The Isotope Effect in Superconductors

Abstract

We review some aspects of the isotope effect (IE) in superconductors. Our focus is on the influence of factors not related to the pairing mechanism. After summarizing the main results obtained for conventional superconductors, we review the effect of magnetic impurities, the proximity effect and non-adiabaticity on the value of the isotope coefficient (IC). We discuss the isotope effect of $T_c$ and of the penetration depth $\delta$. The theory is applied to conventional and high-$T_c$ superconductors. Experimental results obtained for YBa${}_2$Cu${}_3$O${}_{7-\delta }$ related materials (Zn and Pr-substituted as well as oxygen-depleted systems) and for La${}_{2-x}$Sr${}_x$CuO${}_4$ are discussed.

31 pages, 10 figures. Review article to appear in "Pair Correlation in Many Fermions Systems", Plenum Press 1998

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