Depairing Current Density in a Nutshell

Abstract

Microscopic theory of the depairing current density (j_d) is briefly reviewed for the applied-superconductivity communities. The goal of this article is to introduce the Kupriyanov-Lukichev-Maki theory of j_d for s-wave superconductors in the diffusive limit, which is the most reliable calculation of j_d based on the BCS theory and is relevant to various superconducting devices. The effect of subgap states on j_d is also discussed.