Light hitting a superconductor?

[cragar]

can x-rays go through a superconductor when it cooled down to its superconducting state.

 

[ZapperZ]

Er.. if it does, then diagnostic techniques such as x-ray photoemission, x-ray diffraction, x-ray scattering, etc. will be useless for superconductors. You can do a search for yourself how many papers have been published in the study of superconductivity using such techniques.

Here's a question you should ask yourself: if x-rays have a tough time passing through ordinary metals, why would it pass through something that is an even better conductor?

Zz.

 

[cragar]

ok that's a good point. ill do some research on it .

 

[coelho]

Do superconductivity alters the X-ray transparency of a material?

If i remember correctly, conducting materials are opaque to EM radiation because the EM field interacts with the free electrons, losing energy during this process, and so the field gets weaker (attenuated) as it enters the material. If it were thick enough, we can say (almost) no EM radiation passes through it. Also, the more conducting the material, more attenuated the EM radiation is. So, we would conclude that a superconductor, which has zero resistivity, would be a perfect shield for EM radiation.

But if i remember correctly, this effect somehow stops working at very high frequencies (like X-rays or gamma rays), because the electrons are not "fast enough" to interact (and thus to absorb energy) from the EM radiation, and so it passes through the material as if were transparent.

So, my question is, do this also happens with a superconductor? Is it as transparent to X-rays as it would be if it were not a superconductor?

 

[sardar]

I am intrigued by the concept of light hitting a superconductor. Superconductors are materials that can conduct electricity with zero resistance when cooled below a certain temperature, known as the critical temperature. In this state, the electrons in the superconductor pair up and move through the material without losing any energy, allowing for perfect conductivity.

When it comes to the question of whether x-rays can pass through a superconductor in its superconducting state, the answer is not a simple yes or no. X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, just like visible light, but with a higher energy and shorter wavelength. In general, superconductors are known to reflect or block electromagnetic radiation, which is why they are used as shields in MRI machines.

However, there have been some studies that suggest that x-rays may be able to pass through superconductors in certain conditions. One study published in Physical Review Letters in 2012 showed that x-rays were able to pass through a thin layer of superconducting material, but only when the material was in a specific state known as the Meissner state. This state occurs when the superconductor is cooled below its critical temperature and a magnetic field is applied to it.

In summary, while it is not a common occurrence, there is evidence that x-rays may be able to pass through a superconductor in its superconducting state under certain conditions. However, more research is needed to fully understand this phenomenon and its potential applications in fields such as medical imaging and material science.