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Light tsunami in a superconductor

Scientists have successfully controlled the flow of electrons within layers of a superconductor using terahertz flashes. This technique enables precise switching on and off of superconductivity, paving the way for new applications in information processing.

SourceHelmholtz Association·JournalNature Materials·DateApr 3, 2013

Electrons are not enough: Cuprate superconductors defy convention

Researchers have found that cuprate superconductors, known for carrying electrical current without resistance, cannot be fully explained by the traditional concept of Luttinger's theorem, which states that electrons carry current. This discovery reveals that there must be alternative explanations beyond electron behavior.

Quantum computing moves forward

Recent advances enable control of individual atoms used in quantum information processing, paving the way for creation of powerful computers and highly sensitive detectors. Researchers explore ways to transmit quantum information over long distances and scale up the number of qubits.

SourcePrinceton University·JournalScience·DateMar 8, 2013

Resistance is futile

Researchers from Russia, Spain, Belgium, the U.K. and the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a way to efficiently stabilize tiny magnetic vortices that interfere with superconductivity. This breakthrough could remove one of the most significant roadblocks to advances in superconductor technology.

SourceDOE/Argonne National Laboratory·JournalNature Communications·DateFeb 13, 2013

Silver sheds light on superconductor secrets

Researchers from the Institute of Solid State Physics found that superconductivity is intrinsic to a bismuth-based layered material when doped with silver. The material's characteristics were measured using x-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, electrical transport, and thermal transport.

SourceSpringer·JournalThe European Physical Journal B·DateDec 20, 2012

Cocktail achieves superconducting boost

Scientists have synthesized a new material with promising superconducting transition temperatures of 44 Kelvins, improving upon traditional copper-based high-temperature superconductors. The material, LixFe2Se2(NH3)y, displays an intercalation of potassium or rubidium, achieving a superconducting temperature of 32K.

SourceSpringer·JournalThe European Physical Journal B·DateOct 29, 2012

Controlling superconductors with light

Scientists have discovered a way to manipulate superconducting materials using light. This breakthrough allows for the creation of ideal superconductors with continuous electrical current without losing any power. The research has potential applications in developing non-dissipated memories and improving energy efficiency.

SourceAmerican Friends of Tel Aviv University·JournalAngewandte Chemie·DateAug 27, 2012

Disorderly conduct

Researchers examine relationship between disorder and quantum coherence in materials, finding that a pinch of disorder is good but too much can destroy coherence. The Joint Quantum Institute experiment uses laser beams to introduce slight disorder into rubidium atoms, revealing how it affects their behavior.

SourceJoint Quantum Institute·JournalNew Journal of Physics·DateJul 19, 2012

Helping superconductors turn up the heat

Researchers at the University of Miami introduced a breakthrough theory that explains high-temperature superconductivity. The team found that specific quantum effects can generate superpositions of individual states, providing an effective glue to repair the system and allow superconducting behavior to emerge.

SourceUniversity of Miami·JournalEPL (Europhysics Letters)·DateJun 18, 2012

Graphene earns its stripes

Researchers at University College London discovered electronic stripes on graphene sheets, a finding that could revolutionize the exploitation of this material. The discovery was made using a scanning tunneling microscope and found that extra electrons arrange themselves into nanometer-scale stripes spontaneously.

SourceUniversity College London·JournalNature Communications·DateNov 29, 2011

Researchers use new approach to overcome key hurdle for next-generation superconductors

North Carolina State University researchers introduce a computational approach to improve the utility of superconductive materials. By interacting with industry, they've identified ways to optimize YBCO conductors, reducing quench risk and increasing performance. This breakthrough could accelerate the use of YBCO in emerging technologies.

SourceNorth Carolina State University·JournalIEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity·DateOct 27, 2011

Etch-a-sketch with superconductors

Scientists at University College London and Sapienza University of Rome have developed a method to manipulate high-temperature superconductivity in materials. By illuminating with X-rays, researchers can create and control tiny superconducting structures, enabling the creation of new electronic devices.

SourceUniversity College London·JournalNature Materials·DateAug 22, 2011

Physicists report progress in understanding high-temperature superconductors

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have made significant progress in explaining the unusual properties of high-temperature superconductors using a new theory. The theory, known as Extremely Correlated Fermi Liquids, shows remarkable agreement with experimental data from studies of high-temperature superconductors.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Cruz·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateJul 29, 2011

A manganite changes its stripes

A team of researchers has uncovered a startling new feature of lanthanum strontium manganese oxide, which can change its stripes from fluctuating to static and back. At the right temperature, it switches from a metallic state to an insulator, exhibiting colossal conductivity changes.

SourceDOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJul 14, 2011

Scientists looking to burst the superconductivity bubble

New research reveals that bubbles in the fabrication process of high-temperature superconductor Bi2212 limit its critical current density, blocking connectivity and reducing electrical resistance. Densification of filaments before melting could help eliminate bubble formation and improve material performance.

SourceIOP Publishing·JournalSuperconductor Science and Technology·DateMay 15, 2011

Closing in on the pseudogap

A team of scientists has found that the pseudogap in high-temperature superconductors is not a gradual transition to superconductivity, but rather a distinct phase of matter. This discovery challenges current understanding and opens up new possibilities for achieving superconductivity at higher temperatures.

Compact high-temperature superconducting cables demonstrated at NIST

Researchers at NIST have developed compact high-temperature superconducting cables with improved strain tolerance, enabling thinner and more flexible cables for electric power grid applications. The new cables may also be used in scientific and medical equipment, as well as for military applications such as HTS power transmission.

SourceNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)·JournalSuperconductor Science and Technology·DateFeb 17, 2011

Fleeting fluctuations in superconductivity disappear close to transition temperature

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Brookhaven National Laboratory measured superconducting fluctuations in a superconductor, finding they disappear 10-15 Kelvin above the transition temperature. This suggests electron pairs lose coherence rather than break apart at Tc, driving the transition to a non-superconducting state.

SourceDOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory·JournalNature Physics·DateFeb 13, 2011

Study probes link between magnetism, superconductivity

A US-European team has found that magnetism drives unconventional superconductivity in heavy-fermion materials, with magnetic energy saved by over 10 times when the system enters a superconducting state. The study provides evidence for collective fluctuations of electrons at the border of magnetism as capable of driving superconductivity.

SourceRice University·JournalNature Physics·DateDec 13, 2010

Many roads lead to superconductivity

Researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have discovered a universal magnetic signature among all iron-based superconductors. Despite differences in magnetism, these materials display the same magnetic resonance signal as their parent compounds, hinting at a new understanding of how superconductivity arises.

SourceHelmholtz Association·JournalNature Materials·DateSep 10, 2010

JILA team finds new parallel between cold gases and 'hot' superconductors

JILA team finds similar behavior in ultracold atomic gases and high-temperature superconductors, supporting the idea that studying superfluidity in atomic gases can help understand complicated superconductors. The discovery lends support to the concept of a 'pseudo-gap region' where atom pairing occurs above critical temperature.