Comprehensive theory that explains the behaviour of superconducting materials.
It was developed in 1957 by Leon Cooper , and J. Robert Schrieffer (b. 1931), whose surname initials provide its name. Cooper discovered that {{link=electron">electron s in a superconductor are grouped in pairs (Cooper pairs) and that the motions of all the pairs within a single superconductor constitute a system that functions as a single entity. An electric voltage applied to the superconductor causes all Cooper pairs to move, forming an electric current . When the voltage is removed, the current continues to flow because the pairs encounter no opposition. See also superconductivity .