When most metals are cooled to very low temperatures, their resistance to the flow of an electrical current decreases, but then at a critical temperature, the resistance abruptly becomes zero! A current can now flow in the metal without any external applied voltage – and we call this material a Superconductor, a phenomenon that can only be understood using Quantum Mechanics. While previously believed to only apply to ordinary metals, forty years ago it was discovered that certain ceramics could also become superconductors – at temperatures much higher than observed in ordinary metals! If superconductivity could be observed at room temperature – the world would suddenly become a very different place! Martin Greven isaDistinguished McKnight University Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy whose research involves experimental condensed matter physics, and in particular, the fabrication and study of novel superconducting materials.
Start date
Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 7 p.m.
End date
Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 8 p.m.
Location
University of Minnesota, 10 Church Street (the old Bell Museum).
