Magnetism and Superconductivity Observed to Exist in Harmony

(Physorg.com) -- Physicists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, along with colleagues at institutions in Switzerland and Canada, have observed, for the first time in a single exotic phase, a situation where magnetism and superconductivity are necessary for each other's existence.

Physicists have seen the battle for supremacy between the competing states of magnetism and superconductivity as one in which no truce could be struck. This perplexing dilemma has thwarted scientists' quest for the resistance-free flow of electrons, and, with it, the vast potential in energy savings that superconductivity holds for ultra-efficient power transmission, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, and other applications.

"This coexistence is an exotic superconducting state that has not been observed in any other superconducting material," said Los Alamos scientist Roman Movshovich, one of the paper's authors. "It shows a very strong link between superconductivity and magnetism."

Scientists understand superconductivity as a phenomenon that occurs when electrons spinning in one direction form pairs with electrons spinning in the opposite direction, usually at very low temperatures. These pairs, in turn, combine with each other to form a new superconducting state of matter where electrons move resistance-free through the material. Superconductivity is a manifestation of interactions that take place between few particles (electrons and atoms) that reveal themselves on a macroscopic scale, in samples that we can see and touch. Magnetism, where electrons' magnetic spins are fixed in space in an orderly fashion, requires participation of the same electrons and therefore generally competes with superconductivity.

But why, in this particular case, magnetism and superconductivity appeared at the same time in the same compound is still a mystery. "It's not clear what the origin of this state is, or what creates or modifies it," Movshovich said.

Source: http://www.physorg.com/news139159195.html

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http://www.physorg.com/news134828104.html

The quest for room temperature superconductivity has gripped physics researchers since they saw the possibility more than two decades ago. Materials that could potentially transport electricity with zero loss (resistance) at room temperature hold vast potential; some of the possible applications include a magnetically levitated superfast train, efficient magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), lossless power generators, transformers, and transmission lines, powerful supercomputers, etc.