Nanoscience and Engineering in Superconductivity

For emerging energy saving technologies superconducting materials with superior performance are needed. Such materials can be developed by manipulating the "e;elementary building blocks"e; through nanostructuring. For superconductivity the "e;elementary blocks"e; are Cooper pair and fluxon (vortex). This book presents new ways how to modify superconductivity and vortex matter through nanostructuring and the use of nanoscale magnetic templates. The basic nano-effects, vortex and vortex-antivortex patterns, vortex dynamics, Josephson phenomena, critical currents, and interplay between superconductivity and ferromagnetism at the nanoscale are discussed. Potential applications of nanostructured superconductors are also presented in the book.