Physicist — Leon Neil Cooper (1930–2024) was an American theoretical physicist, born in New York and for many years a professor at Brown University. Together with John Bardeen and John Robert Schrieffer, he developed the BCS theory in 1957, the first microscopic explanation of superconductivity. His key contribution was showing that, at very low temperature, electrons in a metal can bind into correlated pairs, now known as “Cooper pairs”, thanks to a weak attraction mediated by vibrations of the crystal lattice. These pairs move without resistance, explaining lossless electrical conduction. For this discovery he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1972; he later devoted himself to the study of the brain and neural networks, applying physics to neuroscience.
Trivia
He was little more than twenty when he had the insight into the electron pairs that bear his name; as an adult he turned to a wholly different field, the modelling of memory and learning in the brain.
Theories and contributions
- Cooper pairs — At low temperature two electrons bind into a pair through interaction with lattice phonons, moving without resistance.
- BCS theory of superconductivity — Microscopic explanation of superconductivity based on the condensation of Cooper pairs (Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer, 1957).
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