• TheRieper@lemmynsfw.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    In condensed matter physics, impurities refers to impurities in the lattice structure of the material, usually due to trace amounts of other elements or even faults in the crystal structure.

    • Elise@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Ah thanks. Don’t mean to ask too much but could you explain how this invalidates the results? I mean if it works at room temperature it works right? Even if these other elements are rare earth it would still be a breakthrough, right?

      • TheRieper@lemmynsfw.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        Good question. My understanding is that impurities can create behaviors in materials which mimic some superconducting indicators such as levitation and sharp resistance drops, but without key indicators such as zero resistance and Josephson effects.

        Notably, the original paper only showed behaviors that indicate, but doesn’t prove, superconductivity. Several pure samples have been found to not exhibit those behaviors, so consensus is that it’s a case of impurities mimicking superconducting behavior.