Physicists Discover Surprising Variation in Superconductors
MIT physicists have discovered that several high temperature superconductors display patchwork quilt like variations at the atomic scale, a surprising finding that could help scientists understand a new class of unconventional materials.
The researchers said the variation in a property known as the Fermi surface, which has never been seen before in any kind of material, could just be an oddity. But it could also serve as an important clue for physicists working to unravel the mystery of why a broad new class of materials exhibits exotic properties from high-temperature superconductivity (the ability to carry electricity with no resistance) to colossal magneto-resistance (the ability to dramatically change electrical resistance when a magnetic field is applied).
