Name : Samar Ahmed

Q1/ Onnes supposition that here was a new state of matter, one which depends on the

state variables, rather than on the history of the sample.?

A/ Onnes found that the superconducting transition si reversible: When he heated the

superconducting sample ti recovered its normal resistivity at the temperature T. This

confirmed his supposition that here was a new state of matter, one which depends on the

state variables, such as temperature, rather than on the history of the sample

Q2/ why The superconducting transition is not always sharp?

A/ The superconducting transition is not always sharp. But if the specimen is

made up of a metallic element, which is pure and structurally perfect, the

transition is usually sharp

Q3/ How to use the free electron model to explain superconductivity?

A/ We can gain some insight into the nature of superconductivity using the free- electron

model. that the resistivity of a metal may be written as

where t is the collision time, and pointed out that p decreases as the temperature is lowered,

because, as decreases, the lattice vibrations begin to "freeze," and hence the scattering of

the electrons diminishes. This results in a longer t and hence a smaller p, as indicated by the

above equation. If &becomes infinite at sufficiently low temperatures

Q4/

1- The Meissner effect:-I n 1933, two German physicists, Meissner and Ochsenfeld, observed

that a super- conductor expels magnetic flux completely, a phenomenon known as the

Meissner effect. they demonstrated that, as the temperature is lowered to T, the flux is

suddenly and completely expelled as the specimen becomes superconducting, as shown in

Fig. 10.4. (The flux expulsion continues for al T < Tc )

2- perfect diamagnetism:- the susceptibility is x= - 1

Such a condition—in which the magnetization cancels the external intensity exactly—is

referred to as perfect diamagnetism.

3- critical field:- the critical field depends on the temperature . For a given substance,

the field decreases as-the temperature rises from T =0K to T=Tc ,.it has

been found that the variation is represented by

The critical field need not be external. A current flowing in a

superconducting ring creates its own magnetic field, and if the current is

large enough so that its own field reaches the critical value, then

superconductivity is also destroyed.

4- The two-fluid model of S.C :- Gorter and Casimir introduced the two-fluid model of

superconductivity. According to this model, the conduction electrons in a superconducting

substance fall into two classes: superelectrons and normal electrons. The normal electrons

behave in the usual fashion discussed in Chapter 4, that is, as charged particles flowing ni a

viscous medium. But the superelectrons have several novel properties which endow the

superconductor with its distinctive features. These electrons experience no scattering, have

zero entropy (perfect order), and a long coherence length (about 10* A), or spatial extension

over which the superelectron is spread.

Q5/ the superconducting state has a greater degree of order than the normal state?

A/ Figure illustrates the variation of specific heat with temperature for a superconductor.

The peaking of C, just below T, indicates an appreciable increase in entropy—or disorder—as

T increases toward To, and transition to the normal state becomes imminent. Thus the

superconducting state has a greater degree of order than the normal state
Q6/ the superconductivity appears only at very low temperatures.?

A / Because electrical resistivity vanishes entirely below a certain temperature -the

temperature depending on the substance.

Q7/ Proved , the critical magnetic field is proportional to the critical temperature.?

A/ ∫ ∫ ( )

( )

( )

( ) ( )

Q8/ What are the hypotheses imposed by London to explain superconductivity?

A / 1-If one substitutes appropriate values for the parameters in (10.26), one finds that 2 =

50 A, which is close to the experimentally observed values

2- Another impressive confirmation of the London theory is its prediction of the variation of

2with temperature. If one substitutes for n, from (10.13) into (10.26), one obtains

3-A third conclusion from the London theory is the existence of an electric current flowing

near the surface. If one substitutes for B from (10.25) into (10.21) and solves for the current,
one finds

Q9/ The theory shows that the gap at zero temperature is given by where WD is the

Debye frequency, g(EF) is the density of states for the normal metal at the Fermi level, and V'

is the strength of the electron-lattice interaction Several interesting results follow at once

from this expression?

A /a) Roughly speaking, the latter being the energy of atypical phonon. This also
yields the correct order of magnitude, since

When the exponential factor of (10.30) is included, it reduces 4, to about 10-4 eV, in

agreement with observation.

b) Since WD ~ M-1/2, where M is the mass of the vibrating ion [Eq. (3.39)], it follows that

~M-1/2. Thus the gap —and hence the critical temperature Tc .decrease as M increases.

c) The gap increases, and so does T, as the electron-lattice interaction V' increases.

Q10/ the BCS theory?

A/ According to the BCS theory, superelectrons exist as Cooper pairs. Each pair forms a

bound state, the attractive interaction necessary for such a state being created by phonons

exchanged between the pair.

Q11/ the London penetration depth?

A/ the distance of penetration being roughly equal to . Thus the flux si not expelled entirely

from the superconductor, as was once thought, but there parameter is known as the london

penetration depth