Reversible superconducting-normal phase transition in a magnetic field: The energy-momentum balance including the velocity field of the Berry connection from many-body wave functions

Abstract

Abstract The velocity field composed of the Berry connection from many-body wave functions and electromagnetic vector potential explains the energy-momentum balance during the reversible superconducting-normal phase transition in the presence of an externally applied magnetic field. In this formalism, forces acting on electrons are the Lorentz force and force expressed as the gradient of the kinetic energy. In the stationary situation, they balance; however, an infinitesimal imbalance of them causes a phase boundary shift. In order to explain the energy balance during this phase boundary shift, the electromotive force of the Faraday’s magnetic induction type is considered for the Berry connection. This theory assumes that supercurrent exists as a collection of stable quantized loop currents, and the transition from the superconducting to normal phase is due to the loss of their stabilizations through the thermal fluctuation of the winding numbers of the loop currents. We argue that an abrupt change of loop current states with integral quantum numbers should be treated as a quantum transition; then, the direct conversion of the quantized loop currents to the magnetic field occurs; consequently, the Joule heat generation does not occur during the phase transition.