Closing in on room temperature superconductivity with a two-dimensional atomic gas

Using an exotic quantum superfluid that originates in a two-dimensional atomic gas, researchers from Heidelberg University are closing in on the phenomenon of superconductivity. The team headed by Prof. Dr. Selim Jochim of the Institute for Physics is using this special gas as a model system to more easily study the largely unknown mechanism of the superfluid phase transition in 2D structures. The researchers hope to gain new insight into the so-called room-temperature superconductor, a hypothetical material that does not require cooling to achieve lossless conduction of electricity. The research results were published in the journal Physical Review Letters ("Observation of Pair Condensation in the Quasi-2D BEC-BCS Crossover").