Advances in Superconductivity ii

Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) offer wonderful examples of the radical macroscopic effects inherent in quantum physics: phase changes between different forms of matter driven by quantum rather than thermal fluctuations, typically at very low temperatures.

This volume contains a collection of review articles that are extended versions of invited lectures given at the First Pamporovo Winter Workshop on Cooperative Phe­ nomena in Condensed Matter held in villa "Orlitza" (7th-15th March 1998, Pamporovo Ski Resort, Bulgaria). Selected research works reported at the Workshop have been published in the Journal of Physical Studies - a new International Journal for research papers in experimental and theoretical physics (Lviv University, Lviv, Ukraine). These reviews are supposed to be status reports and present new insights gained from the rapidly developing research of outstanding problems in condensed matter physics such as structural properties and phase transitions in fullerene crystals, super­ conductivity ofstrongly interacting electrons in copper oxides, spin polarized Fermi liq­ uids, chaotic vortex filaments in superfluid turbulent Helium-II, desorption induced by electronic transitions in ionic compounds, fluctuation phenomena in superconductors, and quantum critical phenomena in low dimensional magnets and quantum liquids. We have set the material according to the alphabetic order of authors' names although the high temperature superconductivity seems to be the hard kernel in condensed matter physics. The authors have taken care to present the recent advances in their research in a form which is readable and useful not only to experts in the respective field, but also to young scientists. That is why the lectures include a comprehensive introduction to the matter and also an extended discussion of methodical details.