Topics: Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, Modern Physics, Superconductors It’s one of the most stubborn open questions of modern physics: What’s the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity? All superconductors need some way of binding their electrons, which are fermions, into quasiparticles called Cooper pairs, which act as bosons. The low-temperature superconductivity in metals is well describedContinue reading “Superconductivity and Electron Pairs…”
Category Archives: Condensed Matter Physics
Scandium and Superconductors…
Scandium is the only known elemental superconductor to have a critical temperature in the 30 K range. This phase diagram shows the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) and crystal structure versus pressure for scandium. The measured results on all the five samples studied show consistent trends. (Courtesy: Chinese Phys. Lett. 40 107403) Topics: Applied Physics, Chemistry, Condensed Matter Physics,Continue reading “Scandium and Superconductors…”
Quantum Switch…
Credit: CC0 Public Domain Topics: Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, Quantum Computer, Quantum Mechanics Quantum scientists have discovered a rare phenomenon that could hold the key to creating a ‘perfect switch’ in quantum devices, which flips between being an insulator and a superconductor. The research, led by the University of Bristol and published in Science, found theseContinue reading “Quantum Switch…”
Superconductors, 3D Disorder, Fractals…
Fractals are a never-ending pattern that you can zoom in on, and the image doesn’t change. Fractals can occur in two dimensions, like frost on a window, or in three dimensions, like the limbs of a tree. A recent discovery from Purdue University researchers has established that superconducting images, seen above in red and blue,Continue reading “Superconductors, 3D Disorder, Fractals…”
Caveat Super…
Diamond anvil used to put superconducting materials under high pressure. Credit: J. Adam Fenster/University of Rochester Topics: Applied Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, Superconductors Will a possible breakthrough for room-temperature superconducting materials hold up to scrutiny? This week researchers claimed to have discovered a superconducting material that can shuttle electricity with no loss ofContinue reading “Caveat Super…”
Serendipitous Quasicrystals…
Cross-section of a fulgurite sample showing fused sand and melted conductor metal from a downed powerline. Credit: Luca Bindi et al. Topics: Condensed Matter Physics, Energy, Materials Science A team of researchers from Università di Firenze, the University of South Florida, California Institute of Technology, and Princeton University has found an incidence of a quasicrystalContinue reading “Serendipitous Quasicrystals…”
Fourth Signature…
Topics: Condensed Matter Physics, Superconductor, Thermodynamics Researchers in the US report that they have observed the so-called “fourth signature” of superconducting phase transitions in materials known as cuprates. The result, obtained via photoemission spectroscopy of a cuprate called Bi2212, could shed fresh light on how these materials, which conduct electricity without resistance at temperatures ofContinue reading “Fourth Signature…”
Strain and Flow…
Topics: Applied Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Electrical Engineering Using a technique known as strain engineering, researchers in the US and Germany have constructed an “excitonic wire” – a one-dimensional channel through which electron-hole pairs (excitons) can flow in a two-dimensional semiconductor like water through a pipe. The work could aid the development of a newContinue reading “Strain and Flow…”
Pairs of Cooper Pairs…
Topics: Condensed Matter Physics, Solid-State Physics, Superconductors Note: I gave my research proposal last Friday. I have been answering some concerns about my proposal for the committee. I followed the outline sent to me by my advisor. I hope I’ve answered them sufficiently. I will post today and tomorrow; next week on Monday, Wednesday, andContinue reading “Pairs of Cooper Pairs…”
Cooling Teleportation…
Topics: CERN, Condensed Matter Physics, Entanglement, Lasers, Quantum Mechanics Much of modern experimental physics relies on a counterintuitive principle: Under the right circumstances, zapping matter with a laser doesn’t inject energy into the system; rather, it sucks energy out. By cooling the system to a fraction of a degree above absolute zero, one can observeContinue reading “Cooling Teleportation…”
Physics and Nano 