Nonequilibrium phenomena in superconducting phase-slip centers

This report presents the results of a study on the current-induced breakdown of superconductivity in a quasi-one-dimensional filament. This report has investigated the effects of a magnetic field H on nonequilibrium quasiparticle relaxation processes in superconductors by analyzing the I-V characteristics of long tin microbridges in a parallel field near T sub c(H). In the theoretical studies, using a generalized two-fluids picture to describe a quasi-one-dimensional superconductor near T sub c (for H equal 0), a heuristic derivation for a set of equations governing the temporal and spatial evolution of the charge imbalance (or branch imbalance) in the quasiparticles is provided. A novel consequence of the model is a prediction of intrinsic hysteresis in the dc current-voltage relation. The model also provides a convenient framework for dealing with ac effects in PSC's, including resonance and synchronization in systems of closely-spaced PSC's and microbrobridges.