Three years after the discovery of superfluid He-3, physicists observed a related kind of superconductivity in magnetic metals, called anisotropic superconductivity, yet the open mind-set required to embrace these results as a discovery, rather than a materials artifact was lacking. It took the efforts of a brave and determined set of pioneers to overcome this resistance and change the mind-set.
Today, physicists are fascinated by a new generation of materials exhibiting a convergence of magnetism and superconductivity. I'll talk about these new materials and how our ideas about spin and its role in correlated superconductors is changing. I'll discuss the links between f- and d-electron materials, giving an introduction to some of the new kinds of order we are encountering, including composite, hidden and topological order.
Argonne Physics Division Colloquium Schedule