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Ali Yazdani - ScienceWatch.com
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2008 : August - Fast Breaking Papers : Ali Yazdani
FAST BREAKING PAPERS - 2008
August 2008
Ali Yazdani talks with ScienceWatch.com and answers a few
questions about this month's Fast Breaking Paper in the field of
Physics. The author has also sent along images of their work.
+enlarge
Article Title: Visualizing pair formation on the atomic scale in
the high-T-c superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta Authors: Gomes,
KK;Pasupathy, AN;Pushp, A;Ono, S;Ando, Y;Yazdani, A Journal: NATURE
Volume: 447 Issue: 7144 Page: 569-572 Year: MAY 31 2007 * Princeton
Univ, Joseph Henry Labs, Dept Phys, Princeton, NJ 08544 USA.
(addresses have been truncated)
Why do you think your paper is highly cited?
This paper describes the use of newly developed experimental
techniques to watch superconductivitythe phenomena of flow of
electricity without resistancedevelop on the atomic scale in a
superconducting material.
Figure 1: + details
The material system we studied is a ceramic superconductor, the
mechanism for which has been the subject of intense debate for the
last 20 years within the physics community. Perhaps the combination
of a newly developed technique together with unraveling new
microscopic information on the enigmatic ceramic superconductors
has contributed to the paper's high citation rate.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of
knowledge?
The paper described both a new methodology for studying
superconductivity and an important new finding. Specifically, the
paper shows how the superconducting state forms, starting with
small nanoscale patches with superconducting-like properties in the
material, at temperatures far higher than had been anticipated
before.
It has often been assumed that the transition temperature where
samples exhibit zero resistance is when superconducting behavior
first occurs. This paper shows that, at temperatures well above the
bulk transition temperature, if one looks carefully using
specialized tools and techniques, we can identify
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Ali Yazdani - ScienceWatch.com
nanoscale puddles of superconducting behavior up to very high
temperatures. There had been hints of superconducting
"fluctuations" above the transition temperature but "seeing" them
with our technique has been a significant advance and an example of
more direct evidence for this behavior.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper in layman's
terms?
Superconductivity, the ability to carry electricity without
resistance, can have a significant impact on the future
distribution of electrical energy. It can play a role both in
making power transmission lines more efficient, yet also provide
the technology which can make them more immune to the failure that
causes power outages.
"...the paper shows how the
superconducting state forms, starting with
small nanoscale patches with
superconducting-like properties in
the material, at temperatures far higher than had
been anticipated
before. "
However, any realistic application requires the development of
superconductors with higher transition temperatures and better
current-carrying properties than are available today. Understanding
the mechanism of superconductivity in the highest temperature
superconductors is hence significant in achieving advances in this
area. Our finding that the nanoscale region of a ceramic material
can exhibit superconducting behavior at temperatures higher than
anticipated can perhaps be used to develop new materials with
higher superconducting transition temperatures.
How did you become involved in this research, and were there any
problems along the way?
I have been fascinated by superconductors for the past 20 years,
and I have been very interested in the last 10 years in developing
the tools to study superconductors on the atomic scale. This
research was made possible with the development of a new generation
of scanning tunneling microscope (STM), which can be used to study
evolution of electronic phenomena while varying temperature. The
most significant challenge we had to overcome was to develop an STM
that can track the same atom on the sample, while the temperature
was being varied and the sample was undergoing thermal expansion
and contraction.
Where do you see your research leading in the future?
Our ability to correlate atomic scale properties together with
superconducting properties will be quite useful in understanding
the mechanism of pairing in high-temperature superconductors as
well as in the design of new superconductors to be discovered at
some point in the future. In addition, the experimental tool we
have developed can be used to examine a variety of other phase
transition phenomena in materialssuch as magnetic transitionwith
atomic scale resolution. We are currently busy working on these two
fronts.
Ali Yazdani, Professor Department of Physics Princeton
University Princeton, NJ, USA
Keywords: high-T-c superconductor, high-temperature
superconductors, superconductivity, atomic scale, superconducting
material, ceramic superconductor, bulk transition temperature,
power transmission lines, scanning
tunneling microscope, STM, magnetic transition.
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Ali Yazdani - Figures & Descriptions - ScienceWatch.com
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2008 : August - Fast Breaking Papers : Ali Yazdani - Figures
& Descriptions
FAST BREAKING PAPERS - 2008
August 2008
Ali Yazdani talks with ScienceWatch.com and answers a few
questions about this month's Fast Breaking Paper in the field of
Physics. The author has also sent along images of their work.
+enlarge
Article Title: Visualizing pair formation on the atomic scale in
the high-T-c superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta Authors: Gomes,
KK;Pasupathy, AN;Pushp, A;Ono, S;Ando, Y;Yazdani, A Journal: NATURE
Volume: 447 Issue: 7144 Page: 569-572 Year: MAY 31 2007 * Princeton
Univ, Joseph Henry Labs, Dept Phys, Princeton, NJ 08544 USA.
(addresses have been truncated)
Figures and descriptions:
Figure 1:
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Ali Yazdani - Figures & Descriptions - ScienceWatch.com
Figure 1:
Using a customized microscope, Princeton scientists have mapped
the strength of current-carrying electron pairs as they form in a
ceramic superconductor. The images show the same 30-nanometer
square region of the ceramic at successively cooler temperatures.
Red areas indicate the presence of superconducting pairs. Even at
10 degrees Celsius above Tc, the temperature at which the entire
sample exhibits superconductivity, the electron pairs still exist
in localized regions (top image). Image courtesy of the Yazdani
Group.
Return to interview.
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2008 : August - Fast Breaking Papers : Ali Yazdani - Figures
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