Scientists have created superconducting transistors that remain superconducting even under powerful magnetic fields that normally destroys the effect.
These findings could lead to more robust quantum computers and to ultra-sensitive magnetic sensors that can operate even in extremely high magnetic fields, researchers say.
Superconductors conduct electricity without dissipating energy. Superconductivity depends on electrons not repelling each other as they do in ordinary materials, but instead forming weakly bonded duos known as Cooper pairs, which can flow with zero resistance.
Superconductivity vanishes whenever anything disrupts Cooper pairs, such as jostling from atoms. This means superconductivity generally disappears at high temperatures and under high magnetic fields.
Now scientists find that molybdenum sulfide, a common dry lubricant, remains superconducting even under external magnetic fields as strong as 37.5 Tesla. In comparison, the magnets in medical MRI machines reach up to 3 Tesla strong.
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