国际课程课件系列之物理boardworks Resistance and Resistivity Part 4 - Superconductors.pptVIP

* of 11 ? Boardworks Ltd 2015 * of 49 ? Boardworks Ltd 2015 * of 49 ? Boardworks Ltd 2015 * of 49 ? Boardworks Ltd 2015 * of 11 ? Boardworks Ltd 2015 * of 49 ? Boardworks Ltd 2015 * of 49 ? Boardworks Ltd 2015 * of 11 ? Boardworks Ltd 2015 * of 11 ? Boardworks Ltd 2015 Early experiments with superconductivity In 1911, H. K. Onnes discovered that when he cooled mercury to 4.15 K, its resistivity abruptly dropped to a very low state. Onnes called this a superconducting state. A superconductor is defined as a material with zero electrical resistance. Other superconducting materials were subsequently found. This included materials that act as electrical insulators at room temperatures. Critical temperature The temperature at which the electrical resistivity drops to zero is called the critical temperature. The transition to superconduction is abrupt and complete. The resistivity of the superconducting material is at least 1012 times less than that of the material at room temperature. The materials are cooled using liquid nitrogen (77 K) or liquid helium (4 K). How do superconductors work? At critical temperatures, free electrons couple to form Cooper pairs. A Cooper pair is more stable than a single electron. A passing electron attracts the lattice of the superconducting structure, drawing the positive nuclei inwards and causing a positive ripple in its path. Another electron is attracted to that area of increased positive charge. Superconducting materials There are two types of superconductors: Type I and Type II. The majority of Type I superconductors are metals, while most of the Type II superconductors are inorganic, ceramic solids. Why this phenomenon occurs at higher temperatures is not yet well understood. Type II superconductors have critical temperatures of around 120 K, and are therefore called high temperature superconductors. Meissner effect When a Type I superconductor changes to a superconductive state, it exhibits the Meissner effect. If a smal