Superconductor

Counting single proteins with a superconducting nanowire. The background and nanowire are altered in Photoshop with the Generative Fill AI. (Human Insulin PDB:3I40). Credit: Quantum Nanophysics University of Vienna Detection efficiency is 1,000 times higher than conventional ion detectors due to high sensitivity. An international research team led by quantum physicist Markus Arndt (University of Vienna) has achieved a breakthrough in the detection of protein ions: Due to their high energy sensitivity, superconducting…

So, how do these materials manage to conduct electricity without resistance, and what sorts of technological possibilities lie on the horizon, with superconductor research improving every year? Here are three stories from The Conversation’s archive that explore the history, science and future of this incredible physical phenomenon.1. Physics behind the phenomenonHow is it even possible to generate a current with zero electrical resistance, the basis for superconductivity? In order to do so, you must keep your conducting…

A new study argues that the Wiedemann-Franz law, linking electronic and thermal conductivity, is still valid for copper oxide superconductors. The research suggests that discrepancies in quantum materials stem from non-electronic factors like lattice vibrations. This finding is significant for understanding unconventional superconductors and may lead to advancements in the field. This surprising result is important for understanding unconventional superconductors and other materials where electrons band together to act…

A few years ago, the researchers decided to put a superconducting metal called strontium ruthenate in their crosshairs. Its structure is similar to that of a mysterious class of copper-based “cuprate” superconductors, but it can be manufactured in a more pristine way. While the team didn’t learn the secrets of the cuprates, the material responded in a way that Ali Husain, who had refined the technique as part of his doctorate, didn’t understand.Husain found that ricocheting electrons were sapped of their energy and…

Ever since the spooky phenomenon of superconductivity was discovered in 1911, scientists have been searching for superconducting materials that work under practical conditions.If only they could find a compound in which electrical resistance vanishes at room temperature and ambient pressure – not extreme cold and ultrahigh forces – then we could finally step into the world they envisage of ultrafast computer chips, levitating trains, and superefficient energy grids.For a hot minute, it looked like 2023 was going to be…

Rice University’s groundbreaking research on a “strange metal” quantum material reveals unconventional electrical flow, defying traditional quasiparticle theory. This discovery, made through detailed shot noise experiments, suggests a novel understanding of charge movement in strange metals and hints at a broader, universal phenomenon in quantum materials.Rice physicists find evidence of exotic charge transport in quantum material.True to form, a “strange metal” quantum material proved strangely quiet in recent quantum…

Quantum scientists have discovered a phenomenon in purple bronze, a one-dimensional metal, that allows it to switch between insulating and superconducting states. This switch, triggered by minimal stimuli like heat or light, is due to ’emergent symmetry’. This groundbreaking finding, initiated by research into the metal’s magnetoresistance, could lead to the development of perfect switches in quantum devices, a potential milestone in quantum technology.Quantum scientists have discovered a phenomenon in purple bronze that…

November 17, 20234 min readThe search for room-temperature superconductors has suffered scandalous setbacks, but physicists are optimistic about the field’s futureBy Davide Castelvecchi & Nature magazineA magnet levitating over a nitrogen-cooled superconductor. A Nature retraction last week has put to rest the latest claim of room-temperature superconductivity — in which researchers said they had made a material that could conduct electricity without producing waste heat and without refrigeration.The retraction …

If you've found the superconductor highs and lows of the past year to be exhausting, you are not alone.The field has been plagued by a series of astonishing claims followed by skepticism, social media turmoil, failures to replicate, accusations of misconduct and eventual retractions.Now, Nature – one of the top scientific journals in the world – has retracted a study that claims to have created a room-temperature superconductor from hydrogen, a shiny-gray metal called lutetium, and a dash of nitrogen.This comes a few…

Nature has retracted a controversial paper claiming the discovery of a superconductor — a material that carries electrical currents with zero resistance — capable of operating at room temperature and relatively low pressure. The text of the retraction notice states that it was requested by eight co-authors. “They have expressed the view as researchers who contributed to the work that the published paper does not accurately reflect the provenance of the investigated materials, the experimental measurements undertaken and…