Specific heat of high temperature superconductors: Role of $\mid \psi {\mid }^4$ term in Ginzburg--Landau free energy

Abstract

We have derived the expression for the specific heat by using Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory by taking $\mid \psi {\mid }^4$ into account in the Hartree approximation. Without this term, the specific heat diverges at $T=T_c(B)$. It is also shown that width and shape of the transition depends on the value of $\alpha$ and $\beta$, the coefficients in the GL free energy.

Figures will be available on request. To appear in Physica C