Scientists suggest the upper limit for room temperature superconductivity
Superconductors are game-changing materials that can transform everything, ranging from healthcare to energy transmission and quantum computing. But there's a catch—they work at extremely low temperatures (close to absolute zero).
This limitation has prevented us from harnessing their full potential. To address this challenge, scientists have been actively working on developing room-temperature superconductors, but they often wonder — is there an upper temperature limit for superconductivity?
The answer to this question is crucial to determining whether superconductivity can truly exist at room temperature. For instance, if a theoretical upper limit exists below room temperature, then achieving room-temperature superconductivity would be fundamentally impossible.
Finally, a team of researchers from Queen Mary University of London has found the answer. In their new study, they reveal the factors affecting the upper limit and the maximum temperature range suitable for superconductivity.
The study authors shed light on the role of fundamental physical constants—such as electron mass, Planck's constant (h), electron charge, and the fine-structure constant (α).
It is already known that these constants 'govern everything from the stability of atoms to the formation of stars and synthesis of carbon and other elements essential to life.'
For instance, in any solid, atoms oscillate around fixed positions due to thermal energy. The speed of these vibrations depends on two key factors: bond strength and atomic mass. Both these factors are determined by quantum mechanics and electromagnetism, which are governed by fundamental constants.
By analyzing how these constants influence atomic interactions, the study authors discovered that the constants place a strict upper limit on how fast atoms can vibrate in solid materials. This means there is a maximum possible frequency for phonons, which are the collective vibrations of atoms in a material.
In many superconductors, phonons play a crucial role in pairing up electrons (Cooper pairs), enabling superconductivity. The frequency of phonons affects the strength of this pairing and, in turn, determines the highest possible temperature (TC) at which superconductivity can occur.
Since fundamental constants impose an upper limit on phonon frequencies, they also place a theoretical constraint on how high TC can be in superconductors. This means that 'the upper limit of superconducting temperature TC is intrinsically linked to the fundamental constants of nature – the electron mass, electron charge, and the Planck constant,' the study authors note.
Using the fundamental constants, the study authors determined that superconductivity can exist between a temperature of 100 Kelvin to 1000 Kelvin; this upper limit range for TC includes standard room temperature values that lie between 293 K to 298 K (20 to 25°C).
'The fact that room-temperature superconductivity is theoretically possible, given our Universe's constants, is encouraging. It's a call to keep exploring, experimenting, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible," the researchers said.
They claim that their findings have been validated by a separate research work.
The study is published in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter.
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