Superconductivity The Next Revolution [Paperback]

A popular account of the discovery of the new high temperature superconducting materials.In 1987 the discovery of high temperature superconductors captured the attention of the scientific world and the media. This book chronicles the history, science, and potential applications of superconductivity and the new high temperature superconducting materials.In 1987 the discovery of high temperature superconductors captured the attention of the scientific world and the media. This book chronicles the history, science, and potential applications of superconductivity and the new high temperature superconducting materials.In this book Professor Vidali describes in plain, nontechnical terms how conventional superconductivity was discovered 80 years ago, why it took nearly fifty years to understand it, and the physical explanation of why it exists. He chronicles the developments that led up to the discovery of high temperature superconducting materials, and describes the excitement generated by announcements of the new discoveries in 1987 at a scientific conference that became known as the Woodstock of physics . Finally, he speculates on possible future applications of these new materials.1. Introduction and overview; 2. Physics at Leiden and the liquefaction of helium; 3. The discovery of superconductivity; 4. How electrical currents flow; 5. A breakthrough: the Meissner effect; 6. Quantum mechanics and superconductivity; 7. Superconductivity explained; 8. Superconductivity-based technology; 9. High temperature superconductivity; 10. Technological applications of the new materials; Conclusion. With everything that has been published about superconductivity since 1987, could we possibly need another book on the subject? The answer is yes: one written at a level more detailed and with greater scope than an encyclopedia or Scientific American-style article, more intellectually accessible to interested--but not specialist--readers knowledgeable in physical science than l3Ö