Superconductivity

Researchers observed the dynamic phases of BCS superconductor interactions in a Cavity QED by measuring the light leakage from the cavity. Credit: Steven Burrows/Rey and Thompson GroupsNew insights can help scientists make superconducting materials more robust and useful.Superconductors have enabled new technologies for health care, transportation, and scientific exploration.Scientists want to know how superconductors react to sudden changes, such as jumps in temperature, to gain insights on how to make them more…

Scientists at the DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered that coating tantalum with magnesium significantly enhances its properties as a superconducting material for quantum computing. This coating prevents oxidation, increases purity, and improves the superconducting transition temperature of tantalum, offering promising advancements for the development of qubits and the future of quantum computing.A thin-film coating protects against oxidation that can degrade superconductivity and quantum…

By David L. Chandler, Massachusetts Institute of Technology March 5, 2024In MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, the new magnets achieved a world-record magnetic field strength of 20 tesla for a large-scale magnet. Credit: Gretchen ErtlDetailed study of high-temperature superconducting magnets built by MIT and Commonwealth Fusion Systems confirms they meet requirements for an economic, compact fusion power plant.In the predawn hours of September 5, 2021, engineers achieved a major milestone in the labs of MIT’s Plasma…

An artist’s rendering of nitrogen vacancy centers in a diamond anvil cell, which can detect the expulsion of magnetic fields by a high-pressure superconductor. Credit: Ella MarushchenkoHarvard scientists have made a significant advance in high-pressure physics by creating a tool that directly images superconducting materials under extreme conditions, facilitating new discoveries in the field of superconducting hydrides.Hydrogen (like many of us) acts weird under pressure. Theory predicts that when crushed by the weight of…

For the first time, MIT physicists have captured direct images of “second sound,” the movement of heat sloshing back and forth within a superfluid. The results will expand scientists’ understanding of heat flow in superconductors and neutron stars. Credit: Jose-Luis Olivares, MITMIT’s visualization of second sound opens new paths for understanding heat’s wave-like behavior in superfluids and its implications for various states of matter, expanding scientists’ understanding of heat flow in superconductors and neutron…

Researchers at Penn State have introduced a groundbreaking material fusion that enables a new form of superconductivity, crucial for advancing quantum computing and exploring the theoretical chiral Majorana particles. Their study demonstrates how combining magnetic materials can lead to emergent superconductivity, marking a significant leap in creating chiral topological superconductors and potentially unlocking new avenues in quantum computing research.A new fusion of materials, each with special electrical properties,…

Advancements in superconducting nanostrip detectors have achieved high-fidelity, true-photon-number resolution up to 10 photons, marking a significant leap in quantum information technology. Credit: SciTechDaily.comWider superconducting strips enable better photon-number resolution, with greater dynamic range and fidelity.Using single photons as qubits has become a prominent strategy in quantum information technology. Accurately determining the number of photons is crucial in various quantum systems, including quantum…

An international research team has made a pivotal discovery in high-temperature superconductivity by quantifying the pseudogap pairing in fermionic lithium atoms. This discovery not only deepens our understanding of quantum superfluidity but also holds promise for enhancing global energy efficiency through advancements in computing, storage, and sensor technologies. Credit: SciTechDaily.comScientists have made a discovery that may help to unlock the microscopic mystery of high-temperature superconductivityThe paper…

Cryogenic microwave setup used for quantum device measurements. Credit: Qinu GmbH, qinu.deQuantum bits can be described more precisely with the help of newly discovered harmonics as a team of 30 researchers reports in Nature Physics.Physicists have uncovered that Josephson tunnel junctions – the fundamental building blocks of superconducting quantum computers – are more complex than previously thought. Just like overtones in a musical instrument, harmonics are superimposed on the fundamental mode. As a consequence,…

Physicists at MIT have spotted the second sound of a superfluid. Besides being pleasantly alliterative, the phenomenon may explain how heat moves through certain rare materials on Earth and deep in space.Why Bitcoin won’t reach $1,000,000A superfluid is a state of matter that flows without friction. This happens at temperatures near absolute zero, where the motion of atoms is greatly reduced. In some materials—including superfluids like the quantum gas of lithium atoms, used by the recent team—heat propagates like a wave…