Meissner effect

American  

[mahys-ner] / ˈmaɪs nər /

noun

Physics.

1. the loss of magnetism that a superconductor displays when cooled to its transition temperature in a magnetic field.

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Meissner effect British  

/ ˈmaɪsnə /

noun

1. physics the phenomenon in which magnetic flux is excluded from a substance when it is in a superconducting state, except for a thin layer at the surface

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Etymology

Origin of Meissner effect

After German physicist Fritz Walther Meissner (1882–1974), who contributed to a description of the effect in 1933

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Meissner effect

This so-called critical current behavior and the Meissner effect are the two key features of superconductors.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2023

One such test is for the Meissner effect: because a superconductor expels magnetic fields, it repels other magnets, producing an iconic levitating effect.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 27, 2023

He focused on the measurements that Dr. Dias’s group had made of the response of the carbon-sulfur-hydrogen compound to oscillating magnetic fields, evidence of the Meissner effect.

From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2023

Dias and others concede one of their critics’ points: So far, the Meissner effect is impossible to show inside a vise.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 26, 2021

Researchers believe that any proof of superconductivity must include both a total absence of resistance to current and the phenomenon known as the Meissner effect.

From Time Magazine Archive