Superconductors by the Mediterranean Sea:  Classic and Novel Materials, Electronic States and Critical Properties

Workshop Funded by

CCP9 www.ccp9.ac.uk

Psi-k www.psi-k.org

through the INTELBIOMAT programme

and SLACS Sardinian Laboratory for Computational materials Science http://slacs.dsf.unica.it/

Motivation and programme

Superconductivity has lately enjoyed a very large degree of attention from the scientific community. The 2001 discovery of MgB₂ has triggered the discovery of superconductivity in graphite-like compounds, leading to new directions for exploiting SC in low dimensional carbon-based nanostructures, which are very promising for device applications. Furthermore, a very recent breakthrough in 2008 was the discovery of a new family of systems based on F-doped iron oxypnic-tides REO_1-xF_xFeAs (RE=rare earth), with technologically promising high critical magnetic fields. The understanding of these materials is, in many cases, far from satisfactory. For instance, the basic mechanism of SC is very material specific and in some cases it is still unknown. Many of the key developments in the DFT ab initio approach to superconductivity (SCDFT) have been carried out by European groups within the Psi-k network. The proposed workshop brings together the leading EU groups in the field of ab initio SC theory to address several key issues in SC (both from the point of view of new materials, and nanoscale systems and devices), and to train a strong and motivated group of young scientists.

The theme of the workshop is ab initio theory of superconductivity, particularly based upon the recent developments of functionals for superconducting DFT. We also address exotic superconducting materials, and nanoscale devices in which normal state DFT calculations are used as the input for constructing models of the superconducting state and transport properties. The main topics are:-

1 Electron-phonon coupling in low temperatures superconductors

2 Methodological improvements for calculating SC properties

3 Superconductivity at the nanoscale

4 Normal and superconducting state of HTS cuprates

5 Role of electron-phonon coupling in SC compounds

6 Unconventional superconductivity

The three day workshop will include about 1/2 day on each of the above topics. With leading EU scientists as well as a few key invited speakers from the UK and Japan.

Dates and Location

7-11 September 2009

Hotel Portoconte
Località Porto Conte - 07041 Alghero (SS)
Tel: (+39) 079 - 94 20 35

Fax: (+39) 079 - 94 20 45

http://www.hotelportoconte.com

Invited Speakers

1 Professor Eberhard Gross (Berlin)
2 Dr Martin Lüders (Daresbury)
3 Professor Claudia Ambrosch-Draxl (Leoben)
4 Professor Karol Wysokiski (Lublin)
5 Professor Matteo Calandra (Paris)
6 Dr Lilia Boeri (Stuttgart)
7 Professor Gertrude Zwicknagl (Braunschweig)
8 Professor Nigel Hussey (Bristol) TBC
9 Dr Rolf Heid (Karlsruhe)
10 Professor A. Mackenzie (St Andrews)
11 Dr A. Borisenko (Dresden)
12 Professor R.S. Gonnelli (Torino)
13 Dr Marina Putti (Geonva)
14 Dr Samuele Sanna, (Pavia)

Travel

Alghero is in North-Western Sardinia, and has a history extending back to the 4th millenium bc, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alghero

Registration

Tentative Programme and Online Registration here - Check your registration details

Workshop Organizers