Research reveals hidden magnetism in superconductivity

March 7, 2006

While studying a compound made of the elements cerium- rhodium-indium, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have discovered that a magnetic state can coexist with superconductivity in a specific temperature and pressure range. The discovery is a step toward a deeper understanding of how Nature is organized in regimes ranging from the fabric of the cosmos to the most fundamental components of elementary particles.

In research published recently in the scientific journal Nature, Los Alamos scientists Tuson Park, Joe D. Thompson, and their colleagues describe the discovery of hidden magnetism in the CeRhIn5 compound. In studying the compound, researchers found that a purely unconventional superconducting phase is separated from a phase of coexisting magnetism and unconventional superconductivity, with the boundary between these two phases controlled by the laws of quantum physics.

Unconventional superconductors are materials that exhibit superconductivity, a complete absence of electrical resistance under cold temperatures, but use exotic mechanisms. Conventional wisdom has long held that the magnetism is excluded as materials change phases, but the researchers now show that it is merely hidden by unconventional superconductivity and can be made to reappear in the presence of an applied magnetic field.

According to Thompson, "this discovery provides an exciting opportunity to better understand how magnetism and unconventional superconductivity are related in more-complex materials and may reveal more about the technologically important field of high temperature superconductors."

At low temperatures, electrons in a metal can pair with each other to create superconductivity, align in a magnetically ordered state, or do neither. Until recently, these mutually exclusive options for electrons were the norm, but the discovery of complex electronic materials like CeRhIn5, which can sustain more exotic forms of superconductivity, now shows that electrons can participate simultaneously in magnetism and superconductivity.

Source: Los Alamos National Laboratory

4.4 /5 (25 votes)  

Rank 4.4 /5 (25 votes)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Explained: Sigma

It's a question that arises with virtually every major new finding in science or medicine: What makes a result reliable enough to be taken seriously? The answer has to do with statistical significance -- but ...

Physics / General Physics

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (18) | comments 60

Quantum physicist explains $100K offer for proof scaled-up quantum computing is impossible

(PhysOrg.com) -- MIT researcher Scott Aaronson has certainly riled the physics community with his offer this past Friday, of $100,000 to anyone who can prove that scaled-up quantum computing is impossible. ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (13) | comments 34 | with audio podcast weblog

Diamond light, brighter than the sun

It’s the size of five football pitches and generates light 10 billion times brighter than the sun. As the Diamond Light Source celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, Penny Bailey visits one of the ...

Physics / General Physics

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (7) | comments 15 | with audio podcast

Physicists 'record' magnetic breakthrough

An international team of scientists has demonstrated a revolutionary new way of magnetic recording which will allow information to be processed hundreds of times faster than by current hard drive technology.

Physics / General Physics

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (39) | comments 14 | with audio podcast

Hints of the Higgs - papers are submitted

Back in December 2011, the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN presented some exciting results that provided tantalising hints of the Higgs boson.

Physics / General Physics

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (6) | comments 10


Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...

GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear

A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.

Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...

Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket

A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.

Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings

(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.

Europeans protest controversial Internet pact

Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.