News Physics

Can light spark superconductivity? A new study reignites debate

Magnetic measurements point to zero electrical resistance, but some physicists are unconvinced 

An illustration shows a grid of atoms being hit with a red beam of laser light. Blue lines indicating a magnetic field emanate from the lit-up region.

In experiments, a compound made of copper and oxygen atoms (blue and red spheres in this illustration) blasted with laser light (red) threw off magnetic fields (blue). This effect signals that the compound transformed into a superconductor, some physicists say.

Sebastian Fava, Jörg M. Harms

By Emily Conover

Brief blasts of light might make some materials into fleeting superconductors.