Superconductivity in self-rolled nanoarchitectures

Abstract

Superconductivity is one of the most intriguing effects predicted by quantum theory. In a superconducting material, electrical currents can be sustained for an infinitely long time without dissipation. Prof Vladimir Fomin, at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW) Dresden, is pioneering the use of micro- and nanostructures by virtue of the appearance of topological defects, which can be used to control currents in superconductors. His fundamental results unveil the fascinating and hitherto unknown physical phenomena occurring in the man-made nanoarchitectures fabricated by state-of-the-art high-tech methods: strain-induced rolling up and focused ion/electron beam writing.