Superconductivity
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| Luis Hernandez, a graduate student in the Superconductivity Research Group. |
| photo by Jonathan Chapman |
Superconductivity is a phenomenon where elements which behave as ordinary metals under normal conditions become perfect conductors when cooled to low temperatures. While the phenomenon has been known for more than 90 years, there are unresolved basic scientific issues which could point the way to practical applications such as magnetic information storage devices and quantum computing, as well as a theory unifying the quantum mechanics of superconductors, and other phenomena such as 4He in porous media and two-dimensional electron gases.
Experimental efforts in the department are led by Professor Allen Goldman, whose group studies the superconductor-insulator transition in ultrathin films of metals, spin injection effects in high temperature superconductors, magnetic properties of type-II superconductors, and the study of the pairing state of high temperature superconductors. Goldman's group also participates in the organic electronics effort of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). Goldman was recently awarded the 2002 London Memorial Prize for low temperature physics.
Another theorist, Professor Oriol Valls, leads a research effort to use exact microscopic (Bogoliouvov-deGennes) equations to study proximity effects in superconductors and magnets. He and Professor Goldman collaborate on problems relative to spin-injection in high temperature superconductors and magnetic properties of high-temperature superconductors.
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