Superconductivity

Superconductivity is a phenomenon occurring in certain materials at low temperatures, characterised by the complete absence of electrical resistance and the damping of the interior magnetic field (the Meissner effect.) Superconductivity is a quantum-mechanical phenomenon that is different from perfect conductivity.

Theories of superconductivity

Since the discovery of superconductivity, great efforts have been devoted to finding out how and why it works. During the 1950s, theoretical condensed matter physicists arrived at a solid understanding of "conventional" superconductivity, through a pair of remarkable and important theories: the phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory (1950) and the microscopic BCS theory (1957). Generalizations of these theories form the basis for understanding the closely related phenomenon of superfluidity, but the extent to which similar generalizations can be applied to unconventional superconductors as well is still controversial.

Related Topics:
1950 - Ginzburg-Landau theory - BCS theory - 1957 - Superfluidity

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