The Superconductivity Of Mercury
Introduction:
A recent discovery by a research team provides a clear picture of Mercury's superconductivity.
Key Points:
Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, a Dutch physicist, discovered superconductivity in mercury in 1911.
Solid mercury presents no resistance to the flow of electric current below a very low temperature known as the threshold temperature.
The BCS Theory:
• Mercury's superconductivity was eventually categorized as a typical superconductor because the ideas behind this theory could account for it.
• In BCS superconductors, the atom grid's vibrational energy induces electron pairing, leading to the formation of so-called Cooper pairs. Below a certain temperature, these Copper couples can flow without resistance like water in a stream.
• Different materials' superconductivity has been explained by the theory.
• Mercury is the oldest superconductor, but its precise mechanism of operation was unknown.
Recent Development:
Research Team:
An Italian research team filled this gap in their article that was printed in the journal Physical Review B.
Mercury's explanation
• Utilizing cutting-edge theoretical and computational techniques, the researchers discovered that mercury exhibits anomalies in all physical parameters pertinent to conventional superconductivity.
• They were able to develop a theoretical explanation for mercury superconductivity that accurately predicted its threshold temperature to within 2.5% of the reported value.
Taking Into Account both Recent and Historical Factors:
• The team's simulations provided a clearer picture of how superconductivity develops in mercury by taking into account several elements (such Cooper Pairs) that were previously ignored.
• For instance, the researchers were able to explain why mercury has such a low threshold temperature (about -270°C) when they took into consideration the relationship between an electron's spin and momentum.
Coulomb repulsion:
• It was discovered that in mercury, one electron in each pair had an energy level higher than the other.
• According to reports, this information increased superconductivity by decreasing the Coulomb repulsion (the way charges repel one another).
Superconductivity And Superconductors:
• A superconductor is a substance that can conduct electricity or move electrons from one atom to another without experiencing any resistance.
• Between 240 K and 275 K, or about between -33 C and 2 C, is the range at which this occurs.
• This means that once a material reaches the temperature at which it becomes superconductive, no heat, sound, or other type of energy would be released from it.
Diamagnetic materials are superconductors:
• In stark contrast to regular magnetism, or ferromagnetism, where a substance is attracted by an external magnetic field, a diamagnetic substance repels an external magnetic field.
Advantage:
• Superconductors are currently inefficient and expensive since the cooling process consumes too much energy.
Superconductivity:
• Its practical utility is somewhat hampered by superconductivity at temperatures below zero degrees Celsius.
• Applications include submarine detection, underwater communication, and the memory component of computers.
• Employed in medical diagnostics as well, for instance, in nuclear magnetic resonance imaging instruments (NMR).
• Used in high-speed trains for levitation.
• Magnetic cardiograms can be obtained using SQUIDS (Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices), which rely on magnetic fields produced by electric currents in the heart.
Way Ahead:
• This provides opportunities to investigate superconductivity in other materials, which exhibits comparable oddities in other materials.
• It can be used for brand-new, improved real-world applications.