The Materials, Properties, and Theory of Superconductivity Essay

The purpose of this paper is to examine the materials, properties, and theory of superconductivity, a quantum phenomenon that occurs when a material is brought below a critical temperature and will conduct electricity without any resistance, the nearest model in nature to perpetual motion. According to Ecks (1990), Once current is applied to a superconducting material the current will continue in a closed lope without ever losing intensity. (Ecks, 1990) Superconductive materials can greatly vary in mechanics and materials. They are separated into Type 1 and Type 2 superconductors. All superconductors display the unique ability to repel magnetic fields, known as the Meissner effect. According to Shachtman (2000), Superconductivity was discovered when a physicist, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, when he developed the process to produce liquid helium and began testing the electrical properties of material at temperatures nearing absolute zero. Absolute zero is the coldest temperature that is theoretically attainable and is the basis of the Kelvin scale. Onnes first observed the phenomenon in mercury. A sample of mercury was cooled by liquid helium, and at the exact moment the temperature of the mercury reached 4.19K the resistance abruptly disappeared. (Shachtman, 2000) According to Nave (2000), In Type I superconductors the phenomenon of zero resistance at low temperatures occurs in materials that are have some degree of conductivity under normal conditions. The properties of Type I superconductors were modeled successfully by the efforts of John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and Robert Schrieffer in what is commonly called the BCS theory after the efforts of John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and Robert Schrieffer in its understanding. (Nave, 2000) ... ...ak Ridge National Laboratory. Eck, J. (1990) Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://superconductors.org Goldman, M (2000). Bose-Einstein condensation. The Atomic Lab. Retrieved March 11, 2008, from the University of Colorado Physics 2000 project. Mook, H. A., Dia, P., & Dogan, F.(2002) Charge and spin struture in YBa, Phys. Rev. Lett, 88. Retrieved March 16, 2008, from http://focus.aps.org/story/v9/st12 Nave, R. (2000). Superconductivity concepts. HyperPhysics. Retrieved March 11, 2008, from HyperPhysics database. Oxford University (1993). Superconductivity explained. Retrieved March 11, 2008, from http://superconductors.org/oxtheory Poole, C. P., Farach, H. A., & Creswick R. J. (1995). Textbook of superconductivity. San Diego: Academic Press. Schachtman, T. (2000). Absolute zero and the conquest of cold. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company