https://phys.org/physics-news/superconductivity/ en-us The latest news on superconductivity Scientists at Warwick have shown that a material treated for 40 years as a uniform, textbook superconductor is in fact a patchwork of different crystal structures throughout its bulk, using an advanced 3D imaging technique to see deep inside the crystal for the first time. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-chemists-overturn-year-assumption-key.html Superconductivity Thu, 17 Sep 2026 19:00:01 EDT news708870791 Cornell physicists have discovered that minimizing disorder, not varying electron count, is the key factor for controlling superconductivity in the unique material iron selenide (FeSe), a new insight for understanding high-temperature superconductors. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-disorder-key-tuning-high-temperature.html Superconductivity Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:40:01 EDT news708865861 Superconductors are materials that carry electricity with zero resistance below specific temperatures. Many of these materials become superconducting at very low temperatures, yet some enter superconducting phases at higher temperatures. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-spinons-electrons-pair-stripes-superconductors.html Superconductivity Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:00:11 EDT news708080486 Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity without electrical resistance when cooled below a specific critical temperature. These materials have proved promising for the development of various technologies, including medical imaging instruments, particle accelerators, ultrasensitive detectors and quantum processors. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-quantum-phases-chromium-based-material.html Superconductivity Mon, 07 Sep 2026 07:00:01 EDT news707734660 Researchers have completely suppressed superconductivity in magic-angle graphene by screening interactions between electrons, helping resolve a long-running debate about the origin of the phenomenon. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-magic-angle-graphene-evidence-unconventional.html Superconductivity Fri, 04 Sep 2026 17:20:03 EDT news707746981 What happens when a superconductor becomes so thin that electrons can no longer behave as if they were moving through an ordinary three-dimensional piece of metal? This question has been at the center of my recent work on quantum confinement in metallic films. Over the past few years, I have been developing this line of theory with my colleague Giovanni Ummarino at Politecnico di Torino. Our initial goal was to understand something rather concrete: Why does shrinking the thickness of a superconducting film change the temperature at which superconductivity appears? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-superconductors-thinner-accommodate-magnetic-fields.html Superconductivity Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:40:01 EDT news707392815 One of the central ideas in modern physics is the phase transition—a sudden transformation of the state of a material. We encounter phase transitions throughout everyday life: water freezes into ice, wax melts in the warmth of a flame, and water vapor condenses into droplets on a cold window. In these familiar examples, the atoms themselves rearrange into a new structure, giving the material entirely different properties. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-faint-infrared-insulator-metal-transition.html Condensed Matter Mon, 31 Aug 2026 18:20:03 EDT news707384285 Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States, have uncovered that a class of nickel-based materials known as samarium (Sm)-based infinite-layer nickelates can regain their superconducting ability under strong magnetic fields. This behavior could open a promising pathway toward superconducting technologies that can operate under extreme magnetic conditions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-high-magnetic-fields-revive-superconductivity.html Condensed Matter Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:40:04 EDT news706956602 Our everyday life is flooded with photons, the quantum building blocks of light. For cutting-edge technology, from quantum computing to deep-tissue imaging, detecting every single photon counts. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-supersized-quantum-sensors-faint-photons.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 24 Aug 2026 18:30:01 EDT news706809782 In a study published in Nature on Aug. 19, a research team has enhanced superconductivity through vacuum fluctuations for the first time. The achievement marks a significant advance in controlling quantum states of matter. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-vacuum-fluctuation-superconductivity.html Superconductivity Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:50:01 EDT news706806661 Superconductors are materials that carry electrical current with zero resistance below a specific critical temperature. In conventional superconductors, the transition to superconductivity generally occurs at very low temperatures. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-superconducting-gap-ultrathin-nickelate-defies.html Condensed Matter Sun, 23 Aug 2026 10:10:01 EDT news706441308 To commercialize quantum computing, manufacturers need high-quality superconducting materials for microchips, but they also require a reliable, sustainable nanofabrication process. Tantalum is a corrosion-resistant metal that meets the first criterion but not the second. That's because it has to be deposited on a substrate at temperatures that typically exceed 400°C (752°F)—too hot for many semiconductor foundries' current tools. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-krypton-gas-emerges-ingredient-quantum.html Superconductivity Tue, 18 Aug 2026 19:40:06 EDT news706277341 Superconductors are materials in which electrical current flows with a resistance of zero, typically below specific temperatures. In conventional superconductors, this state of matter emerges when two electrons bind together at low temperatures, forming so-called Cooper pairs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-unusual-superconductivity-emerge-valley-imbalanced.html Condensed Matter Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:40:03 EDT news706179882 Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity with zero electrical resistance below specific temperatures. Most of these materials become superconducting at very low temperatures, but some also exhibit superconductivity at higher temperatures. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-sought-zhang-rice-singlet-visualized.html Superconductivity Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:00:01 EDT news705663782 Scientists in China predict that stacking two microscopic layers of boron could set a new record for superconductivity. Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity with zero resistance. Traditional types need temperatures close to absolute zero to work, requiring complex and expensive cooling equipment. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-boron-layers-superconductivity-theoretical.html Condensed Matter Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:20:01 EDT news705241771 If scientists could find a material that acts as a superconductor—that is, one that transmits energy with zero resistance—at normal pressures and relatively high temperatures, it would open up a vast number of possibilities. These include medical imaging, quantum computing and numerous other fields. So, yes, it would be a big deal. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-repurposing-deep-earth-tools-superconductors.html Superconductivity Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:00:03 EDT news705220742 Super-thin superconducting materials, which are only one or a few atoms thick, have unique properties scientists can leverage to produce more compact, scalable, and efficient quantum devices. But these fragile materials degrade so rapidly in air that they are difficult to study or manufacture. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-air-stable-ultrathin-superconductors-scalable.html Superconductivity Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:00:01 EDT news705161101 Electrons zipping through transistors, powering the screens on our smartphones. Light zooming from distant stars to Earth, moving faster than anything else in the universe. Protons enabling MRI machines to analyze people's injuries. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-palm-evolution-superconducting-qubits.html Superconductivity Wed, 29 Jul 2026 23:20:04 EDT news704540077 Quantum computers process information in a fundamentally different way from conventional computers, using quantum bits, or qubits, that can exist in multiple states at once. This could allow them to tackle problems beyond the reach of today's machines, from simulating new materials to optimizing complex systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-bits-faster-hardware.html Superconductivity Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:20:02 EDT news704450101 A diamagnetic substance is slightly repelled by magnetic fields. With a strong enough magnet, the diamagnetic force can override gravity, and the substance will float in the air. Graphite, the main component of pencil lead, is considered one of the best substances for such real-world levitation, and its potential application in sensing weak external perturbations is drawing growing interest. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-aligned-graphite-particles-stable-levitation.html General Physics Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:07:40 EDT news703832839 Superconducting technologies have the potential to supercharge the decarbonization of transport, saving gigatonnes of emissions in the future, a landmark new paper suggests. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-roadmap-paper-superconductors-decarbonize-sector.html Superconductivity Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:30:01 EDT news703418641 A new study reveals that two widely studied ultrathin superconducting materials are more sophisticated than they appear. Although they seem to behave like simple superconductors with a single energy gap, they actually contain two strongly interacting superconducting states that work together and disguise themselves as one. This finding resolves a long-standing mystery about how these materials behave, providing new insight into superconductivity that could help scientists design better superconducting materials for future technologies such as quantum computers, ultra-efficient electronics and advanced sensors. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-sensitive-uncover-dual-superconducting-states.html Superconductivity Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:40:07 EDT news703326511 A material made from yttrium, barium and copper oxide (better known as YBCO) has intrigued scientists since its discovery in 1987, largely because it retains its superconductive properties at a higher-than-normal temperature. However, it is extremely brittle, which makes it tricky to put to practical use. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-year-puzzle-mysterious-superconducting-material.html Superconductivity Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:50:01 EDT news703155461 Superconductors have long been considered a promising technology for the energy systems of the future. They can conduct electricity without resistance, thus eliminating both conduction losses and waste heat. Up to now, however, superconductors have only been applied in special cases, as in the immensely powerful magnet coils of particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. This is because superconductors must be well cooled, down to extremely low temperatures for some materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-pressure-3d-superconductivity-tantalum-disulfide.html Superconductivity Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:40:03 EDT news702646997 The ordinary graphite in pencil lead is proving to be surprisingly multifaceted at the microscale. In a study published in the journal Nature, MIT researchers report that a certain microscopic structure found in natural graphite can host multiple superconducting states. Superconductivity is an electronic state of matter in which electrons pair up and glide through a material with zero resistance. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-graphene-multiple-states-superconductivity.html Condensed Matter Mon, 29 Jun 2026 18:40:01 EDT news701961484 An international team of quantum researchers has shown how machine learning can be used to filter a practically infinite number of possible material combinations to identify candidates for superconductivity. Thanks to the breakthrough, new superconductors can now be found much faster, says Aalto University Professor Päivi Törmä, who leads the SuperC consortium behind the research. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-superconductors-yield-thousands.html Condensed Matter Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:20:09 EDT news701954709 A research team led by Prof. Zhang Jinglei from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that the trilayer nickelate La4Ni3O10-δ exhibits a nearly isotropic upper critical field under high pressure. This finding provides important experimental insight into the superconducting mechanism of nickel-based materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-isotropic-superconducting-property-revealed-trilayer.html Condensed Matter Thu, 25 Jun 2026 20:20:01 EDT news701622961 Strongly interacting quantum particles are key to some of the most fascinating phenomena in modern physics—from magnetism and superconductivity to topological states. Yet the complexity of such systems makes many of their properties difficult to understand even today. A research team from Innsbruck and Turin has now proposed a new theoretical framework for generating and studying these exotic states of matter in ultracold magnetic atoms in a one-dimensional lattice. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-exotic-quantum-phases-ultracold-magnetic.html Superconductivity Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:20:09 EDT news701607901 Magnetic fields are generally known to destroy superconductivity in a material. However, in exceptional cases, they can lead to what is known as "re-entrant superconductivity"—where superconductivity disappears as expected, but then unexpectedly returns when the magnetic field is increased further. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-magnetic-field-superconductivity.html Condensed Matter Wed, 24 Jun 2026 19:00:02 EDT news701532785 Physicists have long suspected that a peculiar quantum state lurks inside a class of materials known as kagome metals, but proving its existence has been elusive. Now, a team led by Yeongkwan Kim at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has performed experiments on a kagome metal that provide the strongest evidence yet for this exotic state. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-broken-reversal-symmetry-phase-kagome.html Superconductivity Mon, 22 Jun 2026 13:40:10 EDT news701352617