Superconductors, as physical systems, are materials that, below a critical temperature, exhibit exactly zero DC electrical resistance and expel interior magnetic fields via the Meissner effect, indicating a thermodynamic phase distinct from ordinary conductors. Their behavior is described microscopically by Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) theory for conventional superconductors, where electrons form Cooper pairs that condense into a macroscopic quantum state with a complex order parameter and an energy gap in the excitation spectrum. Superconductors also display quantization of magnetic flux, support dissipationless supercurrents, and exhibit rich phase diagrams influenced by temperature, magnetic field, and material structure.
Scientists from Ames National Laboratory have identified the first unconventional superconductor with a chemical composition also found in nature. Miassite is one of only four minerals found in nature that act as a superconductor ...
Superconductivity
Mar 13, 2024
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The particle accelerators that enable high-energy physics and serve many fields of science, such as materials, medical, and fusion research, are driven by superconducting magnets that are, to put it simply, quite finicky.
General Physics
Mar 11, 2024
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Electronic states that resemble molecules and are promising for use in future quantum computers have been created in superconducting circuits by physicists at RIKEN.
Superconductivity
Mar 11, 2024
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In the predawn hours of Sept. 5, 2021, engineers achieved a major milestone in the labs of MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), when a new type of magnet, made from high-temperature superconducting material, achieved ...
Superconductivity
Mar 4, 2024
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Hydrogen (like many of us) acts weird under pressure. Theory predicts that when crushed by the weight of more than a million times our atmosphere, this light, abundant, normally gaseous element first becomes a metal, and ...
Superconductivity
Feb 28, 2024
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Our physical, 3D world consists of just two types of particles: bosons, which include light and the famous Higgs boson; and fermions—the protons, neutrons, and electrons that comprise all the "stuff," present company included.
Quantum Physics
Feb 21, 2024
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Quantum technology could outperform conventional computers on some advanced optimization and computational tasks. In recent years, physicists have been working to identify new strategies to create quantum systems and promising ...
A new fusion of materials, each with special electrical properties, has all the components required for a unique type of superconductivity that could provide the basis for more robust quantum computing. The new combination ...
Superconductivity
Feb 8, 2024
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Diamonds are beautiful gemstones, which thanks to their shimmering sparkle and transparency look great in jewelry, but rough diamonds are much more interesting from a scientific point of view. The physical and chemical properties ...
Condensed Matter
Feb 8, 2024
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A research team has, for the first time, observed and quantitatively characterized the many-body pairing pseudogap in unitary Fermi gases. This achievement, pursued by the ultracold atomic community for nearly two decades, ...
Superconductivity
Feb 7, 2024
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