50 Years Ago Physics

50 years ago, superconductors started feeling the pressure

Excerpt from the May 2, 1970, issue of Science News

a superconductor being squeezed between two diamonds

The highest-temperature superconductors known occur under extreme pressures, produced by squeezing materials between diamonds (shown).

Steve Jacobsen/Carleton University

By Emily Conover

- More than 2 years ago

Superconductivity under pressure, Science News, May 2, 1970 –

Cooling certain metals to temperatures near absolute zero turns them into superconductors, substances without electrical resistance, in which currents flow without power loss.