“Superconductivity: Resistance is Futile”

The winter term Watson Lectures will kick off with an exploration of superconductors, a recent technology with a wide range of possible applications.

On Wednesday, January 15, Caltech professor of physics Nai-Chang Yeh will discuss superconductors, materials that conduct electricity with no resistance below a critical temperature.

Since the discovery of superconductors more than 15 years ago, a vast amount of new knowledge has been accumulated, resulting in applications ranging from magnetic sensors for cardiograms to microwave filters for cellular-phone base stations.

Despite the progress, however, superconductors’ early promise has not been fully realized, largely due to the complexity of material properties that limits a fundamental understanding of physics at the microscopic level. Yeh’s talk will review novel properties of high-temperature superconductors, the discovery of new materials, and potential uses in communications, energy technology, quantum computing, medical research, and space.

The free public lecture will take place at 8 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium. For more information, contact Public Events at 1 (888) 2-CALTECH, (626) 395-4652, or events@caltech.edu, or visit
www.events.caltech.edu.
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