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.
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?
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.
What exactly is meant in this case with impurities?
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.
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?
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.
Ah now I understand, thanks