Superconductivity cond-mat.supr-con

Superconductors typically lose their properties in a strong magnetic field due to the Pauli limit. However, for layered PdTe₂, this limit depends on thickness. Reducing the sample from 50 to 19 nm boosted the critical field tenfold. The reason: quantum confinement forces electrons to react different

Scientists have rigorously proven that special states in superconductors are not mysterious particles identical to their antiparticles, but ordinary electron blobs with charge. This negates the idea of using them for robust quantum computing via 'braiding'. Now physicists may have to revisit the the

In a nanosandwich of vanadium, magnesium oxide, and iron, electrical noise increased a hundredfold. The reason: magnetic iron temporarily became a superconductor—superconductivity emerged where electron pairs move with parallel spins. Previously, such an effect required two superconductors; here, on

Ordinary detectors can't sense microwave photons—their energy is vanishingly small. A new superconducting device triggers an avalanche: one photon spawns dozens more, amplifying the signal and separating it from noise. This method paves the way for quantum networks and studying the echo of the Big B

An electric dipole moment has been spotted in the tantalum nucleus — like a spinning top’s center of mass suddenly shifting. This imbalance, measured with record precision, sheds light on the mystery of missing antimatter and aids the hunt for dark matter.

Scientists have learned to create spy defects in diamond: swapping a carbon atom for nitrogen yields a sensor that responds to magnetic fields. For the first time, they've observed titanium under nearly two million atmospheres expel magnetic fields—a sure sign of superconductivity. This technology p

The discovery shows that the expulsion of a magnetic field, the hallmark of superconductors, can occur in ordinary conductors and even insulators. In such 'chimeric' materials, opposite properties coexist. Experiments on networks of superconducting switches promise practical magnetic shields.

Ordinary particles don't change when swapped. But there are special 'knotty' ones that remember the path. For twenty years, scientists hunted for a variety called Majorana zero modes, crucial for quantum computing. In a new experiment on a microdevice, they performed a swap for the first time, confi

Using a quantum computer, researchers simulated a material and for the first time observed how electron pairs form—the ones responsible for superconductivity. Previously they were only detected indirectly. The experiment proves that quantum machines bring us closer to superconductors that work witho

Scientists have for the first time measured nonlocal magic on a quantum chip — a resource that binds all parts of a system together and doesn't disappear when you change them individually. Two methods yielded the same result, confirming the theory. This is a step toward reliable quantum computers an

Scientists have built a dark matter detector out of sponge-like porous crystals. When an invisible particle flies into such a sponge, it creates a twisted sound wave with magnetic properties. This faint signal is picked up by a built-in magnetic sensor. A nice surprise: the sensitivity barely depend

A dust-speck-sized coil, passing a current of millionths of an ampere, shifts the resonator's frequency by a billion cycles per second. This contrast turns the chip into an ideal tool for quantum computers and magnetic spectroscopy.

A thin superconducting film was placed in a cavity that traps invisible light. Even with no light, the vacuum's energy ripples changed the material's properties: the number of current-carrying electron pairs dropped by 13%, and the energy to break them decreased. This demonstrates vacuum sculpting—e

Superconductivity arises when the electron 'sheet' in a metal is so soft that it ripples and nudges electrons along. All metals fall into three classes based on the stiffness of this sheet. For the first time, this new approach explains why gold and copper don't superconduct, and it promises a targe

Gold and silver don't superconduct—until you make them thousands of times thinner than a human hair. Quantum effects in a two-dimensional layer change electron behavior: calculations show that at a thickness of about half a nanometer, resistance vanishes. This could enable electronics that don't hea