A Material Found To Carry Current In a Way Never Before Observed (phys.org) 72
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: Scientists at the Florida State University-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory have discovered a behavior in materials called cuprates that suggests they carry current in a way entirely different from conventional metals such as copper. The research, published today in the journal Science, adds new meaning to the materials' moniker, "strange metals." Cuprates are high-temperature superconductors (HTS), meaning they can carry current without any loss of energy at somewhat warmer temperatures than conventional, low-temperature superconductors (LTS). Although scientists understand the physics of LTS, they haven't yet cracked the nut of HTS materials. Exactly how the electrons travel through these materials remains the biggest mystery in the field.
For their research on one specific cuprate, lanthanum strontium copper oxide (LSCO), a team led by MagLab physicist Arkady Shekhter focused on its normal, metallic state -- the state from which superconductivity eventually emerges when the temperature dips low enough. This normal state of cuprates is known as a "strange" or "bad" metal, in part because the electrons don't conduct electricity particularly well. Scientists have studied conventional metals for more than a century and generally agree on how electricity travels through them. They call the units that carry charge through those metals "quasiparticles," which are essentially electrons after factoring in their environment. These quasiparticles act nearly independently of each other as they carry electric charge through a conductor. But does quasiparticle flow also explain how electric current travels in the cuprates? At the National MagLab's Pulsed Field Facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico, Shekhter and his team investigated the question. They put LSCO in a very high magnetic field, applied a current to it, then measured the resistance. The resulting data revealed that the current cannot, in fact, travel via conventional quasiparticles, as it does in copper or doped silicon. The normal metallic state of the cuprate, it appeared, was anything but normal.
For their research on one specific cuprate, lanthanum strontium copper oxide (LSCO), a team led by MagLab physicist Arkady Shekhter focused on its normal, metallic state -- the state from which superconductivity eventually emerges when the temperature dips low enough. This normal state of cuprates is known as a "strange" or "bad" metal, in part because the electrons don't conduct electricity particularly well. Scientists have studied conventional metals for more than a century and generally agree on how electricity travels through them. They call the units that carry charge through those metals "quasiparticles," which are essentially electrons after factoring in their environment. These quasiparticles act nearly independently of each other as they carry electric charge through a conductor. But does quasiparticle flow also explain how electric current travels in the cuprates? At the National MagLab's Pulsed Field Facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico, Shekhter and his team investigated the question. They put LSCO in a very high magnetic field, applied a current to it, then measured the resistance. The resulting data revealed that the current cannot, in fact, travel via conventional quasiparticles, as it does in copper or doped silicon. The normal metallic state of the cuprate, it appeared, was anything but normal.
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alas, TRUMP has killed the EPA and has killed SCIENCE.
That's nothing compared to the laughably poor English you use.
The phrase "would of" is the sort of speech one expects from people who live in trailer parks.
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"Elitists" pride themselves in having things you can't. He just corrected your fucking grammar. That's the opposite of elitism. Work on your vocabulary. You don't even have a strong enough grasp of the language to understand how wrong you are about everything.
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You should of never of come here.
Re: Thanks, TRUMP (Score:2)
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Actually, as a non native speaker, this is the kind of error that I could not do.
I believe this derive from someone that learned English "by ear", and "have" and "of" may sound similar, so a child can grow learning a construct that does not make sense from the grammar point of view.
Like it's - its, there - their, this is the class of errors that i associate with native speakers.
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In this particular case, it is because most people don't say "would have" when speaking, the say "would've". It would sound a bit odd and pompous to say "would have" and pronounce each word in a clear and distinct way.
The sound of "would've" when spoken sounds indistinguishable from "would of" and so some people just make the connection in their minds and can't break it.
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Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
This could be hugely important (Score:4, Insightful)
Imagine super long distance lossless power lines, incredibly strong electromagnets everywhere, awesome maglev trains, and whatever repercussions this might have for electronics.
Sure, HTS still work at cryogenic temperatures, but if they can be at least made to work around the temperatures of cheap liquid nitrogen, this would be awesome!
Re:This could be hugely important (Score:5, Informative)
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power transmission lines are unlikely to use liquid helium for cooling, but liquid nitrogen can be generated isolated from the atmosphere and cooled on site for use, that is why the op you responded to specifically mentioned power transmission and mag-lev
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"While HTS conductors are superconducting at 77K (liquid nitrogen) they will always work better the colder they are."
Given that they are superconducting at 77K, exactly how will they be "better" at a lower temperature? Are they less resistive than 0 ohm?
Re:This could be hugely important (Score:5, Informative)
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Everything you said is true, but if a material is superconducting at say 120 K using it at 77 K still is advantageous for loss-less current, simple magnets for the applications OP mentioned, etc. Most applications now use helium since most are trying to push the magnetic field and the applications largely don't care too much about economy (think national lab magnets, accelerators, fusion devices, etc.). Wind turbines generators for example can't afford helium plants or banks of inefficient cryocoolers. Lots
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Thinking a little more ahead, I'd also say HTSes have a role in fusion plants as well. The use of helium would work and isn't even that crazy really especially when you consider how much helium CERN is probably using at the LHC, but costs and power requirements tied into making LN must be better.
Looking even further ahead into the realm of sci-fi. Orbital Rings would benefit immensely from this.
I still have my fingers crossed that one day we'll find a HTS that operates decently around -30C that doesn't requ
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Not quite so important (Score:2)
You mention maglev trains and powerful magnetic fields.
The article is clear that the resistance of the LSCO material increases with temperature, and this new research finds that it similarly increases in the presence of strong magnetic fields, suggesting a very simple fundamental property behind the observed behavior.
In any case, this HTS does not work well in the presence of strong magnetic fields, so you can cross that application off your list.
What the fuck has this place become... (Score:5, Informative)
Multiple posts, all idiots, and the freaking Article doesn't even link the free, actually readable link to the story.
All I see here anymore are political whining, Team trolling, paid positions, and bullshit.
The first actual science in a while, and no interest.
Wow.
Here's a link to ArXiv, and the original pdf:
https://arxiv.org/abs/1705.058... [arxiv.org]
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It's a compound. Water contains OXYGEN, can you breathe it?
facepalm
facepalm
facepalm
facepalm
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facepalm
Re:What the fuck has this place become... (Score:4, Informative)
Water has oxygen and hydrogen in it also, but reacts a bit differently than either... Table salt has sodium in it, but doesn't blow up when it gets wet...
So a cuprate and copper don't have much in common except that copper happens to be one of the constituent parts.
facepalm
facepalm
facepalm
facepalm
facepalm
facepalm
KRIE MOAR (Score:1)
Have you been voting Republican since the '70s? If so, this is partly your fault and I don't want to hear your bitching. That party has consistently been defunding education my entire life. You rip what you sew, or so I've herd.
Re: What the fuck has this place become... (Score:2)
You must be new here.
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lol. :)
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This is the classic, and correct, response.
Re:What the fuck has this place become... (Score:4, Interesting)
FWIW, I read the paper and don't really think it belongs here.
It's not a working paper, but what they're describing isn't some huge new model, but rather observations, first of what's not happening, and then some measured properties about what is happening. I'm inferring that they view the entire system as behaving in a quantum manner, but it's slightly beyond my expertise, and they talk about this work being the basis for more work that needs to be done.
It looks like good science - don't get me wrong - but /. is usually about "News" and this is more of a paper for people in the field. Most good science is kinda boring. The submitter seems to have not fully understood the topic either, which doesn't help.
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Actually dude, I disagree.
This really is one of the good articles.
When you have something New, not easily explained away, that exactly follows a well known, but 'wrong' relationship with current flow dynamics, That's where the science starts.
No one knows why yet, but there are likely several people working for their doctorates that would love to know all about how this works.
This is pretty sensational; Cuprate based superconductors are thought to generate "Cooper-Pairs" of electrons to be superconductive, a
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Re:What the fuck has this place become... (Score:4)
It's not just slashdot, it's the whole internet. Search for reviews these days and you get these generic techradar-type sites that have barely any criticism about the product. You have the scroll down a lot just to see good reviews.
The internet has become infested by advertisers and politics and I for one would like to see it gone.
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You didn't take into account that *all* places have become like that. People are so consumed with Trump and anti-Trump things, that when the two sides are at the same place every normal discussion is annihilated.
Which in my view is not something to lament: obviously something huuge is happening at the level of individual and collective minds. At the level of humanity even: people in other countries appear just as motivated. These collisions and explosions are an attempt for the collective human mind to reso
Electron flow (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Electron flow (Score:5, Insightful)
Well to make it short and frank: ...
People who think electrons flow from + to - have no clue. Electrons are - charged, obviously they wander to the + pole.
And:
People who think there is any merit in comparing vi with EMACS have no clue either, obviously vi wins hands down
Re:Electron flow (Score:5, Insightful)
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I totally agree. Electrons move the the + and I don't need an editor that can vacuum the house and make coffee too.
Re: Electron flow (Score:3)
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Yeah, but you still need 4 CDs to install the inferior one :D
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3 of those CDs are AOL drink coasters. The remaining one just contains the instructions on how to build your own EMACS from scratch in 7 days.
Vi all the way.
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I learnt how electrons move through metals at university. There was never any mention of quasi-particles.
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My MacBook... (Score:2)
See, it is running hot so it can take advantage of the HTS!