For the most valuable applications it is also "good enough" to find a superconductor that can be cooled with cheap liquid nitrogen and retain the magnetic field tolerance, current-carrying capacity, and thermal stability of a superconductor cooled with expensive liquid helium. Some so-called "high temperature" superconductors begin superconducting at liquid-nitrogen temperature or higher. However in real life applica…
The great thing about watching advances in superconductors is that any day we could discover the first true practical room temp superconductor and that one day changes the world immensely. I personally think we are likely to find one in the next 5-10 years, but that estimate is based on nothing but hope and optimism on my part.
For the most valuable applications it is also "good enough" to find a superconductor that can be cooled with cheap liquid nitrogen and retain the magnetic field tolerance, current-carrying capacity, and thermal stability of a superconductor cooled with expensive liquid helium. Some so-called "high temperature" superconductors begin superconducting at liquid-nitrogen temperature or higher. However in real life applica…
Mechanical properties are very important, too. Able to bend, able to be cut, able to withstand mild shocks and vibration without fracturing. Something you can make actual wires from, at least at some stage. This, superconducting at liquid nitrogen temperature, would produce a revolution. Transmission lines alone would be huge.
Wow. Go over to [1] and read the papers. This is good stuff. When someone finds new physics, interesting things result. Tungsten disulfide/boron nitride superconductors? That's a new direction. This article describes a new research result as a new research result, not as "trillion dollar industry by 2027". That helps credibility. [1] https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/long-ju/
As someone who knows nothing about this, how is something like "Tungsten disulfide/boron nitride" selected? Is it based on some models? Or, is it more of a random walk?
One thing that goes unmentioned about room temperature superconductors is that they store energy as well. U = (B2/(2u0))V. 2u0 is about 2.5E-6N/A2 So a 1m3 7T magnetic field would be about 20MJ or 7KWh. That doesn't sound like much, but collapse times could be microsec to generate GW of EM.
The great thing about watching advances in superconductors is that any day we could discover the first true practical room temp superconductor and that one day changes the world immensely. I personally think we are likely to find one in the next 5-10 years, but that estimate is based on nothing but hope and optimism on my part.
For the most valuable applications it is also "good enough" to find a superconductor that can be cooled with cheap liquid nitrogen and retain the magnetic field tolerance, current-carrying capacity, and thermal stability of a superconductor cooled with expensive liquid helium. Some so-called "high temperature" superconductors begin superconducting at liquid-nitrogen temperature or higher. However in real life applica…
>to get the desired magnetic field tolerance
Interesting, then, that the article actually mentions a superconductor that got stronger in the presence of a magnet! Wild things we're learning here!
The great thing about watching advances in superconductors is that any day we could discover the first true practical room temp superconductor and that one day changes the world immensely. I personally think we are likely to find one in the next 5-10 years, but that estimate is based on nothing but hope and optimism on my part.
I'd bet that the first room temperature superconductor does not "change the world immensely." Resistive losses are just one of very many attributes of a conductor. Others important attributes include: - current capacity (will you need humongously thick wires to match charge carried by aluminum or copper?) - ductility (can it be formed into wires cheaply?) - cost (does CapEx outweigh electricity savings? is it expensi…
The great thing about watching advances in superconductors is that any day we could discover the first true practical room temp superconductor and that one day changes the world immensely. I personally think we are likely to find one in the next 5-10 years, but that estimate is based on nothing but hope and optimism on my part.
Why is room temperature important, what if "the world's first superconductor at 0C" was the headline?
room temperature superconductors are inevitable, all matter is conductive and photo active in some way or another,and conduction is one of the non optional components of reality, so the number of possible compounds that might superconduct is huge and now that there apear to be multiple mechanisms that superconduction can function from, means that the search will begin in earnist its a multi trillion dollar app
Why is it inevitable? Is there some physics principle that proves they should exist even they're beyond current scientific knowledge?
>This article describes a new research result as a new research result, not as "trillion dollar industry by 2027". I don't like that language either, but it may be wise to understand that different audiences are reading this, and it may be effective for the author to reach the others in this way. And besides, in general it's easier for a rationalist to ignore such language than it is for an industrialist to add it.
Bollocks. "Hype language" has a very strong correlation with people who don't know what they're talking about. (Probably because most people who use it do not, in fact, know what they're talking about, even if some might.) So other experts in the field will look down on you if you speak like a British university press release.
I agree with you. I just think it is wasted effort to complain about the quality of press releases. I am consigned to their poor quality, and my solution is to read primary sources.
Wow. Go over to [1] and read the papers. This is good stuff. When someone finds new physics, interesting things result. Tungsten disulfide/boron nitride superconductors? That's a new direction. This article describes a new research result as a new research result, not as "trillion dollar industry by 2027". That helps credibility. [1] https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/long-ju/
otoh, "a graphene device produced a mythical form of superconductivity"