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…”
Category Archives: Condensed Matter Physics
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…”
Deux Ex Machina…
Topics: Condensed Matter Physics, Modern Physics, Quantum Mechanics The existence of ghost hyperbolic surface polaritons has been demonstrated by an international collaboration including researchers in China and the US. Based at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), National University of Singapore (NUS), National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), and the City University ofContinue reading “Deux Ex Machina…”
The Weirdest Matter…
Topics: Condensed Matter Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Theoretical Physics Your desk is made up of individual, distinct atoms, but from far away its surface appears smooth. This simple idea is at the core of all our models of the physical world. We can describe what’s happening overall without getting bogged down in the complicated interactions betweenContinue reading “The Weirdest Matter…”
Kagome Metal…
Topics: Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, Superconductors Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found evidence for an unusual superconducting state in CsV3Sb5, a so-called Kagome metal that exhibits exotic electronic properties. The finding could shed new light on how superconductivity emerges in materials where phenomena such as frustrated magnetism and intertwined orders playContinue reading “Kagome Metal…”
Physics and Nano 