Research into these high-temperature superconductors is seen having potential applications in the manufacture of magnetically levitating trains used in high-speed rail transportation, in the production of cell phones and magnetic resonance imaging scanners, and the prevention of energy brownouts, among other areas.
The work of Rourke Professor Kevin Bedell's group was cited in an article on ferromagnetism and superconductivity in the "Search and Discovery" section of the September issue of Physics Today.
Physics Today is a leading journal in its field, while Nature is among the preeminent journals in scientific research.
Getting an article or a mention in either journal is a notable feat, and landing in both in the span of a month is a significant achievement, said Bedell, who as physics chairman has guided the department's rise as a center of research in novel electronic materials.
"This gives tremendous global visibility to the department's basic science efforts and helps with future recruiting and funding," Bedell said.
"Our mantra here is that we do fundamental physics that has the potential to lead to discoveries that are important to everyday life," he said. "Fundamental discoveries today lead to the technologies of tomorrow."
-Mark Sullivan