Destruction of superconductivity by a current

Abstract

We have carried out an experimental investigation of the resistance transition in Indium and Thallium wires when superconductivity is destroyed by a current. Our results, as well as those obtained previously by other workers, do not agree with the theories put forward by London (1937) and Gorter (1957) and the consideration of secondary effects does not satisfactorily account for the discrepancies. We present a new model of the intermediate state in Type-I current-carrying superconductors. In addition to predicting a resistance transition in reasonable agreement with experimental observations, the model gives good agreement with experimental values of the radius of the intermediate state core as obtained by Rinderer (1956). A treatment of secondary effects is also given and together with the basic resistance transition predicted by the model, they provide a better understanding of the destruction of superconductivity in Type-I wires by a current.