Does the Meissner effect violate the second law of thermodynamics?

In Entropy 24, 83 (2022) (Nikulov 2022), titled “The Law of Entropy Increase and the Meissner Effect”, its author Alexey Nikulov argues that the Meissner effect exhibited by type I superconductors violates the second law of thermodynamics. Contrary to this claim, I show that the Meissner effect is consistent with the second law of thermodynamics provided that a mechanism exists for the supercurrent to start and stop without generation of Joule heat. The theory of hole superconductivity provides such a mechanism, the conventional theory of superconductivity does not. It requires the existence of hole carriers in the normal state of the system.

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Publication Details

Journal
Physica C Superconductivity
Published
2024-11-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physc.2024.1354618
Citations
11
Primary Topic
Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.09
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article

Does the Meissner effect violate the second law of thermodynamics?

J. E. Hirsch
11 citations
Physica C Superconductivity
Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
3.09
article

Does the Meissner effect violate the second law of thermodynamics?

J. E. Hirsch
article en
11 citations

Abstract

In Entropy 24, 83 (2022) (Nikulov 2022), titled “The Law of Entropy Increase and the Meissner Effect”, its author Alexey Nikulov argues that the Meissner effect exhibited by type I superconductors violates the second law of thermodynamics. Contrary to this claim, I show that the Meissner effect is consistent with the second law of thermodynamics provided that a mechanism exists for the supercurrent to start and stop without generation of Joule heat. The theory of hole superconductivity provides such a mechanism, the conventional theory of superconductivity does not. It requires the existence of hole carriers in the normal state of the system.

Physica C SuperconductivityVol. 629
University of California San Diego (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
3.09
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