Electrodynamics of Quantum-Critical Conductors and Superconductors

This thesis presents and discusses recent optical low-temperature experiments on disordered NbN, granular Al thin-films, and the heavy-fermion compound CeCoIn5, offering a unified picture of quantum-critical superconductivity. It provides a concise introduction to the respective theoretical models employed to interpret the experimental results, and guides readers through in-depth calculations supplemented with supportive figures in order to both retrace the interpretations and span the bridge between experiment and state-of-the art theory.

Field-Theoretical Basics of Superconductivity.- Experimental Studies of Disordered NBN.- Thin lms.- Experimental Studies of Granular Al Thin Films.- Experimental Studies of the Heavy.- Fermion Metal CeCoIn5.