A superconductor is an element or metallic alloy which when cooled below a certain threshold temperature then the material loses all electrical resistance. In super conductors can allow electrical current to flow without any energy loss, but an ideal superconductor is very hard to produce. This type of current is called a super current. The threshold temperature below which a material transitions into a superconductor state is designated as Tc, which stands for critical temperature.
Type of superconductor
- In type 1 superconductor acts as a conductor under the room temperature but when cooled below Tc, the molecular motion within the material reduces enough that the flow of current can move unimpeded.
- Type 2 superconductors are not good conductor at room temperature, the transition to a superconductor state is more gradual than type 1 superconductor
Application of superconductor
- The production of sensitive magnetometers based on superconductor quantum interference devices.
- Low loss power cable and fast fault current limiter
- High sensitivity particle detectors, including the transition edge sensor, the superconducting bolometer, the superconducting tunnel junction detector, the kinetic inductance detector and the superconductor nanowire photon detector
