Cooper, Leon Neil

Cooper, Leon Neil (1930- ) received the Nobel Prize in physics with Bardeen and Schrieffer for the BCS theory. Cooper pairs are named after him. 

Bardeen (along with Leon Neil Cooper and John Robert Schrieffer) won a second Nobel Prize in 1972 for their jointly developed theory of superconductivity, usually called (using the last initials of the three scientists) the BCS theory. In essence, BCS theory explains the phenomenon of superconductivity in Type I superconductors—metals, such as mercury, lead, and niobium. 

The nature and origin of superconductivity was described in 1957 by John Bardeen, Leon Neil Cooper, and John Robert Schrieffer. Together they created the Bardeen Cooper Schrieffer (BCS) model. It occurs for many metals, alloys, intermetallic compounds, and doped semiconductors. The transition temperatures range from 92.5 K for Ybc CUjOg j, down to 0.001 K for the element Rh. And there are some materials that become superconducting only under high-pressure conditions. These materials all have to be extremely pure, even just one impurity in 10,000 atoms can severely affect the superconducting property. 

Superconductivity in metals can be explained satisfactorily by BCS theory, first proposed by John Bardeen, Leon Neil Cooper, and John Robert Schriefifer in 1957. They received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1972 for thieir work. BCS theory treats superconductivity using quantum mechanical effects, proposing that electrons with opposite spin can pair due to fundamental attractive forces between the electrons. At temperatures below T, the pmred electrons resist energetic interference from other atoms and experience no resistance to flow. Superconductivity in ceramics has yet to be satisfactorily explained. 

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