ANTISUPERCONDUCTORS - PROPERTIES OF LAYERED COMPOUNDS WITH PI-JUNCTION COUPLING

In this note, we consider properties of a hypothetical superconductor composed of Josephson-coupled microscopic layers with tunneling energy minimized at a phase difference of pi. The non-zero phase offset in t he ground state engenders an intriguing interplay between the supercon ductive ordering and structural lattice defects. Unusual magnetic prop erties are expected in the case of highly disordered crystals, which a re consistent with observations of a ''paramagnetic Meissner'' or ''Wo hlleben'' effect in high-T-c cuprate superconductors.