InnovationScienceTechnology

Electron Irradiation Study Narrows Theories on Nickelate Superconductivity

Researchers have taken an unconventional approach to understanding nickelate superconductors by deliberately introducing atomic defects using high-energy electron irradiation. The systematic study, published in Physical Review Letters, helps eliminate competing theories about how superconductivity emerges in these promising materials. This counterintuitive method of damaging high-quality samples provides crucial insights into the fundamental mechanisms driving superconductivity in nickelates.

A Backward Approach to Forward Progress

In a surprising twist, an international research collaboration has made significant headway in understanding superconducting nickelates by systematically damaging some of the best available samples. According to recently published research, scientists from MPI-CPfS teamed up with Stanford University and Ecole Polytechnique to bombard superconducting nickelate thin films with extremely high-energy electrons, deliberately introducing atomic-scale defects.

InnovationScienceTechnology

Landmark Study Confirms Conventional Superconductivity in Layered Quantum Material 2H-TaS2

Scientists have identified 2H-TaS2 as a conventional BCS superconductor through advanced muon spin rotation experiments. The findings distinguish this material from its more exotic polymorphs and establish a crucial reference point for quantum material research. Researchers confirmed the absence of time-reversal symmetry breaking, a hallmark of unconventional superconductivity.

Conventional Superconductivity Confirmed in Key Quantum Material

Researchers have established that the layered material 2H-TaS2 exhibits conventional BCS superconductivity, according to a comprehensive study published in Scientific Reports. The findings provide crucial clarity about the superconducting properties of this transition metal dichalcogenide, which has been the subject of ongoing scientific debate due to its complex relationship with charge density wave order.