MagLab scientists publish trailblazing superconductivity study

MagLab physicist Dragana Popović and collaborators has been published in Nature Physics. It unveils results that shatter long-held beliefs about the effects of magnets on superconductors.

The paper—"Two-stage magnetic-field-tuned superconductor-insulator transition in underdoped La2-xSrxCuO4"—published online May 4, describes a surprising discovery about the destruction of high-temperature superconductivity by strong magnetic fields.

Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity without resistance at very low temperatures—but they are also known to lose that property if the temperature becomes too high or the magnetic field too strong. Knowing precisely how this happens holds the promise of spectacular advances for future technologies.