The physics of superconductivity

Superconductivity; an extremely cool but unexpected phenomenon used for:

• Levitating objects
• MRI Scanners
• Quantum computers

.. and it might just one day completely revolutionize how we transport energy.

In this article I will tell you the Physics behind it and a little bit of the history as well.

Don’t like reading? Watch the video here instead

Temperature scales

Superconductivity was discovered in 1911 By Heike Kamerlingh Onnes. At the time, it was just made possible to liquefy Helium which produces extremely cold temperatures.

In the image below we have a Celsius scale. At zero, of course, water freezes. At 100 degrees Celsius water boils. At negative 273 degrees Celsius we have the absolute zero, and a little warmer is the liquid helium, but it is still extremely cold. To put things into perspective, liquid nitrogen is plotted as well…