9 research outputs found
Electromotive forces and the Meissner effect puzzle
In a voltaic cell, positive (negative) ions flow from the low (high)
potential electrode to the high (low) potential electrode, driven by an
`electromotive force' which points in opposite direction and overcomes the
electric force. Similarly in a superconductor charge flows in direction
opposite to that dictated by the Faraday electric field as the magnetic field
is expelled in the Meissner effect. The puzzle is the same in both cases: what
drives electric charges against electromagnetic forces? I propose that the
answer is also the same in both cases: kinetic energy lowering, or `quantum
pressure'