Magnetic 'super lenses' open new window on high-temperature superconductors

Key Points:

• An international team, including Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) scientists, has for the first time used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to analyze lanthanum superhydrides under extreme pressure, marking a methodological breakthrough in superhydride research.
• Superhydrides, hydrogen-rich compounds under extreme pressure, exhibit superconductivity near room temperature and currently hold the record for the highest critical transition temperature in superconductors.
• The researchers utilized microstructured Lenz lenses to precisely focus and amplify high-frequency NMR signals within tiny samples compressed in diamond anvil cells, enabling detailed atomic-level insights under pressures exceeding one million atmospheres.
• Combining NMR spectroscopy under high pressure with electrical resistance measurements in pulsed high magnetic fields allowed a comprehensive understanding of superhydrides' physical properties and superconducting stability.
• The collaboration with the Center for High Pressure Science & Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR) in Beijing and the Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory was essential, with long-term goals to advance knowledge of superconductivity mechanisms for developing energy-efficient technologies.