Superconductivity – HS 2015

This course provides an introduction to superconductivity, covering both experimental as well as theoretical aspects.
After a historical overview and a presentation of the basic phenomena we will discuss Ginzburg Landau theory, BSC theory, Josephson effects, and end with a short introduction to unconventional (including high-Tc) superconductivity.

Lecture materials

Literature

• "Introduction to Superconductivity" by M. Tinkham
• "Superconductivity of Metals and Alloys" by P. G. de Gennes
• "Fundamentals of the Theory of Metals" by A. A. Abrikosov
• "Superconductivity: Fundamentals and Applications" by W. Buckel and R. Kleiner (original in German, available online through the ETH library)

Slides and Notes

Introductory Slides

Notes on two-fluid model

Slides on Josephson Junctions and notes on Josephson Junctions

Notes on dimensionless Ginzburg-Landau equations

Notes on the Ginzburg criterion

Notes on Goldstone modes and the Anderson-Higgs mechanism

Notes on vortices

Notes on the Cooper problem

Notes on BCS theory

Special lectures and events

Presentation by Manuel Chinotti

Presentation by Jyong-Hao Chen

Presentation by Martin Buchacek

Exercises

The exercise class is an integral part of the course where we cover additional examples and look at certain aspects of the lecture in more detail. We do both analytical and numerical calculations. We may also discuss some papers.

The exercise sheets will be available online or distributed in class on demand. You have one week to work on them on your own, then they are discussed during the exercise class at the "discussion date".

All students are invited to make additional suggestions for the exercise class.

Exercise sheets and discussion dates