Disorder driven destruction of a phase transition in a superconductor

Abstract

We investigate the effects of disorder on a layered superconductor. The clean system is known to have a first order phase transition which is clearly identified by a sharp peak in the specific heat. The peak is lost abruptly as the strength of the disorder is increased. Hence, for strong disorder there is no phase transition as a function of temperature but merely a crossover which is still detectable in the IV characteristic.