Superconductivity in the non-magnetic state of iron under pressure.
Ferromagnetism and superconductivity are thought to compete in conventional superconductors, although in principle it is possible for any metal to become a superconductor in its non-magnetic state at a sufficiently low temperature. At pressures above 10 GPa, iron is known to transform to a non-magnetic structure and the possibility of superconductivity in this state has been predicted. Here we report that iron does indeed become superconducting at temperatures below 2 K at pressures between 15 and 30 GPa. The transition to the superconducting state is confirmed by both a drop in resistivity and observation of the Meissner effect.
Shimizu
K
K
Department of Physical Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan. kshimizu@mp.es.osaka-u.ac.jp
Kimura
T
T
Furomoto
S
S
Takeda
K
K
Kontani
K
K
Onuki
Y
Y
Amaya
K
K