News Physics

A newfound superconducting current travels only along a material’s edge

Electricity flows without resistance on the rim of molybdenum ditelluride

Illustration of a hard edge

The material molybdenum ditelluride can host a superconducting current that is constrained to travel around its edge, physicists report.

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By Emily Conover

- More than 2 years ago

Superconductors are getting edgy.

For the first time, scientists have spotted a superconducting current traveling along the edge of a material, like a trail of ants crawling along the rim of a dinner plate without venturing into its middle.