Magnetic field first kills superconductor, then brings it back to life

Physicists have observed a rare phenomenon called re-entrant superconductivity for the first time in a two-dimensional material. As Physics World reports, an international team led by Japan's RIKEN Center found that an applied magnetic field initially destroys the material's superconductivity, but the property unexpectedly reappears as the magnetic field increases further. The researchers used a heterostructure of lanthanum titanate and potassium tantalate to witness this effect, which they attribute to a complex competition between electron pairing and the density of states. This discovery provides a new, robust platform for studying unconventional superconductivity in two-dimensional systems.

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