On the maximum reduced upper critical magnetic field in Eliashberg theory

Consideration of the functional derivative of the zero-temperature reduced upper critical magnetic fieldh _c2(0) with electron-phonon spectral density ² F() suggests that its value can be maximized, for a given areaA under ² F(), with the choice of a delta-function spectral density. We show thath _c2(0) is then independent ofA and that it increases steadily as the Einstein frequency _E of the delta function is lowered. We argue that there is a local maximum inh _c2(0) at _E=0. The value at maximum is very sensitive to impurity content and increases sharply from a clean-limit value of 1.5 atT _c /_E=1.33 to more than 3.45 in the dirty limit.