Superconductors 'could revolutionise high-speed trains'

e14news — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 02:19:49 GMT

Current Revision posted to Documents by e14news on 10/7/2021 2:19:49 AM
A new study of iron-based superconductors could lead to significant changes in the way high-speed trains and other devices are developed.

The research was carried out by several educational institutions in the US and China on a number of iron-arsenide compounds, which are related to iron pnictides.

One of the physicists involved and a co-author of the report, Qimiao Si, said: "The evidence from this study bolsters the hypothesis that high-temperature superconductivity in the iron pnictides originates from electronic magnetism."

He explained that the study is the first "direct evidence" that such materials have a magnetic quantum critical point.

The authors explained that this information about high-temperature superconductors could change the way high-speed trains are developed, as well as electric generators and MRI scanners.

This week, a team led by scientists at the US Department of Energy's Center for Emergent Superconductivity found that parent compounds of one type of iron-based superconductor may have electronic liquid crystal states within them.