Various macroscopic phenomena seen in high temperature superconductors (HTSC) under nonzero magnetic fields have inspired much interest in studying the phase diagram of vortex states of three dimensional (3D) layered type II superconductors. Experimentally, thermodynamic and transport phenomena have been intensively examined mainly in YBCO [1-3] and BSCCO [4]. The resistive broadening [5] in th...

The interaction of many particles can lead to spectacular new phases of matter whose properties and collective excitations bear little resemblance to the individual particles and interactions. Understanding how the macroscopic state transforms from one phase to another provides key insights into the underlying physics. In this thesis, we study two poorly understood states: the Hidden Order (HO)...

In this paper we classify the allowed order parameter symmetries in multilayer cuprates and discuss their physical consequences, with emphasis on Josephson tunneling and impurity scattering. Our solutions to the gap equation are based on highly non-specific forms for the interand intra-plane pairing interactions in order to arrive at the most general conclusions. Within this framework, the bi-l...

A model of charged hole-pair bosons, with long range Coulomb interactions and very weak interlayer coupling, is used to calculate the order parameter Φ of underdoped cuprates. Model parameters are extracted from experimental superfluid densities and plasma frequencies. The temperature dependence Φ(T ) is characterized by a ’trapezoidal’ shape. At low temperatures, it declines slowly due to harm...

We calculate the factor by which thermal phase fluctuations, as distinct from phase-slip fluctuations, increase the inductance LJ of a resistively shunted Josephson junction ~JJ! above its mean-field value L0 . We find that quantum mechanics suppresses fluctuations when T drops below a temperature, TQ5\/kBGL0 , where G is the shunt conductance. Examination of the calculated sheet inductance LA(...