Iron-Arsenide Superconductors
in a Class of Their Own

Physicists at Ames Laboratory have experimentally demonstrated that the superconductivity mechanism in the recently-discovered iron-arsenide superconductors is unique compared to all other known classes of superconductors. These findings – combined with iron-arsenide’s potential good ability to carry current due to their low anisotropy – may open a door to exciting possible applications in zero-resistance power transmission. (Read more)

A unique tunnel diode resonator was used to measure London penetration depths of iron-arsenide crystals.  A tunnel diode resonator precisely measures magnetic responses at very low temperatures, and Ames Laboratory is one of the few research facilities in the world with TDR instrumentation.