Superconductivity News - Physics News, Quantum Physics en-us provides the latest news on superconductivity Discovery of bismuth superconductivity at extremely low temperature jeopardizes theory (—A team of researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India has found that cooling a sample of bismuth to 0.00053 Kelvin caused the material to become a superconductor, putting at risk a decades-old theory regarding how superconductivity works. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes their cooling and testing approach and why they believe what they found will require physicists to rethink theoretical work that describes the conditions under which a metal can become superconductive. Superconductivity Fri, 02 Dec 2016 08:40:01 EST news399885896 Quantum obstacle course changes material from superconductor to insulator Researchers from Brown University have demonstrated an unusual method of putting the brakes on superconductivity, the ability of a material to conduct an electrical current with zero resistance. Superconductivity Wed, 30 Nov 2016 05:30:39 EST news399706229 Physicists manipulate Abrikosov vortices A nanophotonics group led by Prof. Brahim Lounis of the University of Bordeaux, including scientists from MIPT, has performed a unique experiment involving the optical manipulation of individual Abrikosov vortices in a superconductor. In their article published in Nature Communications, the scientists mention the possibility of designing new logic units based on quantum principles for use in supercomputers. Superconductivity Mon, 28 Nov 2016 07:09:08 EST news399539340 New clues emerge in 30-year-old superconductor mystery One of the greatest mysteries of experimental physics is how so-called high-temperature superconducting materials work. Despite their name, high-temperature superconductors—materials that carry electrical current with no resistance—operate at chilly temperatures less than minus 135 degrees Celsius. They can be used to make superefficient power cables, medical MRIs, particle accelerators, and other devices. Cracking the mystery of how these materials actually work could lead to superconducting devices that operate at room temperatures—and could revolutionize electrical devices, including laptops and phones. Superconductivity Mon, 21 Nov 2016 11:00:03 EST news398946274 When crystal vibrations' inner clock drives superconductivity Superconductivity is like an Eldorado for electrons, as they flow without resistance through a conductor. However, it only occurs below a very low critical temperature. Physicists now believe they can enhance superconductivity - the idea is to externally drive its underlying physical phenomena by changing how ions vibrating in the crystal lattice of the conductor material, called phonons, interact with electron flowing in the material. Andreas Komnik from the University of Heidelberg and Michael Thorwart from the University of Hamburg, Germany, adapted the simplest theory of superconductivity to reflect the consequences of externally driving the occurrence of phonons. Their main result, published in EPJ B, is a simple formula explaining how it is theoretically possible to raise the critical temperature using phonon driving. Superconductivity Wed, 09 Nov 2016 09:48:40 EST news397907315 Non-invasive intensity measurements of low energy beams demonstrated for the first time A precise measurement of absolute beam intensity is a key parameter to monitor any losses in a beam and to calibrate the absolute number of particles delivered to the experiments. Superconductivity Mon, 07 Nov 2016 08:00:03 EST news397727788 Physicists induce superconductivity in non-superconducting materials Researchers at the University of Houston have reported a new method for inducing superconductivity in non-superconducting materials, demonstrating a concept proposed decades ago but never proven. Superconductivity Mon, 31 Oct 2016 15:00:09 EST news397139653 Scientists gain insight on mechanism of unconventional superconductivity Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and partner institutions conducted a systematic investigation into the properties of the newest family of unconventional superconducting materials, iron-based compounds. The study may help the scientific community discover new superconducting materials with unique properties. Superconductivity Tue, 18 Oct 2016 16:21:04 EST news396026426 Physicists pass spin information through a superconductor Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have made a discovery that could lay the foundation for quantum superconducting devices. Their breakthrough solves one the main challenges to quantum computing: how to transmit spin information through superconducting materials. Superconductivity Fri, 14 Oct 2016 15:06:12 EST news395676361 Scientists find static 'stripes' of electrical charge in copper-oxide superconductor Cuprates, or compounds made of copper and oxygen, can conduct electricity without resistance by being "doped" with other chemical elements and cooled to temperatures below minus 210 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite extensive research on this phenomenon—called high-temperature superconductivity—scientists still aren't sure how it works. Previous experiments have established that ordered arrangements of electrical charges known as "charge stripes" coexist with superconductivity in many forms of cuprates. However, the exact nature of these stripes—specifically, whether they fluctuate over time—and their relationship to superconductivity—whether they work together with or against the electrons that pair up and flow without energy loss—have remained a mystery. Superconductivity Fri, 14 Oct 2016 10:40:01 EST news395659483 Solving a cryptic puzzle with a little help from a hologram A recent discovery published in Nature Physics provides an innovative technique for calculating the shapes of electrons. This finding will help scientists gain a better and faster understanding of the properties of complex materials. Dr. Emanuele Dalla Torre, from Bar-Ilan University, together with Dr. Yang He and Prof. Eugene Demler, from Harvard University, used holographic logic to compile an algorithm for visualizing the shape of an electron in a superconducting material. This successful collaboration clarified the puzzling results of a series of experiments performed in the past 15 years, resolving a mysterious scientific enigma. Superconductivity Thu, 06 Oct 2016 10:45:46 EST news394969532 Method enables material to carry more electrical current without resistance at a higher temperature Iron-based superconductors can conduct electricity without resistance at unusually high temperatures relative to those of conventional superconductors, which must be chilled to near absolute zero (minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit) to release their superconducting powers. In addition, they're relatively easy to bend and can carry electrical current easily in different directions under high magnetic fields before superconductivity becomes suppressed. These characteristics make iron-based superconductors promising for advanced energy applications, from electric vehicles to wind turbines and medical imaging devices. However, the amount of current they can carry has been low in comparison to other superconductors. Scientists have been trying to increase this amount, but doing so has often come at the cost of degrading another key superconducting property—the critical temperature at which superconductivity emerges. Superconductivity Thu, 06 Oct 2016 09:31:32 EST news394965081 Neutron-scattering experiments explore origins of high-temp superconductivity New findings from researchers at Rice University, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) suggest that condensed-matter physicists need to rethink how magnetic fluctuations arise in both unconventional and high-temperature superconductors. Superconductivity Fri, 30 Sep 2016 07:33:21 EST news394439594 Room-temp superconductors could be possible Superconductors are the holy grail of energy efficiency. These mind-boggling materials allow electric current to flow freely without resistance. But that generally only happens at temperatures within a few degrees of absolute zero (minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit), making them difficult to deploy today. However, if we're able to harness the powers of superconductivity at room temperature, we could transform how energy is produced, stored, distributed and used around the globe. Superconductivity Thu, 29 Sep 2016 07:10:53 EST news394351772 Strongest magnetic field trapped in a superconductor is a world record A world record for a trapped field in a superconductor, was achieved in 2014 by a team of engineers led by Professor David Cardwell. Superconductivity Fri, 23 Sep 2016 08:58:35 EST news393839908 New superconductive material for long-distance energy transmission The energy landscape in Europe is changing rapidly and the percentage of renewables is steadily increasing. For example, in Germany, solar and wind power provided an average of 33% of the total electricity production in 2015. And the phase-out of nuclear power, as part of the country's energy transition or Energiewende, will result in the expansion of the local electricity grid. Superconductivity Fri, 23 Sep 2016 06:39:37 EST news393831567 Melting of frozen electrons visualized For the first time, physicists have visualized the 'melting' of electrons inside a special class of insulators that allows electrons to move freely; the process turns the insulator into a metal and possibly later into a superconductor. The results have been published in Nature Physics. Superconductivity Tue, 20 Sep 2016 07:02:41 EST news393573751 Unraveling the crystal structure of a record high-temperature superconductor For the first time, a research group led by Osaka University, Japan, clarified the crystal structure of hydrogen sulfide in its superconducting phase at the high temperature of -70°C. This was achieved by conducting a combination of experiments at one of the world's largest synchrotron radiation facilities, SPring-8 in Japan. These results mark a huge step toward developing room-temperature superconductors, which may provide promising solutions to energy problems. Superconductivity Wed, 24 Aug 2016 06:23:28 EST news391238597 Researchers attempt to explain superconductive phenomenon Superconductivity with a high critical temperature (high Tc) presents a theoretical mystery. While this phenomenon is experimentally well established, science has not explained its mechanism. In the late 1990s, the British physicist Anthony Leggett proposed a scenario based on Coulomb energy. Today, researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, in collaboration with Leggett and his group, tested this scenario. Their findings challenge Leggett's conjecture, opening new avenues for the explanation of high Tc superconductivity. These results are available in the journal Physical Review X. Superconductivity Thu, 18 Aug 2016 05:39:48 EST news390717223 Scientists uncover origin of high-temperature superconductivity in copper-oxide compound Since the 1986 discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in copper-oxide compounds called cuprates, scientists have been trying to understand how these materials can conduct electricity without resistance at temperatures hundreds of degrees above the ultra-chilled temperatures required by conventional superconductors. Finding the mechanism behind this exotic behavior may pave the way for engineering materials that become superconducting at room temperature. Such a capability could enable lossless power grids, more affordable magnetically levitated transit systems, and powerful supercomputers, and change the way energy is produced, transmitted, and used globally. Superconductivity Wed, 17 Aug 2016 13:00:07 EST news390651185 Enhanced electron doping on iron superconductors discovered The Institute for Basic Science research team headed by the associate director of CCES, KIM Chang Young, presented the possibility of unifying theories to explain the working mechanism of iron- based superconductors. Superconductivity Mon, 15 Aug 2016 11:00:01 EST news390474363 New material could advance superconductivity Scientists have looked for different ways to force hydrogen into a metallic state for decades. A metallic state of hydrogen is a holy grail for materials science because it could be used for superconductors, materials that have no resistance to the flow of electrons, which increases electricity transfer efficiency many times over. For the first time researchers, led by Carnegie's Viktor Struzhkin, have experimentally produced a new class of materials blending hydrogen with sodium that could alter the superconductivity landscape and could be used for hydrogen-fuel cell storage. The research is published in Nature Communications. Superconductivity Thu, 28 Jul 2016 05:00:02 EST news388893303 Physicists show trilayer metal oxide's true stripes The true stripes of triple-layer metal oxides are charge stripes, physicists say. Superconductivity Wed, 27 Jul 2016 07:06:17 EST news388821961 Bulk superconductor magnetic field record achieved Dr Mark Ainslie of the Bulk Superconductivity Group, in conjunction with a Japanese research team, has achieved a bulk superconductor magnetic field record. Superconductivity Mon, 25 Jul 2016 09:12:50 EST news388656734 Newly discovered material property may lead to high temp superconductivity Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Ames Laboratory have discovered an unusual property of purple bronze that may point to new ways to achieve high temperature superconductivity. Superconductivity Fri, 22 Jul 2016 07:30:01 EST news388388802 New superconducting coil improves MRI performance A multidisciplinary research team led by University of Houston scientist Jarek Wosik has developed a high-temperature superconducting coil that allows magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners to produce higher resolution images or acquire images in a shorter time than when using conventional coils. Superconductivity Wed, 20 Jul 2016 14:19:07 EST news388243133 Exploring superconducting properties of 3-D printed parts 3-D printing is revolutionizing many areas of manufacturing and science. In particular, 3-D printing of metals has found novel applications in fields as diverse as customized medical implants, jet engine bearings and rapid prototyping for the automotive industry. Superconductivity Mon, 18 Jul 2016 11:00:11 EST news388057685 Scientists optimize defects for better superconducting effects High-temperature superconducting materials hold enormous promise for a variety of different applications because of their ability to transmit a current without any dissipation at relatively high temperatures—up to around 90 Kelvin (about -300° F), which permits cooling with liquid nitrogen. Superconductivity Wed, 13 Jul 2016 07:09:02 EST news387612527 New ferromagnetic superconductor—CsEuFe4As4 Superconductivity (SC) and ferromagnetism (FM) are mutually antagonistic collective phenomena in solids. Macroscopically, a superconductor expels magnetic fluxes from its interior below the superconducting critical temperature TSC. By contrast, a ferromagnet magnetizes itself (for a single magnetic domain) spontaneously below the ferromagnetic transition temperature TFM. Although SC and FM are incompatible in most cases, there is still the possibility of their coexistence, which, since the 1950s, has become a long-standing issue for scientists who work in the field of superconductivity. Since the late 1970s, a few material systems called "magnetic superconductors" have been considered as the candidates of ferromagnetic superconductors (FMSC). However, bulk SC and full FM were rarely observed simultaneously. Superconductivity Fri, 08 Jul 2016 05:49:59 EST news387175785 Superconductor's strange behaviour results in new laboratory tool Researchers from the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter and the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands), together with researchers from the Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba (Japan), have discovered an exceptional new quantum state within a superconducting material. This exceptional quantum state is characterised by a broken rotational symmetry – in other words, if you turn the material in a magnetic field, the superconductivity isn't the same everywhere in the material. Superconductivity Tue, 28 Jun 2016 08:30:34 EST news386321423