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Superconductivity

Remember the last time you were amazed by a levitation magic trick? Did you know
the secret behind it?

Remember the last time you said the phrase “go on forever”? Did you mean it
literally?

If your answers are “no”, then you should be prepared to be awed by


superconductivity. Superconductivity is a phenomenon that enables perpetual current
flow and magnetic levitation.

Firstly, an electric current can be visualised as a fluid of electrons moving through a


giant ionic lattice - a regular-structured array of ions. As the electrons move through
this “dense jungle” of vibrating lattice, they are constantly in collision with the ions.
Due to these collisions, the electrons lose energy in the form of heat and the current
decreases. This phenomenon is called electrical resistance.

Electrical resistance is dependent on temperature. As the temperature decreases, the


ions vibrate less energetically. Hence, the collisions of the electrons with the ionic
lattice become less violent, resulting in a lower resistance. In a non-superconducting
material, the resistance never drops to zero even at “absolute zero” - the lowest
theoretical temperature. As for superconductors, the resistance vanishes completely
below a certain temperature called the critical temperature. To understand this
dramatic change, let us look at what is happening at the atomic level.

Since like charges repel, negatively-charged electrons are “hostile” towards each
other. However, in the extreme cold environment, the positively-charged ions, as if
acting as pacifiers, are able to unite the “hostile” electrons into pairs. As these
electron pairs move along the ionic lattice, they distort the lattice structure slightly.
With such distortions, the electron pairs are able to avoid any collisions with the ionic
lattice. Hence, no energy is lost by the electrons; the electrical resistance falls to zero.
In this superconducting state, a closed loop of electrical current set up in the
superconductor will truly flow on forever. Eternity is more than the imagination of the
mind.

Now, let us shift our focus to another fascinating phenomenon called the magnetic
levitation. Normally, when a magnet is placed on a conductor, the magnet’s weak
magnetic field will penetrate through the conductor. However, in the case of a
superconductor, all the external magnetic field will be expelled from the interior of a
superconductor. This is due to a spontaneous current flow in the superconductor. As
moving charges produce a magnetic field, the current in the superconductor generates
a magnetic field to exactly cancel out all the external magnetic field. This expulsion
of the magnetic field creates an opposing force that levitates the magnet.

Researchers have recently discovered superconductors with a critical temperature of


ninety Kelvin while that of a conventional superconductor is generally below ten
Kelvin. The theory behind such high temperature superconductors is hitherto
unknown. Nevertheless, researchers have constantly been pushing the boundary of the
critical temperature higher, with hopes of discovering a room temperature
superconductor.

Imagine a world where superconductors exist at room temperature. Isn’t this making
all the science-fiction fanatics like us burning with excitement?

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