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'Cooper Pairs' Can Be Found in Insulators as Well as in Superconductors


November 22, 2007

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Fifty years ago, three physicists unveiled their BCS theory of superconductivity, which explained how currents of electrons can flow perpetually if they join in pairs. Those physicists, including Leon Cooper at Brown University, won a Nobel Prize for their work. Now, Brown physicists have shown something surprising: the formation of Cooper pairs can not only help electric current to flow, but it can also block that current. Their research appears in Science.Full Story

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Brown University

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