PHYS 498 SQD :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Course Materials
SOURCES
Because of the wide range of topics to be covered in this course and the intended mixture of basic and applied physics, no single textbook will be followed. Instead, I will draw from a wide range of sources, including books, review articles, published papers, and my own memory (for things I think I understand but can't recall where I learned it). As you will see, the body of literature on superconductivity and superconductor devices is large and always growing. Part of the challenge of this field is learning where to find information and how to apply appropriate filters to select out the key (and accurate) information.
RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOKS
- Superconductivity. For the coverage of basic superconductivity, I will rely most heavily on Introduction to Superconductivity (Second Edition) by Michael Tinkham. It is a classic text and covers most completely the topics in the course concerning basic superconductivity. I also like Superconductivity of Metals and Cuprates by John Waldram – this book does not go into as much detail, but is very readable and insightful
- Superconductor Devices. For the coverage of superconductor devices, I will rely on most on Introduction to Superconducting Devices by Kadin, Physics and Applications of the Josephson Effects, by Barone and Paterno, and Principles of Superconductive Devices and Circuits by Van Duzer and Turner.
Other favorite references (and some biased comments about them):
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
Blatt, J. M. Theory of Superconductivity
Academic Press, 1964.
Early theoretical treatment. Perhaps more interesting than useful.
DeGennes, P. G. Superconductivity in Metals and Alloys
Addison-Wesley, 1989.
A classic. Still the best treatment of Ginzburg-Landau theory and its application to proximity effects and interfaces.
Ginsberg, D. M. Physical Properties of High Temperature Superconductors, I-V
A comprehensive compilation of experimental data of the high-Tc superconductors.
Lynton, E. A. Superconductivity
Metheun & Co., 1969.
Summary of early phenomena. Pretty dated now.
Parks, R. D. Superconductivity, Volumes I and II
Marcel Dekker, 1969.
Comprehensive review of the field at the time. Still has information that does not appear elsewhere.
Rose-Innes, A. C. Introduction to Superconductivity
Rhoderick, F. H. Pergamon Press, 1969.
Very phenomenological. A pretty good elementary treatment.
Schrieffer, J. R. Theory of Superconductivity
W. A. Benjamin, 1964.
Very theoretical, but some interesting early perspectives. Mostly BCS, of course.
Tinkham, M. Introduction to Superconductivity
McGraw-Hill
Best overall text for basic superconductivity. The second edition has expanded sections on the Josephson effect plus new sections on non-equilibrium, arrays, charging energy effects, and HTS (all the things thathis research group worked on!).
Waldram, J. R. Superconductivity of Metals and Cuprates
Institute of Physics Publishing, 1996.
Excellent book that presents the key concepts in a clear and readable way. I have always been impressed with Waldram’s knowledge and writing (I worked for him as a postdoc at Cambridge).
Useful chapters in standard Solid State textbooks:
Ashcroft and Mermin Solid State Physics (Chapter 34)
Kittel Introduction to the Theory of Solids (Chapter 12)
Ziman Principles of the Theory of Solids (Chapter 11)
SUPERCONDUCTOR DEVICES
Anderson, P. W. "The Josephson Effect and Quantum Coherence Measurements In Superconductors and Superfluids"
Progress in Low Temperature Physics, Vol. V, 1967.
Some good insights into the Josephson effect.
Barone, A. Physics and Applications of the Josephson Effect
Paterno, G. Wiley & Sons, 1982.
By far, the most detailed treatment of Josephson physics.
Kadin, A. M Introduction to Superconducting Circuits
Wiley & Sons, 1999.
A book that describes superconductor devices from a circuit model approach, developing a framework for designing and characterizing superconductor electronics. offer valuable insights and information.
Likharev, K. K. Dynamics of Josephson Junctions and Circuits
Gordon and Breach, 1986.
Theoretical, advanced treatment with device examples.
Lounasmaa, O. V. Experimental Principles and Methods below 1K
Academic Press , 1974.
An old low temperature experimental techniques book with a good description of rf SQUID operation and applications for thermometry and magnetometry.
Orlando, T. P. Foundations of Applied Superconductivity
Delin, K. A. Addison-Wesley, 1991.
Heavy emphasis on engineering aspects but also some good explanations of basic science and very thorough reference guides.
Ruggiero, S. T. Superconducting Devices
Rudman, D. A. Academic Press, 1990.
Book of articles covering device applications of superconductors with emphasis on the potential of the high temperature superconductors.
Schwartz, B. Superconductor Applications: SQUIDs and Machines
Foner, S. Plenum, 1977.
Overview of superconductor technology at the time. Dated now, but some articles, especially John Clarke's description of SQUIDs, are still pretty useful.
Solymar, L. Superconductive Tunneling and Applications
Wiley-Interscience, 1972.
A good introduction to tunneling, both quasiparticle and Josephson.
Van Duzer, T. Principles of Superconductive Devices and Circuits
Turner, C. W Elsevier-North Holland, 1981.
A reference text that touches on most of the topics we will cover in this course. Sketchy in places but overall pretty good.
Waldram, J. R. "The Josephson effects in weakly-coupled Superconductors"
Rep. Prog. Phys 39, 751 (1976).
Highly-recommended review. A well-written insightful treatise on the Josephson effect by a colleague of Brian Josephson at Cambridge. A personal favorite.