BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Superconductivity and the dark side of magnetism - Andrew Huxley\,
  University of Edinburgh
DTSTART:20071207T111500Z
DTEND:20071207T121500Z
UID:TALK8493@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Michael Sutherland
DESCRIPTION:I will examine how new exotic electronic states\nemerge in pur
 e materials around quantum critical points. Such points are found when a c
 ontinuous phase transition between apparently simpler states takes place a
 t zero temperature. In practice\ncontinuous phase transitions almost alway
 s become discontinuous (first-order) as their transition temperatures are 
 suppressed towards zero kelvin by varying a single parameter\, such as pre
 ssure. Several\nindependent parameters therefore have to be tuned together
  to bring a material exactly to a quantum critical point. The strong magne
 tic anisotropy of URhGe allows such multiple-parameter magnetic-tuning to\
 nbe realised in practice. Remarkably\, around the quantum critical point a
 n unusual form of superconductivity occurs in which parallel-spin electron
 s become paired\, in contrast with anti-parallel spin-pairing found in alm
 ost all other superconductors. More remarkably\nstill\, although the super
 conductivity only forms below 0.5 kelvin\, it can survive in magnetic fiel
 ds of over 28 tesla as the quantum critical point is moved to increasing f
 ield by tilting the field direction away from the easy magnetic plane. Thi
 s provides one of the\nmost dramatic examples of a growing number of new e
 lectronic states of matter formed close to quantum critical points with ve
 ry novel properties.\n
LOCATION:Mott Seminar Room\, Cavendish Laboratory\, Department of Physics
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR