MIT researchers have found a new mechanism by which the superconductor iron selenide transitions into a superconducting state. Unlike other iron-based superconductors, iron selenide’s transition involves a collective shift in atoms’ orbital energy, not atomic spins. This breakthrough opens up new possibilities for discovering unconventional superconductors.
Under certain conditions — usually exceedingly cold ones — some materials shift their structure to unlock new, superconducting behavior. This structural shift is known as a “nematic transition,” and physicists suspect that it offers a new way to drive materials into a superconducting state where electrons can flow entirely friction-free.
But what exactly drives this transition in the first place? The answer could help scientists improve existing superconductors and discover new ones.
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