Another characteristic of superconducting materials is that, once past their critical temperature and switched into a superconducting state, they exclude any interior magnetic field, also known as the Meissner effect. Magnetism is typically deadly to superconductors, but recently scientists created a material that seems to be immune to its prohibitive interference.

Research being done at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory has also provided some insights into the relationship of a material in a superconducting state and magnetism. By using a high power magnet, the researchers were able to peer into the inner workings of a superconductor in a conducting state and get a glimpse of how electrons group up and form Cooper pairs. They also discovered that there may, in fact, still be some magnetism going on inside these materials, though whether it was beneficial or detrimental remains to be seen.

A group of researchers composed of Rutgers professor of physics, Piers Coleman, graduate student Rebecca Flint and Columbia research scientist Maxim Dzero are looking into a different kind of superconductor to try to unlock the secrets of this mysterious quantum hoopla. Most high-temperature superconductors, high being a relative term at -88 degrees Celsius, are composed of cuprate-based materials. The Rutgers-Columbia team is using heavy metal superconductors, with metals like Neptunium and Plutonium, from the actinide group of metals.

Though the “heavy electron superconductors” do not superconduct at as high a temperature as copper and iron based materials do, they have a few properties which may make them desirable as observation materials. First, these heavy electron superconductors have active electrons in higher orbitals than traditional high-temperature materials. Because these crucial electrons are in the f-orbitals of heavy electron superconductors, as opposed to the d-orbitals of copper/iron superconductors, it may be easier to study and understand their interactions.

Heavy electron superconductor materials are also easier to make than their cuprate-based brethren.

One mysterious characteristic of these heavy electron materials is that they are filled with tiny atomic magnets called “spins.” However, in some of these materials, rather than interfering with conductance, these spins seem to help form a more stable Cooper pair. This magnetism, the Rutgers-Columbia group believes, helps to make a stronger bond between paired electrons which in turn helps the materials superconduct at higher temperatures.

While the research is underway using these f-orbital heavy metals, the group hopes to be able to apply their findings to d-orbital conductors, possibly enabling scientists to further push the boundaries of high-temperature superconducting.