Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Magnetization of small lead particles.

S Reich¹, G Leitus, R Popovitz-Biro

¹Department of Materials and Interfaces, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.

Physical Review Letters

|November 13, 2003

Summary

Researchers observed a critical particle size for superconductivity in lead grains. Below this size, the Meissner effect sharply disappears, confirming theoretical predictions for superconducting materials.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Advancing safety culture through training: A just culture curriculum.

Current problems in diagnostic radiology·2026

Same author

Managing Governance Documents in Radiology: What Radiologists Need To Know.

Academic radiology·2025

Same author

Directed light emission from monolayers on 2D materials via optical interferences.

The Journal of chemical physics·2025

Same author

Correction to: Tooth discoloration induced by apical plugs with hydraulic calcium silicate-based cements in teeth with open apices-a 2-year in vitro study.

Clinical oral investigations·2025

Same author

Incorporation strategy for organic dyes into gold nanoparticle supercrystals.

The Journal of chemical physics·2024

Same author

Anatomical categorization of isolated non-focal dystonia: novel and existing patterns using a data-driven approach.

Dystonia (Lausanne, Switzerland)·2023

Area of Science:

Condensed Matter Physics
Materials Science
Nanotechnology

Background:

Superconductivity is a quantum mechanical phenomenon where certain materials exhibit zero electrical resistance below a critical temperature.
The Meissner effect, the expulsion of magnetic flux, is a hallmark of superconductivity.
Theoretical models, such as Anderson's criterion, predict a critical size below which superconductivity may be suppressed in small particles.

Purpose of the Study:

To experimentally determine the critical particle size for superconductivity in isolated lead grains.
To investigate the influence of grain size on the Meissner effect.
To validate theoretical predictions regarding superconductivity in nanoscale materials.

Main Methods:

Magnetization measurements were performed on an ensemble of isolated lead grains.
Grain sizes were systematically varied across a range from 4 nm to 1000 nm.
The presence and strength of the Meissner effect were analyzed as a function of grain size.

Main Results:

A sharp and distinct disappearance of the Meissner effect was observed as grain size decreased below a critical threshold.
Superconductivity was found to be suppressed in lead grains smaller than this critical size.
The experimental findings align with predictions from Anderson's criterion.

Conclusions:

A critical particle size for the manifestation of superconductivity in lead grains has been directly observed.
Magnetization measurements provide a direct method for identifying the loss of superconductivity in nanoscale systems.
The study confirms the importance of particle size in determining superconducting properties at the nanoscale.

Related Experiment Videos