Description:
"Superconductors are amazing materials that capture the imagination with their seemingly magical properties that make it possible to levitate objects in mid-air and transport electricity for 'free'. They can generate the vast magnetic fields needed to confine a nuclear fusion reaction ten time hotter than the surface of the sun, or bend the high energy proton beams that whizz around the Large Hadron Collider. Their utterly unique electromagnetic properties are exploited in the most sensitive detectors and are likely to be enabling technology for building practical quantum computers. This book explores the amazing variety of superconducting materials and the rich science behind optimising their performance for different applications. The central theme of materials science is communicated by explaining the importance of controlling everything from the atomic scale chemistry and bonding right up to the macroscopic scale of large machines. Along the way, key concepts are introduced in an accessible way and are linked to broader themes and applications beyond superconductivity in the `Wider View' sections. The stand-alone 'Under the Lens' sections also provide a more in-depth and mathematical treatment to satisfy readers who want to challenge themselves"--