Steps just one atom high can steer tiny whirlpools inside special materials
FutureFrom: ScienceDaily · rewritten for kids by Osmo
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Superconductors carry electricity with zero resistance once they are cooled below a critical temperature. Inside an ultrathin superconductor, tiny whirls of current called quantum vortices can move, and controlling them matters for future electronics. Researchers at Japan's National Institute for Materials Science discovered that atomic steps only one atom high guide these vortices like microscopic railroad tracks. Under certain conditions, the vortices moved more than 1,000 times more easily along the steps than across them, and the team could tune the effect by changing the temperature or the magnetic field. The work could lead to superconducting electronics that use far less energy.
Big word
superconductor: A material that, when very cold, lets electricity flow through it without losing any energy.
Quiz time: circle the right answer
1. What did the one-atom-high steps act like?ARailway tracksBWallsCMirrors
2. What can superconductors do when they are very cold?ACarry electricity without losing energyBMake lightCFreeze water instantly
3. How much more easily did the swirls move along the steps?AMore than 1,000 timesB2 timesC10 times
Your turn
Draw a railway track and a little whirlpool riding along it. Write one thing you would build if electricity never got wasted.
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