BCS: 50 Years

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BCS: 50 Years
Hardcover edition
AuthorLeon N Cooper & Dmitri Feldman (Eds.)
CountrySingapore
LanguageEnglish
SubjectPhysics and Condensed matter physics
GenreNon-fiction; review volume
PublisherWorld Scientific Publishing
Publication date
2010
Pages588
ISBN978-981-4304-64-1

BCS: 50 Years is a review volume on the topic of superconductivity edited by Leon Cooper, a 1972 Nobel Laureate in Physics, and Dmitri Feldman of Brown University, first published in 2010.[1]

The book consists of 23 articles written by outstanding physicists, including many Nobel prize-winners, and presents the complete theory of superconductivity - a phenomenon where the electrical resistance of some metallic materials suddenly vanish at temperatures near absolute zero.

Background[edit]

In 1957, John Bardeen, Leon Cooper and John Robert Schrieffer finally pieced together the puzzle of superconductivity, explaining in detail its mechanism and the associated effects.[2] The BCS theory, named after the three scientists, won Professor Cooper the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1972, which he shared with John Robert Schrieffer and his teacher, John Bardeen.[3]

Contents[edit]

Section 1: Historical Perspectives[edit]

The first section of the book describes important discoveries which led to the development of BCS theory.

  • Chapter 1: "Remembrance of Superconductivity Past" by Leon N Cooper
  • Chapter 2: "The Road to BCS" by John Robert Schrieffer
  • Chapter 3: "Development of Concepts in Superconductivity" by John Bardeen
  • Chapter 4: "Failed Theories of Superconductivity" by Jörg Schmalian
  • Chapter 5: "Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and the BCS Theory" by Charles Pence Slichter
  • Chapter 6: "Superconductivity: From Electron Interaction to Nuclear Superfluidity" by David Pines
  • Chapter 7: "Developing BCS Ideas in the Former Soviet Union" by Lev P. Gor'kov
  • Chapter 8: "BCS: The Scientific "Love of my Life"" by Philip Warren Anderson

Section 2: Fluctuations, Tunneling and Disorder[edit]

The second section focuses on quantum phenomena which occur in superconductors.

Section 3: New Superconductors[edit]

Section three of the book is on various experimental and theoretical methods used to identify new superconducting materials.

Section 4: BCS Beyond Superconductivity[edit]

The final section of the book is on the application of BCS theory beyond the field of superconductivity.

Reception[edit]

John Swain writing for CERN Courier describes the book as a wonderful review of a powerful unifying concept which covers an enormous range of phenomena.[4] Malcolm Beasley for Physics Today adds that the book will provide any person curious about superconductivity with something to enjoy.[5] In addition, Jermey Matthews, the book editor from Physics Today, had chosen BCS: 50 years as one of the five books to put on your 2011 holiday wish list.[6]

Additional information[edit]

13 papers from the book have been published concurrently as a special issue of the International Journal of Modern Physics B.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "BCS: 50 Years [eBook]". ebooks.worldscinet.com. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  2. ^ Bardeen, J.; Cooper, L. N; Schrieffer, J. R. (1957). "Theory of Superconductivity". Phys. Rev. 108 (5): 1175–1204. Bibcode:1957PhRv..108.1175B. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.108.1175.
  3. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1972". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  4. ^ Swain, John (23 February 2011). "Book Review". CERN Courier. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  5. ^ Beasley, Malcolm (July 2011). "Book Review". Physics Today. 64 (7): 53. doi:10.1063/PT.3.1168.
  6. ^ "The year in reviews: Five books to put on your holiday wish list". physicstoday.org/. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  7. ^ IJMPB Special Issue: 50 Years of BCS Theory
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