Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism

Superconductivity occurs when a material conducts electricity with zero resistance below a critical temperature, and understanding why certain copper-oxide compounds — cuprate superconductors — achieve this at relatively high temperatures remains one of the central unsolved problems in condensed matter physics. Researchers use a combination of computational approaches, including quantum Monte Carlo simulations, dynamical mean-field theory, and detailed electronic structure calculations, to map out how electrons interact with each other and with the crystal lattice in these materials. A persistent debate concerns whether electron–phonon coupling, the interaction between electrons and atomic vibrations, plays a meaningful role in high-temperature superconductivity or whether purely electronic correlations are sufficient to explain it. Active work also explores what happens at the boundaries between superconductors and ferromagnets, where competing orderings produce proximity effects that could be exploited in next-generation quantum devices.

Works

280,318

Total citations

4,152,334

Keywords

High-Temperature SuperconductivityCuprate SuperconductorsDynamical Mean-Field TheoryProximity EffectsQuantum Monte CarloElectronic Structure Calculations