Summary

This TLP has covered the main aspects of superconductivity:

• The discovery of the superconductive transition at low temperature by Onnes in 1908.
• The properties that define superconductivity – zero resistance and perfect diamagnetism.
• The idea that superconductivity can be explained by a macroscopic quantum state, where electrons move coherently and many can be described by a single wavefunction.
• The London equations which provide a phenomenological model describing the magnetic field penetration within a superconductor.
• The formation of Cooper pairs by the interaction of electrons with lattice vibrations.
• The basics of BCS theory and the creation of an energy gap between filled and unfilled electronic energy levels.
• The difference between type I and type II superconductors with respect to how they interact with external magnetic fields.
• Applications of superconductors and their relevance to everyday life.