.

1992-01-01

This patent describes a process for fabricating superconducting composite wire. It comprises placing a superconductive precursor admixture capable of undergoing self propagating combustion in stoichiometric amounts sufficient to form a superconductive product within an oxygen-porous metal tube; sealing one end of the tube; igniting the superconductive precursor admixture whereby the superconductive precursor admixture endburns along the length of the admixture; and cross-section reducing the tube at a rate substantially equal to the rate of burning of the superconductive precursor admixture and at a point substantially planar with the burnfront of the superconductive precursor mixture, whereby a clad superconductive product is formed in situ

Prospects for obtaining a superconducting filter to purify oxygen from argon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sawai, Yuichi; Ishizaki, Kozo; Yayashi, Shigeki; Jain, R.

1993-01-01

A possible superconducting filter, through which argon can pass and oxygen can not pass, is discussed theoretically. Oxygen and argon are paramagnetic and diamagnetic materials, respectively. The mixture of oxygen and argon can be separated in a magnetic field higher than 4 T 2 /m of BdB/dx, where B is the magnetic flux density and dB/dx is its gradient. Such a magnetic field can be obtained by a superconducting filter. Because magnetic flux does not pass through a superconducting body of the filter, and instead does along the penetrating pores, B in the penetrating pores and dB/dx on the surface of the filter are very high, which allows separation of argon from oxygen. 3 refs., 3 figs

Superconducting nanostructured materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metlushko, V.

1998-01-01

Within the last year it has been realized that the remarkable properties of superconducting thin films containing a periodic array of defects (such as sub-micron sized holes) offer a new route for developing a novel superconducting materials based on precise control of microstructure by modern photolithography. A superconductor is a material which, when cooled below a certain temperature, loses all resistance to electricity. This means that superconducting materials can carry large electrical currents without any energy loss--but there are limits to how much current can flow before superconductivity is destroyed. The current at which superconductivity breaks down is called the critical current. The value of the critical current is determined by the balance of Lorentz forces and pinning forces acting on the flux lines in the superconductor. Lorentz forces proportional to the current flow tend to drive the flux lines into motion, which dissipates energy and destroys zero resistance. Pinning forces created by isolated defects in the microstructure oppose flux line motion and increase the critical current. Many kinds of artificial pinning centers have been proposed and developed to increase critical current performance, ranging from dispersal of small non-superconducting second phases to creation of defects by proton, neutron or heavy ion irradiation. In all of these methods, the pinning centers are randomly distributed over the superconducting material, causing them to operate well below their maximum efficiency. We are overcome this drawback by creating pinning centers in aperiodic lattice (see Fig 1) so that each pin site interacts strongly with only one or a few flux lines

Effects of neutron irradiation on a superconducting metallic glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kramer, E.A.; Johnson, W.L.; Cline, C.

1979-06-01

The effects of fast neutron irradiation on a superconducting metallic glass (Mo 6 Ru 4 ) 82 B 18 have been studied. Following irradiation to a total fluence of 10 19 n/cm 2 , T/sub c/ increases from 6.05 K to 6.19 K, and the width of the transition decreases sharply. The density of the material decreases by 1.5%, and the x-ray scattering intensity maxima are broadened. An improvement in the ductility of the samples is observed which together with the other observations suggests the production of defects having atomic scale dimensions and characterized by excess volume

The Influence of Grain Boundaries on the Properties of Superconducting Radio Frequency Cavity Niobium

Science.gov (United States)

Sung, Zu Hawn

Grain boundaries (GBs) in niobium are multiply connected defects that may be responsible for significant performance degradation in superconducting radio frequency (RF) cavities. Magneto optical (MO) studies show that early flux penetration often occurs at GBs. One possible mechanism is that a locally reduced superconducting gap (Delta) at the GB reduces the depairing current density (Jb) and thus leads to a local reduction of the critical field. Alternatively vortices may penetrate the GB preferentially because of field enhancement at a GB groove, or for other reasons. In all these cases, the effect of high RF fields is to produce additional power dissipation, which in turn produces a reduction in quality factor (Q 0) and leads to a premature quench of the cavity. To further our understanding of the superconducting properties of SRF-quality Nb, we made extensive superconducting characterizations by magneto-optical imaging, which allowed assessment of the uniformity of properties on scales down to about 5 microm and by direct transport voltage-current methods in single and bi-crystals treated by standard cavity optimization treatments of BCP (buffered chemical treatment) and EP (electropolishing). We correlated these superconducting characterizations to microstructural properties using scanning laser and scanning electron microscopy and then thinned some samples to examine them at the nanometer scale using analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We also developed special metallographic sample preparation techniques that allowed us to apply these experimental approaches to very soft superconducting RF niobium in the polished conditions characteristics of a real inner cavity surface. Using MO imaging, we found that GBs can preferentially admit flux penetration when the plane of a GB is aligned parallel to the vector of the external magnetic field. In DC transport in the superconducting state, we found preferential flux flow at the GB and could detect the

Tests of a niobium split-ring superconducting heavy ion accelerating structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benaroya, R.; Bollinger, L.M.; Jaffey, A.H.; Khoe, T.K.; Olesen, M.C.; Scheibelhut, C.H.; Shepard, K.W.; Wesolowski, W.A.

1976-01-01

A niobium split-ring accelerating structure designed for use in the Argonne superconducting heavy-ion energy booster was successfully tested. The superconducting resonator has a resonant frequency of 97 MHz and an optimum particle velocity β = 0.11. Ultimate performance is expected to be limited by peak surface fields, which in this structure are 4.7 E/sub a/ electric and 170 E/sub a/ (Gauss) magnetic, where E/sub a/ is the effective accelerating gradient in MV/m. The rf losses in two demountable superconducting joints severely limited performance in initial tests. Following independent measurements of the rf loss properties of several types of demountable joints, one demountable joint was eliminated and the other modified. Subsequently, the resonator could be operated continuously at E/sub a/ = 3.6 MV/m (corresponding to an energy gain of 1.3 MeV per charge) with 10W rf input power. Maximum field level was limited by electron loading. The mechanical stability of the resonator under operating conditions is excellent: vibration induced eigenfrequency noise is less than 120 Hz peak to peak, and the radiation pressure induced frequency shift is Δf/f = 1.6 x 10 -6 E/sub a/ 2

Tests of a niobium split-ring superconducting heavy ion accelerating structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benaroya, R.; Bollinger, L.M.; Jaffey, A.H.; Khoe, T.K.; Olesen, M.C.; Scheibelhut, C.H.; Shepard, K.W.; Wesolowski, W.A.

1976-01-01

A niobium split-ring accelerating structure designed for use in the Argonne superconducting heavy-ion energy booster was successfully tested. The superconducting resonator has a resonant frequency of 97 MHz and an optimum particle velocity ..beta.. = 0.11. Ultimate performance is expected to be limited by peak surface fields, which in this structure are 4.7 E/sub a/ electric and 170 E/sub a/ (Gauss) magnetic, where E/sub a/ is the effective accelerating gradient in MV/m. The rf losses in two demountable superconducting joints severely limited performance in initial tests. Following independent measurements of the rf loss properties of several types of demountable joints, one demountable joint was eliminated and the other modified. Subsequently, the resonator could be operated continuously at E/sub a/ = 3.6 MV/m (corresponding to an energy gain of 1.3 MeV per charge) with 10W rf input power. Maximum field level was limited by electron loading. The mechanical stability of the resonator under operating conditions is excellent: vibration induced eigenfrequency noise is less than 120 Hz peak to peak, and the radiation pressure induced frequency shift is ..delta..f/f = 1.6 x 10/sup -6/ E/sub a//sup 2/.

Study of first harmonic field effects on beam extraction for VEC K500 superconducting cyclotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dey, M.K.; Debnath, J.; Mallik, C.; Bhandari, R.K.

2002-01-01

In superconducting cyclotron large momentum compaction at extraction region makes the turn separation very small. The first harmonic effects on the He +1 beam using simulated magnetic field for VEC K500 cyclotron is reported

Superconductivity Series in Transition Metal Dichalcogenides by Ionic Gating

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shi, Wu; Ye, Jianting; Zhang, Yijin; Suzuki, Ryuji; Yoshida, Masaro; Miyazaki, Jun; Inoue, Naoko; Saito, Yu; Iwasa, Yoshihiro

2015-01-01

Functionalities of two-dimensional (2D) crystals based on semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have now stemmed from simple field effect transistors (FETs) to a variety of electronic and opto-valleytronic devices, and even to superconductivity. Among them, superconductivity is the

Superconducting to spin-glass state transformation in β-pyrochlore KxOs2O6

Science.gov (United States)