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Strain has major effect on high-temp superconductors
February 16, 2007Just a little mechanical strain can cause a large drop in the maximum current carried by high-temperature superconductors, according to novel measurements carried out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The effect, which is reversible, adds a new dimension to designing superconducting systems—particularly for electric power applications—and it also provides a new tool that will help scientists probe the fundamental mechanism behind why these materials carry current with no resistance.
The measurements, reported in Applied Physics Letters,* revealed a 40 percent reduction in critical current, the point at which superconductivity breaks down, at just 1 percent compressive strain. This effect can be readily accommodated in the engineering design of practical applications, NIST project leader Jack Ekin says, but knowing about it ahead of time will be important to the success of many large-scale devices. The effect was measured in three types of yttrium-barium-copper-oxide (YBCO), a brittle ceramic considered the best prospect for making low-cost, high-current, superconducting wires. The researchers developed a "four point\\\
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
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More Superconductors News Articles
 | Introduction to Superconductivity: Second Edition (Dover Books on Physics) by Michael Tinkham |
 | Schaum's Outline of Applied Physics, 4th ed. by Arthur Beiser |
 | Theory Of Superconductivity (Advanced Book Classics) by J. Robert Schrieffer |
 | Superconductivity Of Metals And Alloys (Advanced Book Classics) by P. G. De Gennes |
 | Experimental Techniques: Cryostat Design, Material Properties and Superconductor Critical-Current Testing by Jack Ekin |
 | Flux Pinning in Superconductors by Teruo Matsushita |
 | Superconductivity, Superfluids, and Condensates (Oxford Master Series in Condensed Matter Physics) by James F. Annett |
 | Nonequilibrium Electrons and Phonons in Superconductors (Selected Topics in Superconductivity) by Armen M. Gulian, Gely F. Zharkov |
 | Handbook of Superconductivity by Charles K. Poole, Horacio A. Farach, Richard J. Creswick |
 | Piezoelectric Transducers and Applications by Antonio Arnau Vives |
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