This is an excellent book for young researchers who want to get a clear knowledge about low-temperature meas-urements and experimental techniques, magnetic applications, and superconductivity. The most attractive aspect of this book is that it covers the basic phenomenon of low-temperature physics, magnetism, and superconductivity with the help of a combined experimental and theoretical approach with very clear illustrations in 10 chapters.
The first chapter gives a brief introduction about how to liquefy gases and achieve low temperatures to pK with pictorial representation of experimental setups and different processes (Linde–Hampson liquefaction cycle to the recent developments in achieving low temperatures with Kamerlingh Onnes’s success story of liquefying helium and the discovery of superconductivity). Phenomena and the physical properties of superconducting materials, as well as the utilization of such phenomena to make superconducting devices, are discussed clearly in chapter 2. Basic concepts such as the Meissner effect, energy gap, and flux quantization are also covered. The occurrence of Type II superconductivity in alloys and compounds is explained, starting with Abrikosov’s concept in chapter 3. Chapter 4 gives an overview of cuprate superconductors starting with the very first superconductor Y-Ba-Cu-O and different families of superconductors. Correlations between the crystal structures and the superconductivity of different types of superconductors are explained well with their crystal structure models. Commercialization of the first superconducting wires and their applications are also demonstrated. Theories such as London’s, BCS, and the Ginzburg–Landau theory are briefly reviewed in chapter 5. Possible superconducting materials for magnetic applications are given in chapter 6. Processes to make superconducting wires for commercial applications are illustrated with clear phase diagrams. Chapter 7 discusses do-it-yourself superconducting magnets.Superconducting magnets for accelerators and their historic developments (e.g., Tevatron, HERA) are given in chapter 8. A photograph taken at CERN gives the reader a feeling of what the superconducting accelerator looks like. Images and pictorial representations along with basic concepts are given for different types of superconducting magnets in cyclotrons. Chapter 9 is about utilization of superconducting magnets in fusion reactors. Fusion mechanisms and machines based on tokamak concepts (e.g., T-7, Tore Supra) are discussed. Futuristic machines (W7-X and IGNITOR) and their functionalities and designs are also discussed with illustrations. In chapter 10, applications of magnetic materials in medical and other fields are described.
The references are adequate and up to date. This book can be useful for master’s level students, and to some extent for bachelor’s level students as a reference for the fundamentals of superconductivity, applications, and designs of superconducting. I strongly recommend this book to all scientists interested in superconductivity.
Reviewer: K. Kamala Bharathi of the National Institute of Standards and Technology/University of Maryland, USA.
