Comprehensive theory that explains the behaviour of superconducting materials. It was developed in 1957 by John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and J. Robert Schrieffer (b.
1931), whose surname initials provide its name. Cooper discovered that electrons 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. &Seealso; superconductivity.
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