A strong enough magnetic field destroys superconductivity even at absolute zero. But in some materials, known as type-II superconductors, superconductivity and magnetic-field-induced vortices can coexist before that threshold is crossed. Type-II superconductivity becomes more fragile as the superconductor becomes thinner. Eventually, some theorists say, the combination of an applied magnetic field and two dimensionality begets a Bose metal, a finite-resistance state whose charge carriers, like those in a superconductor, are Cooper-paired electrons. Now Xiaoxiang Xi of Nanjing University, China, and his collaborators have found evidence consistent with a Bose metal in atomically thin films of niobium diselenide (NbSe2) [1].
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