Machine Design
  • Resources
  • Members
  • Directory
  • Webinars
  • WISE
  • CAD Models
  • Advertise
    • Search
  • 3D Printing & CAD
  • AUTOMATION & IIOT
  • Robotics
  • Motion Systems
  • Materials
  • Video
  • Data Sheets
  • Topics
    Industry Markets3D Printing & CADAutomation & IIoTFastening & JoiningMaterialsMechanical & Motion Systems Medical DesignRobotics
    Resources
    Machine Design ResourcesWISE (Workers in Science & Engineering)Company DirectorySearch Data SheetsContributeDigital Edition ArchivesCSIA Exchange
    Members
    ContentBenefitsSubscribe
    Advertise
    https://www.facebook.com/MachineDesignMagazine/
    https://www.linkedin.com/company/10998894
    https://twitter.com/MachineDesign
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXKEiQ9dob20rIqTA7ONfJg
    1. News

    Nanotornados stir up trouble for superconductors

    Feb. 23, 2006
    High-temperature superconductors — materials that conduct electricity without resistance when cooled to liquid-nitrogen temperature — find use in RF filters for mobile-telephone networks, MRI machines, and particle accelerators.
    Jean M. Hoffman

    High-temperature superconductors — materials that conduct electricity without resistance when cooled to liquid-nitrogen temperature — find use in RF filters for mobile-telephone networks, MRI machines, and particle accelerators. One problem with the materials is how they respond to magnetic fields, as from electric motors. The fields create swirling tubes of electrical current (vortices) within the superconductor that dissipate energy and limit the amount of current it can carry without resistance.

    Now, researchers at Argonne National Laboratory have used low-temperature scanningtunneling microscopy (STM) to image in great detail the interaction of magnetic vortices with nanoscale, engineered defects in a superconductor. Understanding this interaction could help scientists reduce the vortices' current-sapping effects and make possible superconducting, quantum-logic devices that use vortex manipulation.

    STM brings an extremely sharp conducting probe to within a few atom diameters of a surface. This causes electrons to jump the gap or "tunnel" between the sample material and the stylus, producing an electrical signal. The stylus slowly scans the surface, raising and lowering to maintain a 0.01-° gap. Recording the stylus' vertical movement reveals the surface structure, atom by atom.

    It turns out that vortices can be locked into position by "pinning" them to defects, each of which can hold up to six vortices. The vortices induced by a weak magnetic field attach themselves to the defects, as expected. Raising the magnetic field, however, makes vortices that can't find a home in a defect appear alongside in orderly lines or "chains."

    Further increases to magnetic-field strength cause the vortex chains to become denser and split into two parallel chains. A peak in superconductor current density accompanies the transition, which is a measure of how well the material carries large electric currents.

    The experiments are said to be the first to use STM to directly observe this phase transition. The method of sample preparation is also a first. Previously, heavy-particle accelerators such as Argonne's Atlas made superconductors with varying defect properties. In contrast, lithography introduces defects in the present samples so researchers have full control over the geometry and internal structure. Funding for the research comes from the DoE.

    Continue Reading

    Ruland’s Zero-Backlash Jaw Couplings for Start-Stop Applications

    Big Tech & Big Ideas Permeate Industrial Thinking in 2023

    Sponsored Recommendations

    Smart Factory Solutions that Connect and Protect from Amphenol RF

    Nov. 28, 2023

    Stay Connected and In Control of Your Future Factories with Littelfuse

    Nov. 28, 2023

    Turn to NKK Switches for the Widest Range of Industrial-Savvy Electromechanical Switches

    Nov. 28, 2023

    Unlocking Operational Flexibility in Manufacturing with Industria IoT

    Nov. 28, 2023

    Voice your opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Machine Design, create an account today!

    I already have an account

    New

    Heavy-Duty Collaborative Palletizing System Addresses Potato Industry’s Labor Shortages

    Future-Proofing Manufacturing with 3D Printing

    5 For Friday: Salary Survey Optimism; A New (and Important) Acronym; and Ways to Unleash the Potential of Design

    Most Read

    How Much Should a Bolted Joint be Tightened?

    SCHURTER FXP Fuse Holder is Designed for High-Power Applications

    Brushed vs Brushless Motors: Which is Best for your Application?

    Sponsored

    Reliable and Accurate Sensing for Demanding Applications

    Bourns Stifles Surges, Diminishes Downtime and Protects Parts

    Smart Factory Solutions that Connect and Protect from Amphenol RF

    Machine Design
    https://www.facebook.com/MachineDesignMagazine/
    https://www.linkedin.com/company/10998894
    https://twitter.com/MachineDesign
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXKEiQ9dob20rIqTA7ONfJg
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Do Not Sell or Share
    • Privacy & Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    © 2023 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
    Endeavor Business Media Logo