High-temperature superconductivity is one of the great mysteries of modern physics: Some materials conduct electrical current without any resistance—but only at very low temperatures. Finding a material that remains superconducting even at room temperature would spark a technological revolution. People all over the world are therefore working on a better, more comprehensive understanding of such materials.
An important step has now been taken at TU Wien (Vienna). A particularly interesting class of high-temperature superconductors, known as cuprates, exhibit a very surprising effect. Under certain conditions, the electrons in these materials can only move in certain directions. The permitted directions can be visualized as curves, known as Fermi arcs.
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