A supercurrent is a superconducting current, that is,
electric current
An electric current is a stream of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. It is measured as the net rate of flow of electric charge through a surface or into a control volume. The moving pa ...
which flows without
dissipation
In thermodynamics, dissipation is the result of an irreversible process that takes place in homogeneous thermodynamic systems. In a dissipative process, energy (internal, bulk flow kinetic, or system potential) transforms from an initial form to a ...
in a
superconductor.
Under certain conditions, an electric current can also flow without dissipation in microscopically small non-superconducting metals. However, such currents are not called supercurrents, but
persistent current
In physics, persistent current refers to a perpetual electric current, not requiring an external power source. Such a current is impossible in normal electrical devices, since all commonly-used conductors have a non-zero resistance, and this resist ...
s.
See also
*
Josephson effect
In physics, the Josephson effect is a phenomenon that occurs when two superconductors are placed in proximity, with some barrier or restriction between them. It is an example of a macroscopic quantum phenomenon, where the effects of quantum mech ...
References
Superconductivity
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