What is Mercury?

About Mercury’s superconductivity

• In 1911, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered superconductivity in mercury. 
• He found that at a very low temperature, called the threshold temperature, solid mercury offers no resistance to the flow of electric current.
• Scientists later classified mercury as a conventional superconductor because its superconductivity could be explained by the concepts of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory. 
• In BCS superconductors, vibrational energy released by the grid of atoms encourages electrons to pair up, forming so-called Cooper pairs. 
• These Copper pairs can move like water in a stream, facing no resistance to their flow, below a threshold temperature.

 

What is Superconductivity? 

• A material can conduct electricity without any resistance. It is observed in many materials when they are cooled below a critical temperature.

 

What is Mercury?

• It is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and soil. 
• It is released into the atmosphere through natural processes such as weathering of rocks, volcanic eruptions, geothermal activities, forest fires, etc.

 

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Q1) What are superconductors?

A superconductor is a material that achieves superconductivity, which is a state of matter that has no electrical resistance and does not allow magnetic fields to penetrate. An electric current in a superconductor can persist indefinitely. 

Source: A clear picture of how mercury becomes a superconductor.