New superconducting state discovered: Cooper density modulation – Notiulti [Spanish]

Author: Lingyuan Kong | Source: Notiulti | Read the full article in Spanish

The discovery of a new superconducting state has been made by a team of researchers led by Stevan Nadj-Perge at Caltech. This breakthrough involves a phenomenon known as Cooper pair density modulation, which could significantly advance our understanding of superconductivity. Superconductors are materials that can conduct electricity without resistance, but they typically only work at extremely low temperatures. The goal of scientists is to find materials that can operate at room temperature, which would revolutionize various fields, including quantum computing and energy technologies.

In their research, the team studied a specific iron-based superconductor and found that the energy gap, which is crucial for superconductivity, can vary in different areas of the material. This means that some parts of the superconductor can have a stronger or weaker energy gap, a concept that has been theorized for decades but not observed until now. The researchers achieved this by using advanced scanning tunneling microscopy techniques, which allowed them to examine the material at an atomic level.

This new state of superconductivity, named Cooper-pair density modulation (PDM), shows a variation in the energy gap of up to 40%, the highest reported to date. This discovery not only provides new insights into the mechanisms of superconductivity but also opens up exciting possibilities for future research and applications in technology.

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