University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A team led by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has found compelling evidence of pair density waves (PDWs) on the surface of uranium ditelluride, a metal that becomes superconducting at very low temperatures. In an unexpected twist, the PDWs persisted at temperatures above the material's superconducting transition point, a phenomenon never before observed. The results, published in PNAS, confirm a theoretical prediction from 2007 and could help scientists understand how Cooper pairs form in unconventional superconductors, bringing the goal of higher-temperature superconductivity closer.