Conductivity of thermally fluctuating superconductors in two dimensions

TL;DR

This paper reviews a classical continuum theory of thermal fluctuations in two-dimensional superconductors, covering the crossover from Gaussian fluctuations to vortex physics of the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, with new insights into fluctuation conductivity corrections.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive continuum model describing thermal fluctuation effects and vortex physics in 2D superconductors, including new results on fluctuation conductivity corrections.

Findings

Describes the crossover from Gaussian to vortex-dominated fluctuations.

Provides new corrections to Aslamazov-Larkin fluctuation conductivity.

Analyzes the structure of thermal fluctuation effects in 2D superconductors.

Abstract

We review recent work on a continuum, classical theory of thermal fluctuations in two dimensional superconductors. A functional integral over a Ginzburg-Landau free energy describes the amplitude and phase fluctuations responsible for the crossover from Gaussian fluctuations of the superconducting order at high temperatures, to the vortex physics of the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition at lower temperatures. Results on the structure of this crossover are presented, including new results for corrections to the Aslamazov-Larkin fluctuation conductivity.