GOALI: Local Measurement of Superconducting Nonlinearities

识别和消除超导微波材料和器件中产生非线性的缺陷是超导微波工业的一个重要目标。测量d波超导体中的非线性迈斯纳效应是凝聚态基础研究的一个重要目标。该GOALI奖支持一个项目，该项目将学术研究实验室的一名研究人员与ISCO International和Neocera两家公司的研究实体联合起来，以局部测量超导体中的非线性。基础研究所采用的实验方法将有助于实际项目，反之亦然。该项目的预期成果是：1)最灵敏地测量d波和s波超导体的本征非线性迈斯纳效应；2)识别和消除实际超导材料中引起微波非线性的特定外在缺陷。工业合作伙伴的研究贡献包括：协助扫描近场微波测量，提供成像材料，帮助理解氧化物超导体的复杂微观结构，帮助识别和消除材料非线性的外在来源，并帮助将我们的研究的实际方面带到应用社区。通过这个项目，有望使超导体中新的局部电动力学测量成为可能。这项工作将为铜超导理论提供关键的测试，并开辟高tc超导材料在无线和高速器件应用中的新应用。两名研究生将接受高科技职业所需技能的培训，并将从与工业界的密切合作中受益。还将开展大量外联活动，吸引中小学生参与。高温超导体（HTS）已经开始对商用无线通信领域产生影响。由于其低电阻和紧凑的尺寸，高温超导薄膜在用于过滤无线电话基站中不需要的信号时具有优越的性能。这意味着无线用户通话质量的提高、通话范围的扩大和掉线的减少，以及无线运营商的利润增加。然而，这些优点被用于制造这些器件的超导材料中不受控制的缺陷和无序所破坏。这些缺陷限制了高温超导材料在低功率接收应用中的应用，并阻碍了超导的优势在高功率传输应用中的实现。该奖项支持对这些缺陷和紊乱的根源进行微观调查。该项目还努力与高温超导薄膜和无线设备制造商合作，以消除这些缺陷，从而大大提高他们的产品。此外，该项目还涉及协同基础研究，将重点放在超导非线性特性的基本测量上，并利用这些测量来严格测试高温超导的主要理论。两名研究生将接受高科技职业所需技能的培训，并将从与工业界的密切合作中受益。还将开展大量外联活动，吸引中小学生参与。

The identification and elimination of defects that produce nonlinearity in superconducting microwave materials and devices is an important goal for the superconducting microwave industry. The measurement of the nonlinear Meissner effect in d-wave superconductors is a key goal of fundamental condensed matter research. This GOALI award supports a project uniting the efforts of an investigator at an academic research laboratory with two corporate research entities, ISCO International and Neocera, in order to locally measure nonlinearities in superconductors. The experimental methods employed for the fundamental research will help the practical project, and vice versa. The expected outcomes of this project are: 1) the most sensitive measurement of the intrinsic nonlinear Meissner effect in d-wave and s-wave superconductors, and 2) identification and elimination of specific extrinsic defects that cause microwave nonlinearities in practical superconducting materials. The research contributions of the industrial partners include: assistance with the scanning near-field microwave measurements, providing materials for imaging, helping to understand the complicated microstructure of oxide superconductors, helping to identify and eliminate extrinsic sources of nonlinearity from the materials, and helping to bring the practical aspects of our research to the applied community. Through this project it is expected that new local electrodynamics measurements in superconductors will be made possible. This work will provide key tests of theories of cuprate superconductivity, and open up new applications of high-Tc superconducting materials in wireless and high-speed device applications. Two graduate students will be trained in skills necessary for high-tech careers and will benefit from the close collaboration with industry. There will also be substantial outreach activities to engage elementary and secondary schools students.High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) have begun to make an impact on the commercial wireless communications field. Because of their low resistance and compact size, HTS thin films produce superior performance when used to filter out un-wanted signals in wireless telephone base stations. This translates into improved call quality, longer range and fewer dropped calls for the wireless consumer, and greater profits for the wireless operators. However, these advantages are jeopardized by uncontrolled defects and disorder in the superconducting materials used to make these devices. These defects limit the use of HTS materials to low power receive applications, and prevent the benefits of superconductivity from being achieved in high power transmit applications. This GOALI award supports a microscopic investigation of the sources of these defects and disorder. The project is also an effort to work with manufacturers of HTS thin films and wireless devices to eliminate these defects and therefore substantially enhance their products. In addition the project involves synergistic fundamental research that will focus on basic measurements of superconducting nonlinear properties and use these measurements to rigorously test the leading theories of high temperature superconductivity. Two graduate students will be trained in skills necessary for high-tech careers and will benefit from the close collaboration with industry. There will also be substantial outreach activities to engage elementary and secondary schools students.