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Onnes, Heike Kamerlingh

Lead Author: Cutler J. Cleveland (other articles)
Article Topic: Natural sciences
This article has been reviewed and approved by the following Topic Editor: Peter Saundry (other articles)
Last Updated: August 18, 2006

Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1853-1926), a Dutch physicist who discovered superconductivity in 1911, a phenomenon occurring in certain materials at low temperatures, characterized by the complete absence of electrical resistance and the damping of the interior magnetic field. Onnes cooled mercury in his laboratory to 452 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (F); this is close to the temperature of "absolute zero" (-459° F) at which the motion of all individual atoms stops. Subsequent applications of superconducting materials include high-speed magnetic-levitation trains, magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) equipment, ultra-high-speed computer chips, high-capacity digital memory chips, energy storage systems, and gyroscopes for earth-orbiting satellites. Onnes was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1913 for his discovery of superconductivity.
Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author); Peter Saundry (Topic Editor);. 2006. "Onnes, Heike Kamerlingh." In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth March 8, 2007; Last revised August 18, 2006; Retrieved September 2, 2010]<http://www.eoearth.org/article/Onnes,_Heike_Kamerlingh>
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