Cunningham Township in Urbana in Champaign County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Theory of Superconductivity

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 28, 2023

1. Theory of Superconductivity Marker

Inscription. Theoretical physicist John Bardeen was the first person to win two Nobel prizes in the same field. His first, in 1956, shared with Walter Brattain and William Shockley, was for the invention of the transistor, the basic component of electronic information technologies. His second, here at the University of Illinois in 1972, shared with postdoctoral associate Leon N. Cooper and graduate student J. Robert Schrieffer, was for the explanation of superconductivity, a state of matter first observed in 1911 in which materials lose their electrical resistance at low temperatures. The BCS Theory, announced in 1957 and based on a model in which electrons form bound pairs, explains fundamental processes in solid-state physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics and particle physics.

Erected by University of Illinois.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the University of Illinois series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1956.

Location. 40° 6.673′ N, 88° 13.657′ W. Marker is in Urbana, Illinois, in Champaign County. It is in Cunningham Township. Marker can be reached from West Green Street east of South Wright Street, on the left when traveling

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east. Marker is between Everitt and Talbot Laboratories, at a pedestrian bridge over Boneyard Creek about 100 yards north of West Green Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Urbana IL 61801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Quantum-Well Laser (a few steps from this marker); Sound on Film (within shouting distance of this marker); Computer-Based Education (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Understanding Photosynthesis (about 700 feet away); Multiphase Fluid Dynamics (about 700 feet away); Early Computers (about 700 feet away); Natural History Building (about 700 feet away); Illite and Clay Mineralogy (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Urbana.

Also see . . .
1. Spark of Genius: The Story of John Bardeen at the University of Illinois. Imagine a world without computers, cell phones or all modern electronics. This would be a world without John Bardeen. (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, uploaded Aug. 26, 2010) (Submitted on June 13, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. John Bardeen. Wikipedia entry on the physicist, engineer and only two-time recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics. (Submitted on June 13, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 28, 2023

2. Theory of Superconductivity Marker

John Bardeen (1908-1991) image. Click for full size.

Nobel Foundation via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain), 1956

3. John Bardeen (1908-1991)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 9, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 43 times since then and 4 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 9, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on June 13, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.