Special Topic Paper: pick one of the following two options

Option 1: The Meissner effect in superconductors

The Meissner effect is the most fundamental property of superconductors. It was discovered experimentally in 1933 (W. Meissner and R. Ochsenfeld, Naturwiss. 21, 787 (1933)). Since then, any explanation of superconductivity has to include an explanation of the Meissner effect.

1) Read the original Meissner-Ochsenfeld paper, or an english translation of it.

2) According to the Web of Science, 51 papers cited the Meissner-Ochsenfeld paper between 1934 and 1956. Look them up, pick one or more of them (experimental, theoretical or both), read them and the papers they cite as references.

3) The 52nd paper that cites the Meissner-Ochsenfeld paper is by BCS, Physical Review 108, 1175 (1957). Try to understand what it says about the Meissner effect.

4) Write a paper explaining what you learned and understood about the Meissner effect, focusing on the work before BCS.

Additional requirement for 232 Students:
In the year following the publication of BCS, 1958, 36 published papers cited the BCS paper. Several of them discuss the BCS explanation of the Meissner effect. Read one of them and discuss it in your paper.

Option 2: Superconducting Materials

There is a wide variety of superconducting materials. Some are considered to be 'conventional', driven by the electron-phonon interaction, others are considered to be 'unconventional', driven by a different mechanism.

Pick a superconducting material (conventional or unconventional) and another material closely similar to it that is either not a superconductor, or is a superconductor with a much lower critical temperature. Study their similarities and differences for a variety of physical properties. See if you can understand and explain why one is a superconductor and the other is not or is with a much lower Tc.

For a list of superconducting materials you can use the reference Physica C Volume 514 (2015) that reviews a large number of superconducting materials known in 2015. Consider also superconductors discovered since 2015 such as nickelates, pressurized hydrides, twisted graphene.

Additional requirement for 232 Students
In addition to the two materials discussed above, pick another superconducting material, so that you have one conventional and one unconventional one. Compare their physical properties. Analyze what is the evidence supporting the belief that one is a conventional and the other an unconventional superconductor.

Timeline

• Decide what your paper will be about, Option 1 or Option 2, and which paper(s) you will study in Option 1 or materials in Option 2, as soon as possible, no later than April 25. I would like to avoid duplication, so if you pick something equal or similar to what was picked by another student I will email you asking you to pick something else. Find out what was picked already by clicking here: topics chosen so far before emailing me.
• I would like to see an outline/draft of your paper no later than May 15, so I can give you some useful feedback.
• The paper is due on June 3 (Tuesday of 10th week).
• In addition to writing the paper, prepare a powerpoint or keynote presentation 10 minutes long (12 minutes long for 232 students) to explain what you learned, which you will deliver to the class at the final exam or the last week of classes.

Guidelines

• Give a complete list of references you use, preferably with links so one can access them easily.
• While you can use AI for guidance, all information you put in the paper has to come from the scientific literature (published papers or preprints e.g. arxiv), none from AI, and it has to be written by you, not by AI. Explain in a footnote at the end of your paper what role (if any) AI played in your work.
• The length of the paper is up to you, I suggest between 5 and 7 pages (6 to 9 pages for 232 students).
• A draft or final version of your presentation (powerpoint or keynote) is due Thu June 5.

Presentations