Nonlinear electrodynamics of metals at low temperatures

This review presents the results of theoretical and experimental studies of nonlinear electromagnetic phenomena bound up with the effect of a radio wave magnetic field on the dynamics of electron motion, and thus on the conductivity of metals. For pure metals at low temperatures such a magnetodynamic mechanism of nonlinearity is most typical and occurs at rather insignificant amplitudes of the exciting field when other causes of nonlinearity are still absent. The paper describes the theory of a nonlinear anomalous skin effect, the dependences of surface impedance of metal on the radio wave amplitude, its frequency and other parameters of the problem are calculated. The so-called current states in metals are analysed in detail as an unusual hysteresis effect of radio-frequency current rectification and excitation of intrinsic magnetic moment of the sample. The current states are responsible for quite a number of interesting phenomena described in the review. The review deals with the nonlinear theory of electromagnetic excitation of sound in metals