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Title: Extreme type II superconductors: Universal properties and trends

Journal Article · · International Journal of Modern Physics B; (United States)
 [1];  [2]
  1. IBM Research Div., Rueschlikon (Switzerland). Zurich Research Lab.
  2. Univ. Zuerich (Switzerland). Physik-Inst.

The authors review and analyze experiment results of the specific heat, the muon-spin rotation ([mu]SR) relaxation rate and the fluctuation contributions to the magnetization and dc conductivity of extreme type II superconductors from the point of view of critical phenomena. The estimates of critical exponents and amplitudes, the measured scaling behavior, the consistencies with the universal relations between the critical amplitudes and the decrease of the transition temperature ([Tc]) with decreasing thickness, which corresponds to a dimensional crossover from 3d and 2d xy critical behavior, provide considerable evidence for a three-dimensional xy critical point. The estimated volume of the critical correlation length amplitudes turns out to be comparable to that in superfluid Helium and is several orders of magnitude smaller than in BCS superconductors. Moreover, motivated by the Uemura plot, which relates the measured [Tc] to the zero temperature [mu]SR relaxation rate, and by the hyperuniversal relation between [Tc] and critical amplitudes of the London penetration depth and phase correlation length, the authors propose a simple universal'' scaling ansatz, where the plot of the rescaled transition temperature versus rescaled [mu]SR relaxation rate should fall on a single parabola.

OSTI ID:
6971226
Journal Information:
International Journal of Modern Physics B; (United States), Vol. 8:5; ISSN 0217-9792
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English