The Ames National Laboratory, under the U.S. Department of Energy, has discovered evidence of unconventional superconductivity in naturally occurring rhenium sulfide (Rh17S15) samples.
According to industry insiders, on the 14th, the Ames National Laboratory research team announced that they had discovered rhenium sulfide to be an unconventional superconductor.
While conventional superconductors form pairs of electrons known as Cooper pairs, reducing electrical resistance to zero and allowing current to flow, unconventional superconductors generate superconductivity through mechanisms other than electron pairs.
Unconventional superconductors are expected to occur at much higher temperatures than traditional superconductors and have the potential to be utilized in various fields.
The significance of this research is that it contradicts the belief that unconventional superconductivity could only be possible in a laboratory setting, with the discovery of a mineral that could refute this. If superconductivity is confirmed in rhenium sulfide, it signifies that unconventional superconductivity can be implemented in nature, leading to an increased understanding of superconductors.
An official from the Ames National Laboratory said, “This research is pivotal because revealing the mechanism of unconventional superconductivity is key to economically and soundly applying superconductivity.”
Most Commented