Toward a more rigorous understanding of AC loss in a high-Tc superconductor

Although many useful expressions have been derived for the AC loss in high-T-c superconductors, most lack the rigor which exists in low-T-c expressions. One way to obtain more rigorous results is simply to apply Maxwell theory more carefully, since, in principle, Maxwell theory provides a systematic, exact approach for the AC loss in any material. High-T-c superconductors require special treatment only because they are much more complicated than low-T, superconductors. A description of Maxwell loss theory as it applies to high-T-c superconductors was recently given by the author, and this approach is used here for the purpose of improving the understanding of hysteresis loss in these materials. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.