Researchers discovered a strange signal that revealed how electrons are arranged in iron-based superconducting materials (IBSC), and it could help explain electron response during superconductivity.

Called a nematicity wave, the unusual signal observed by the University of Tokyo researchers could help future researchers better understand electron interaction, especially in iron-based superconducting materials.

One of the challenges in solid-state physics is understanding superconductivity, which the U.S. Department of Energy defines as the flow of electrons through a medium with virtually zero resistance, resulting in almost no heat byproduct and no power losses.

In electronics, this translates to an entirely new class of systems and materials with unparalleled efficiency. The same technology is used on experimental magnetic levitation (MagLev) trains, setting new speed records in Japan as far back as 2015, as reported by Industry Week.

The strange nematicity wave observed in electrons in IBSC materials is reported in the Science journal article "Discovery of Mesoscopic Nematicity Wave in Iron-Based Superconductors," published September 3.

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