Exploring the Properties and Types of Superconductors
Michael Andres
Abstract:
There are two properties a material must have in order to be classified as a
superconductor. These are the loss of electrical resistivity below a critical temperature Tc, and the
emission of magnetic flux below a critical field Hc. In 1957, Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer
proposed the BCS theory for Conventional Superconductors which was widely considered to
solve the problem of superconductivity. The underlying theory is that phonon coupling creates an
attractive force that allows electrons to move without scattering. Quickly, a search ensued for
High-Temperature Superconductors, but it wasn’t until 1986 that a new class of superconductors
called cuprates was discovered. This discovery has boundless implications for the research of
superconductors as we try and understand their incredible properties.