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

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

From Science Daily • Nov. 13, 2023

The levitation, the scientists said, demonstrated the Meissner effect, which ensures zero magnetic field inside a superconductor.

From New York Times • Aug. 3, 2023

The South Korean researchers provided a video of what they say is LK-99 exhibiting the Meissner effect, but superconductors aren’t the only things that float above magnets—graphite, for example, also levitates.

From Scientific American • Jul. 27, 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

For one thing, the IBM scientists had lacked the sensitive equipment to test for the Meissner effect, the surest proof of superconductivity, and thus could not confirm it in their report.

From Time Magazine Archive