Scientists Observe Long-Predicted Superconductor Property Using a Quantum Simulator

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Scientists Observe Long-Predicted Superconductor Property Using a Quantum Simulator

Illustration shows a cylinder containing pairs of strontium atoms with arrows indicating their alignment, with a levitating magnet beside it.

Superconductivity makes physics seem like magic. At cold temperatures, superconducting materials allow electricity to flow indefinitely while expelling outside magnetic fields, causing them to levitate above magnets. MRIs, maglev trains and high-energy particle accelerators use superconductivity, which also plays a crucial role in quantum computing, quantum sensors and quantum measurement science. Someday, superconducting electric grids might deliver power with unprecedented efficiency. 

Yet scientists lack full control over conventional superconductors. These solid materials often comprise multiple kinds of atoms in complicated structures that are difficult to manipulate in the lab. It’s even harder to study what happens when there’s a sudden change, such as a spike in temperature or pressure, that throws the superconductor out of equilibrium. 

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Spin squeezing illustration is a pair of tweezers surrounding a a line of atoms, each with a clock face in the center and an up and down arrow.

New Spin-Squeezing Techniques Let Atoms Work Together for Better Quantum Measurements

Sept. 25, 2023
Opening new possibilities for quantum sensors, atomic clocks and tests of fundamental physics, JILA researchers have developed new ways of “entangling” or interlinking the properties of large numbers of particles.

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