PHYSICS 242: Superconductivity
Fall 2004
Student-supplied questions
- Magnetism
- Superconductivity
- What makes some materials superconducting, and other (particularly
good conductors) not superconducting?
- What is the highest known T_c (critical temperature)?
- Why do superconductors expel magnetic flux?
- Can the structure of a good high T_c superconductor be predicted
from first principles? What analytic techniques are used?
- What keeps a Cooper pair bound; why don't the two electrons just fly away?
- How do Cooper pairs tunnel (like in a Josephson junction)? Can
they tunnel without breaking the pair?
- How is it possible to have superconductivity and a magnetic moment
in a bulk sample? Doesn't a superconductor expel all magnetic fields?
- Does the size of the sample matter for it to be superconducting?
Would the T_c be lower for a small sample of superconducting material
(say, a few thousand Angstroms)?