Surface superconductivity in applied magnetic fields above HC2

Abstract

In this paper we study the surface superconductivity phenomenon of type 2 superconductors under applied magnetic fields above the critical field HC2. We show that, for a cylindrical superconductor of infinite height placed in a homogeneous applied magnetic field, He3, with H lying in between and keeping away from HC2 and HC3, superconductivity persists uniformly at a thin sheath surrounding the entire lateral surface of the sample. As the applied field decreases gradually, superconductivity in the surface sheath becomes strong and develops into a surface superconducting state, while the interior of the sample remains close to the normal state.