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Possible Room Temperature Superconductor Achieved

TechkNighT_1337 sends news that surfaced on the Next Big Future blog, concerning research out of the University of Bengal, in India. The report is of a possible superconducting effect at ambient room temperatures. Here is the paper on the ArXiv. (Note that this research has not been peer-reviewed or published yet.) "We report the observation of an exceptionally large room-temperature electrical conductivity in silver and aluminum layers deposited on a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) substrate. The surface resistance of the silver-coated samples also shows a sharp change near 313 K. The results are strongly suggestive of a superconductive interfacial layer, and have been interpreted in the framework of Bose-Einstein condensation of bipolarons as the suggested mechanism for high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates. ... The fact that the results described above have been obtained from very simply-fabricated systems, without the use of any sophisticated set-up and any special attention being given to crystal purity, atomic perfection, lattice matching, etc. suggests that the physical process is a universal one, involving only an interface between a metal and an insulator with a large low-frequency dielectric constant. We note in passing that PZT and the cuprates have similar (perovskite or perovskite-based) crystal structures. This resemblance may provide an added insight into the basic mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity."

23 of 264 comments (clear)

  1. Of course! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    After reading the summary, everything is plainly obvious...

    (walks away slowly before anyone can notice I didn't understand anything)

  2. I had this sneaky suspicion... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    it was Bose-Einstein condensation of bipolarons that would allow for room tempurature super conduction.

    1. Re:I had this sneaky suspicion... by Kozz · · Score: 2, Funny

      it was Bose-Einstein condensation of bipolarons that would allow for room tempurature super conduction.

      To be honest, I figured that at a minimum, one would have to reroute all secondary power to the deflector shields.

      --
      I only post comments when someone on the internet is wrong.
  3. This will later be known as... by magsol · · Score: 1, Funny

    "Unobtanium." James Cameron just beat these researchers to the punch.

    --
    "I'd just like to emphasise that taking a million years isn't a metaphor here..." -Rich Bradshaw
  4. Room Temperature in UK, maybe not in India? by billstewart · · Score: 4, Funny

    313K is 40C. So this stuff ought to behave just fine in the UK, but only part of the year in India :-) Even in temperate climates, you'd have to be careful not to leave it out in the sun, so again it should be fine in the UK...

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
    1. Re:Room Temperature in UK, maybe not in India? by JamesP · · Score: 5, Funny

      Reminds me of that joke about scientists in Anchorage discovering a room-temperature superconductor :P

      --
      how long until /. fixes commenting on Chrome?
  5. Re:Wait until it has been repeated. by RichardJenkins · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'll second that!

  6. Re:Wait until it has been repeated. by djtachyon · · Score: 3, Funny

    Absolute Zero ;)

    --
    "What's the use of a good quotation if you can't change it?" - Doctor Who
  7. Reminds me of Futurama... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yes, I see. Something involving that many big words could easily destabilize time itself!

  8. Re:Someone didn't get the memo by thestudio_bob · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...not something made of silver.

    Well, apparently you don't have to deal with electricity stealing Werewolves. I for one, am glad someone is finally addressing this problem.

    --
    The real Sig captains the Northwestern. This one captains /.
  9. Re:...really? by EmagGeek · · Score: 4, Funny

    Didn't you just answer your own question?

  10. Re:Wait until it has been repeated. by vbraga · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe we could just redefine what room temperature is!

    --
    English is not my first language. Corrections and suggestions are welcome.
  11. Re:Someone didn't get the memo by rattaroaz · · Score: 2, Funny

    In that case, we'll just make it out of unobtanium.

  12. Re:Meissner effect? by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 4, Funny

    Fucking room temperature superconductors, how do they work?

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    WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
  13. Re:Wait until it has been repeated. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    There is a job opening at Microsoft you seem like an excellent candidate.

  14. The Bipolorons!!! by RevWaldo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Three of Earth's most chemically imbalanced heros!

    It's The Manic Maurauder! (POW!)
    The Hyperthymic Huntress! (ZAP!)
    And The Depressed Defender! (Mwah-mwahhh!)

    Using their insanity in a never-ending battle against crime and the forces of evil!

    They're off their meds and on the case! It's The Bipolorons!!

    .

  15. Re:Two weeks old, no citations or trackbacks by Max+Littlemore · · Score: 2, Funny

    Lisi's E8 paper has been cited like 17 times.

    The way you use "like" in that sentence is suspicious.

    Hey dglr6328, are you, like, Lisi dude?!?!

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    I don't therefore I'm not.
  16. Re:Wait until it has been repeated. by thrawn_aj · · Score: 3, Funny

    FAPP (For all practical purpose)

    No offense, but I sincerely hope that acronym does not catch on =)

  17. Re:Yeah, right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I assume North Korea claimed to invent a drink that reverses the drinkers aging process, not the people of the appropriate gender around them.

  18. Re:Wait until it has been repeated. by Surt · · Score: 3, Funny

    Too late. FAPP FAPP FAPP ... it's all over the internet FAPP FAPP FAPP.

    --
    "Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
  19. Re:Cold Fusion by Idarubicin · · Score: 5, Funny
    Ah. Well-renowned scientific co-worker endorses cold fusion. Inside scoop from globally-acclaimed Slashdot science critic hAckzOr.

    "It's real", hAckzor concludes.

    Film at eleven. Take that, scientific establishment.

    --
    ~Idarubicin
  20. You obviously didn't read the article: by crhylove · · Score: 2, Funny

    It was thousands of micro black holes simultaneously created in a vortex. They annihilate each other in seconds, and collapse a quantum vacuum around the radius of the muon. This lowers the temperature automatically in that region of the molecular assembler, and then it warps space time for a second to super conduct from one part of the crystal matrix to another.

    It's not like a traditional superconductor at all, and that's why it works at room temperature, but only in the tropics.

    --
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  21. Re:Wait until it has been repeated. by somersault · · Score: 2, Funny

    IANALFAPP

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    which is totally what she said