Superconducting materials

OCT 01, 1984

Condensed‐matter physicists exploit the unusual electric and magnetic properties of superconductors not only to find surprising new materials but also to identify and explore exotic new physical phenomena.

DOI: 10.1063/1.2915921

Malcolm R. Beasley

Theodore H. Geballe

Superconductivity almost from its beginning has depended upon an interplay between materials research and condensed‐matter physics. This interplay continues unabatedly today. The seemingly eternal fascination with the phenomenon of superconductivity lies in the spectacular electrical and magnetic properties exhibited by superconductors—zero resistance, the Meissner effect and the various macroscopic quantum aspects of superconductivity. Equally important to the practitioners of the trade is the fact that these striking electrical and magnetic properties make superconductivity easy to detect. In short, the evidence of superconductivity broadcasts itself, even when present only in trace amounts.

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More about the authors

Malcolm R. Beasley, Stanford University, Stanford, California.

Theodore H. Geballe, Stanford University, Stanford, California.