University of Toronto
Physics Department
Quantum Optics and Condensed Matter

Abstract

In recent studies, the technique of heat transport has been used successfully to shed light on electron behaviour in all three families of unconventional superconductors: the heavy fermion metals, the organic conductors and the high T_c cuprates. In our group, we have used heat conduction in the cuprates to test one of the central predictions of the microscopic theory: the existence of a residual normal fluid, at low temperatures deep in the superconducting state. I will discuss some of the basic properties of this novel fluid, including its sensitivity to impurities and behaviour in a magnetic field, and also describe the excellent agreement we find with recent calculations assuming a d-wave energy gap. I also will review some of the surprises, puzzles, and open questions in this field, and indicate how we plan to investigate these in our new lab at U of T .

Contact: Dr. Louis Taillefer (416-978-7868)

See http://www.physics.utoronto.ca/~qocmp