Articles tagged with "superconductivity"
What breaks quantum monogamy? Electron crowding delivers a surprise
New research challenges the long-held notion of quantum monogamy, where certain quantum particles, such as excitons—bound states of electrons and holes—were thought to maintain exclusive, stable pairings. Traditionally, excitons behave like bosons and are considered monogamous because breaking their electron-hole bonds requires energy. However, experiments led by researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) revealed that under extreme electron crowding in a specially engineered layered material, excitons unexpectedly increased their mobility instead of slowing down. This surprising result indicated that excitons could abandon their exclusive partnerships and interact with multiple electrons, effectively breaking the monogamous behavior. The team constructed a material forcing electrons and excitons into a grid of discrete sites, where electrons, as fermions, refused to share sites, initially slowing exciton movement as electron density increased. Yet, once nearly all sites were occupied by electrons, excitons began moving more freely and farther than before, a phenomenon replicated across different samples and experimental setups worldwide
quantum-physicselectron-behaviorexcitonssuperconductivitymaterials-sciencequantum-materialsfermions-and-bosonsUS superconducting breakthrough could power simple quantum computers
Researchers at the University of Buffalo, in collaboration with teams from Spain, France, and China, have achieved a significant breakthrough by constructing a Josephson junction using only one superconductor layer instead of the traditional two. Typically, a Josephson junction—a critical component in quantum computers—consists of two superconductors separated by a thin barrier, allowing synchronized superconductive behavior. In this new approach, the team used a superconducting vanadium electrode and an iron electrode separated by magnesium oxide, demonstrating that iron, a ferromagnetic material, could participate in Josephson-junction-like behavior despite its spins being aligned in one direction, unlike the opposite spins in superconductors. This unexpected finding challenges existing theories, as iron’s same-spin electron pairs exhibited superconducting properties, potentially enabling more stable quantum computing designs by locking electron spins in place. Moreover, the use of common materials like iron and magnesium oxide—already prevalent in hard drives and RAM—could simplify and reduce the cost of quantum device fabrication. The researchers
quantum-computingsuperconductivityJosephson-junctionmaterials-scienceenergy-efficiencymagnetic-materialsquantum-technologyNew superconductor shows quantum edge states tied to Majorana physics
Researchers at IFW Dresden and the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat have discovered a novel form of superconductivity in the crystalline material PtBi₂, characterized by a unique six-fold electron pairing symmetry linked to the crystal’s inherent three-fold symmetry. This topological superconductivity differs fundamentally from previously known types, and notably, PtBi₂ is an intrinsic superconductor that does not require complex engineering or exotic conditions. The material naturally hosts Majorana particles—quasiparticles theorized to behave like “split electrons” and resistant to quantum noise—confined to its edges, which can be generated in controllable numbers by cutting or engineering step edges in the crystal. The researchers explain PtBi₂’s behavior through a four-step process: topological surface states localize electrons on the crystal’s outer layers; these surface electrons become superconducting at low temperatures while the interior remains metallic, creating a “superconductor sandwich”; the electron pairing on the surface exhibits an unprecedented six-fold symmetry with six directions where
materialssuperconductivityquantum-computingMajorana-particlestopological-materialsquantum-technologyqubitsExaflop simulations boost accuracy in quantum materials research
Researchers from the University of Southern California and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have achieved groundbreaking exascale computing speeds to simulate electron behavior in complex quantum materials with unprecedented accuracy. Utilizing three of the world’s most powerful supercomputers—Aurora at Argonne, Frontier at Oak Ridge, and Perlmutter at Berkeley Lab—they pushed the BerkeleyGW open-source code to exceed one exaflop on Frontier and 0.7 exaflops on Aurora. This scale of computation enables detailed modeling of many-body quantum interactions, such as electron-phonon coupling, which are critical for understanding phenomena like superconductivity, conductivity, and optical responses in materials. A key innovation was the development of GW perturbation theory (GWPT) within BerkeleyGW, allowing the integration of quantum interactions into a unified framework and significantly improving simulation fidelity beyond traditional density functional theory (DFT) methods. Aurora’s large memory capacity enabled simulations involving tens of thousands of atoms, previously unattainable at this scale. The team’s decade
quantum-materialsexascale-computingelectron-phonon-couplingsuperconductivityBerkeleyGWhigh-performance-computingmaterials-scienceCommon salt helps create new material for high-speed quantum tech
Researchers have achieved a major breakthrough by creating stable niobium disulfide metallic nanotubes using common table salt as a key ingredient. This innovation, led by an international team including Penn State’s Materials Research Institute, overcomes a longstanding challenge in nanomaterial science: producing metallic nanotubes with predictable and stable properties. Unlike previously available carbon or boron nitride nanotubes, which act as semiconductors or insulators, these metallic nanotubes exhibit potential for superconductivity and magnetism, opening new avenues for faster electronics, efficient superconducting wires, and quantum computing applications. The team formed the nanotubes by rolling niobium disulfide—a metal known for superconductivity in bulk form—around carbon and boron nitride nanotube templates. The addition of a small amount of table salt at a critical stage induced the metal to wrap into stable, double-layered tubular structures rather than spreading out as flat sheets. This nested double-layer configuration, supported by computational modeling, allows electrons to move
materials-sciencenanotubesniobium-disulfidequantum-technologysuperconductivitynanomaterialselectronicsMIT gets first 'direct view' of exotic superconductivity in graphene
MIT physicists have achieved a major breakthrough by obtaining the first direct measurement of unconventional superconductivity in magic-angle twisted tri-layer graphene (MATTG), a material made of three stacked and twisted atom-thin carbon sheets. Using a novel experimental platform that combines electron tunneling with electrical transport measurements, the team directly observed MATTG’s superconducting gap, which exhibits a distinctive V-shaped profile unlike the flat gap seen in conventional superconductors. This finding confirms that the superconducting mechanism in MATTG is fundamentally different and likely arises from strong electronic interactions rather than lattice vibrations, marking a crucial step toward understanding and designing new superconductors. This research advances the global pursuit of room-temperature superconductors, which could revolutionize technology by enabling zero-energy-loss power grids, practical quantum computers, and more efficient medical imaging devices. The study, led by MIT physicists including Jeong Min Park and Shuwen Sun and senior author Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, builds on the emerging field of “twistronics
materialssuperconductivitygraphenequantum-materialsenergy-efficient-technologyroom-temperature-superconductorsMIT-researchGermanium flips to superconducting state for the first time ever
Scientists have achieved superconductivity in germanium for the first time, marking a significant breakthrough with potential implications for quantum computing and energy-efficient electronics. A collaborative team from New York University, the University of Queensland, and other institutions succeeded in making germanium conduct electricity without resistance at 3.5 Kelvin (-453°F). This was accomplished by precisely doping germanium with gallium using molecular beam epitaxy, a technique that allows ultra-thin crystal layers to be grown with high atomic precision. This method maintained the crystal’s stability despite the high gallium concentration, enabling the superconducting state. Germanium, a widely used semiconductor in computer chips and fiber optics, has long been sought after for superconductivity due to its ideal electrical properties and stable diamond-like crystal structure. Achieving superconductivity in germanium opens new possibilities for scalable, foundry-ready quantum devices and could revolutionize technologies requiring seamless integration between semiconducting and superconducting materials, such as quantum circuits, sensors, and cryogenic electronics. The
materialssuperconductivitygermaniumsemiconductorsquantum-computingenergy-efficient-electronicsmolecular-beam-epitaxyPhysicists see heat move as a wave after 90 years of theory
Physicists at MIT have, for the first time, directly observed and filmed the quantum phenomenon known as "second sound," a theory predicted in 1938 but never before visually confirmed. Unlike normal heat diffusion, second sound occurs in superfluid states where heat propagates as a wave, similar to sound, with the surrounding fluid remaining stationary. The team overcame significant experimental challenges by cooling gases to near absolute zero and using lithium-6 atoms, whose resonance frequency shifts with temperature, allowing them to track heat movement via radio wave-induced resonance. This breakthrough enabled real-time visualization of heat waves in a superfluid, marking a major advance in studying quantum states of matter. The ability to observe second sound has important scientific and technological implications. It offers new insights into extreme states of matter such as those found in neutron stars, potentially improving astrophysical models. On Earth, the findings could advance research into high-temperature superconductors, which are crucial for energy-efficient technologies like lossless power transmission and magnetic levitation.
energyquantum-physicssuperfluidityheat-transfersuperconductivitythermal-imagingMIT-researchScientists observe new quantum behavior in superconducting material
Researchers have observed novel quantum behavior in the chromium-based kagome metal CsCr₃Sb₅, marking a significant advance in understanding superconductivity. Kagome metals feature a distinctive lattice geometry of corner-sharing triangles, which theoretically can host flat electronic bands—compact molecular orbitals that influence electron behavior. Unlike most kagome materials where these flat bands lie too far from active energy levels, in CsCr₃Sb₅ the flat bands actively participate in shaping the material’s superconducting and magnetic properties. This discovery confirms theoretical predictions and opens a pathway for engineering exotic superconductivity through precise chemical and structural control. The study, led by scientists from Rice University and Taiwan’s National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center and published in Nature Communications, combined advanced experimental techniques such as angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) with theoretical modeling. These methods revealed distinct signatures of the flat bands and their role in magnetic excitations, demonstrating
materialssuperconductivityquantum-materialskagome-latticeelectron-behaviorcondensed-matter-physicsadvanced-synthesis-techniquesGraphene’s strange twist is a boon for true superconductivity: Study
The article discusses recent research on magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene (MATG), a novel form of graphene composed of three atom-thick layers twisted at specific angles, which exhibits unconventional superconductivity. Unlike traditional superconductors, MATG’s superconducting behavior defies established theories, making it a subject of intense scientific investigation. Researchers constructed Josephson junctions incorporating MATG to probe its superconducting properties beyond simple resistance measurements, confirming true superconductivity through observations such as magnetic field expulsion and Cooper pair formation. A key finding of the study is MATG’s exceptionally high kinetic inductance—about 50 times greater than most known superconductors—indicating that Cooper pairs in MATG respond very slowly to changing currents. This property is highly desirable for quantum technologies, including ultra-sensitive photon detectors and superconducting qubits for quantum computing. Additionally, the researchers identified an inverse relationship between kinetic inductance and critical current, shedding light on the coherence length of the superconducting electron pairs. Although MATG is not
materialsgraphenesuperconductivityquantum-devicestwisted-trilayer-graphenemagic-angle-graphenequantum-materialsRare graphite flakes behave as both superconductor and magnet at 300 K
materialssuperconductivitygraphenemagnetismenergyquantum-computingresearch