Superconductor in RLC Circuit

A Resistor Inductor Capacitor (RLC) Circuit is very basic circuit of low- or high-pass filter, oscillator, radio receiver and tuning device. In this study we use a high temperature superconductor (HTS) to replace a resistor in series RCL circuit to demonstrate overdamping, underdamping and oscillation conditions of a RLC circuit. HTS is material that behaves like a superconductor at above 77K (liquid nitrogen boiling temperature). An Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBaCuO) superconductor was made by solid state reaction under appropriate oxygen exposure Y2O­3, BaCO3, and CuO were stoichiometrically weighed and then ground up into a fine powder. The powder was placed in a furnace, and heated while being exposed to cycles of an inward flow of oxygen at 1 PSI. The compound was then removed from the furnace and pressed into a pill. The pill was placed back in the furnace and heated while being exposed to oxygen at 1 PSI. The pill was tested for characteristic behavior of a superconductor. The pill was submerged in liquid nitrogen until it reached its critical temperature. Then, the pill was placed over a magnet. The pill levitated in place at a height of about one millimeter above the magnet. This behavior is known as the Meissner effect and affirmed that the pill was a functional superconductor. Step Response of a RLC Circuit will be the subject of discussion. The YBaCuO pill will be connected to four-point electrodes which have been placed in parallel with the resistor by a switch. The capacitor will be charged and discharged. During the discharge, the superconductor will be cooled below its critical temperature by being placed in liquid nitrogen, after which it exhibits a resistance approaching zero Ohms. The circuit will switch from an over damped state to an under damped state. As a result, an oscillation of the electric current will be observed. As the superconductor heats up to and above its critical temperature, the current and energy of the RLC circuit will be observed, while the circuit returns to an over damped state