Superconductivity is expected to transform everything from power grids to personal electronics. However, achieving a lean power regime that operates at ambient temperature and pressure has proven easier said than done.
Findings by a team of researchers from Emory University and Stanford University in the United States may inform a theory that could help avoid obstacles.
This discovery involves so-called vibrational superconductivity. Typical superconductor behavior includes: electronic partnership Called Cooper pairs that move through matter without losing large amounts of energy in the form of heat.
Cooper pairs in superconducting oscillations happen to describe a kind of wave-like dance. Although rarer than “regular” superconductivity, this oscillation occurs at relatively warm temperatures, making the phenomenon of interest to scientists wishing to generate superconductivity consistently at room temperature. It is
“We discovered that structures known as Van Hove singularities can produce modulated vibrational states in superconductivity.” To tell Physicist Luis Santos of Emory University.
“Our study provides a new theoretical framework for understanding the emergence of this poorly understood phenomenon.”
these Van Hove Singularity It is a specific structure that occurs in some materials, in which the energy of electrons can undergo anomalous changes. This can have a significant impact on how the material reacts to external forces and how it conducts electricity.
In this study, the team modeled the Van Hove singularity in a new way. Modeling results suggest that, in certain scenarios, these specific structures may induce superconducting oscillations, providing new ways to manage or initiate superconductivity.
This is all advanced physics and is only theoretical at this point, but about 3 times cooler than standard kitchen refrigerator – Still cold, but generally at manageable levels.
There is some serious debate as to whether superconductivity has been achieved at room temperature, but it is not yet available in a way that could be used outside the laboratory or in large and expensive instruments.
Superconductivity was discovered by a Dutch physicist in 1911 Heike Kammerling Onnes in the test of MercuryBut it wasn’t until 1957 that scientists realized that. how and why what was going on Since then, we have discovered a lot more about this phenomenon, including how it manifests itself in oscillatory forms.
It is hoped that someday we will be able to supply electricity more efficiently and cheaply. The ability of superconductors to generate super-strong magnetic fields is already being exploited in MRI machines and medical devices. Linear motor carand at the Large Hadron Collider.
“I doubt Kamerling-Ones was thinking about levitation or particle accelerators when he discovered superconductivity, but everything we learn about the world can be applied.” To tell Santos.
This research physical review letter.