Introduction to Electrodynamics · Problem 7.44

Conservation Laws — David J. Griffiths

Physics · perfect-conductor-superconductor

Problem

In a perfect conductor, the conductivity is infinite, so E=0\mathbf{E} = \mathbf{0} (Eq. 7.3), and any net charge resides on the surface (just as it does for an imperfect conductor, in electrostatics). (a) Show that the magnetic field is constant (∂B/∂t=0\partial\mathbf{B}/\partial t = \mathbf{0}), inside a perfect conductor. (b) Show that the magnetic flux through a perfectly conducting loop is constant. A superconductor is a perfect conductor with the additional property that the (constant) B\mathbf{B} inside is in fact zero. (This "flux exclusion" is known as the Meissner effect.) (c) Show that the current in a superconductor is confined to the surface. (d) Superconductivity is lost above a certain critical temperature (TcT_c), which varies from one material to another. Suppose you had a sphere (radius aa) above its critical temperature, and you held it in a uniform magnetic field B0z^B_0 \hat{z} while cooling it below TcT_c. Find the induced surface current density K\mathbf{K}, as a function of the polar angle θ\theta.

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