Physicists Propose New Mechanism to Enhance Superconductivity with 'Quantum Glue'
A team of researchers, including scientists from HSE MIEM, has demonstrated that defects in a material can enhance, rather than hinder, superconductivity. This occurs through interaction between defective and cleaner regions, which creates a 'quantum glue'—a uniform component that binds distinct superconducting regions into a single network. Calculations confirm that this mechanism could aid in developing superconductors that operate at higher temperatures. The study has been published in Communications Physics.
Superconductivity is a state in which electric current flows through a material without resistance, losing no energy as heat. In ordinary conductors, electrons move independently and lose energy through collisions with atoms and impurities. In superconductors, however, electrons form Cooper pairs and move in unison, enabling current to flow without loss. Thanks to this property, superconductors are used to create powerful magnets, medical MRI scanners, and particle accelerators, and they also hold promise for developing new types of computing devices.
The challenge is that superconductivity usually occurs only at very low temperatures and is easily disrupted by impurities and defects in the material. These defects fragment superconductivity into isolated regions that fail to connect. Paradoxically, however, such disordered areas can also support the formation of Cooper pairs at higher temperatures. This creates a contradiction: structural disorder can locally enhance superconductivity, yet at the same time prevents it from spreading throughout the entire sample.
A team of researchers from HSE University, the Moscow Centre for Advanced Studies, and the Federal University of Pernambuco has shown that this challenge can be addressed by combining defective ('dirty') and clean subsystems. The team studied a two-band model in which one subsystem is highly disordered: superconductivity emerges there at higher temperatures, but only in isolated regions. The other subsystem remains clean, where superconductivity is weaker but provides connectivity. When the two are combined, a component arises that acts as a 'quantum glue,' linking the isolated islands and enabling current to flow through the entire sample at elevated temperatures.
Alexei Vagov
'Our calculations show that when defective and clean regions are properly connected, the material exhibits both a higher superconducting transition temperature and the ability to carry current without resistance. While disorder usually destroys this effect, we observed the opposite: defects can serve as a resource for creating more stable superconductors that operate at higher temperatures,' explains Alexey Vagov, Professor at HSE MIEM and co-author of the study.
Calculations confirm that this approach is effective for various types of disorder, ranging from random impurities to specially engineered superlattices. It is particularly promising for multilayer materials, where clean and disordered layers can be alternated; for compounds based on magnesium and boron (MgB₂), in which one electronic band enhances local superconductivity while the other facilitates current flow; and for materials with flat electronic bands, where electron pairing occurs more readily. Graphene- and graphite-based systems are also considered promising, as regular superstructures can form that alter electronic properties and promote stronger superconductivity. In the future, this could enable the development of materials in which defects and impurities do not hinder, but rather enhance, superconductivity.
The study was conducted with support from the Russian Science Foundation (Project 075-15-2025-010) and the HSE Basic Research Programme, using the university's HPC cluster.
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An international team that included Prof. Marina Butovskaya from HSE University studied how willing parents are to care for a child depending on the child’s resemblance to them. The researchers found that similarity to the mother or father affects the level of care provided by parents and grandparents differently. Moreover, this relationship varies across Russia, Brazil, and the United States, reflecting deep cultural differences in family structures in these countries. The study's findings have been published in Social Evolution & History.
When a Virus Steps on a Mine: Ancient Mechanism of Infected Cell Self-Destruction Discovered
When a virus enters a cell, it disrupts the cell’s normal functions. It was previously believed that the cell's protective response to the virus triggered cellular self-destruction. However, a study involving bioinformatics researchers at HSE University has revealed a different mechanism: the cell does not react to the virus itself but to its own transcripts, which become abnormally long. The study has been published in Nature.
Researchers Identify Link between Bilingualism and Cognitive Efficiency
An international team of researchers, including scholars from HSE University, has discovered that knowledge of a foreign language can improve memory performance and increase automaticity when solving complex tasks. The higher a person’s language proficiency, the stronger the effect. The results have been published in the journal Brain and Cognition.
Artificial Intelligence Transforms Employment in Russian Companies
Russian enterprises rank among the world’s top ten leaders in AI adoption. In 2023, nearly one-third of domestic companies reported using artificial intelligence. According to a new study by Larisa Smirnykh, Professor at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences, the impact of digitalisation on employment is uneven: while the introduction of AI in small and large enterprises led to a reduction in the number of employees, in medium-sized companies, on the contrary, it contributed to job growth. The article has been published in Voprosy Ekonomiki.
Lost Signal: How Solar Activity Silenced Earth's Radiation
Researchers from HSE University and the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences analysed seven years of data from the ERG (Arase) satellite and, for the first time, provided a detailed description of a new type of radio emission from near-Earth space—the hectometric continuum, first discovered in 2017. The researchers found that this radiation appears a few hours after sunset and disappears one to three hours after sunrise. It was most frequently observed during the summer months and less often in spring and autumn. However, by mid-2022, when the Sun entered a phase of increased activity, the radiation had completely vanished—though the scientists believe the signal may reappear in the future. The study has been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics.
‘Engagement in the Scientific Process’: HSE Launches Master’s Programme in Neurobiology
The HSE University Academic Council has elected to launch a new Master's programme in Neurobiology for students majoring in Biology. Students of the programme will have access to unique equipment and research groups, providing them with the knowledge and experience to pursue careers in science, medicine and pharmacy, IT and neurotechnology, and education and HR services.
Banking Crises Drive Biodiversity Loss
Economists from HSE University, MGIMO University, and Bocconi University have found that financial crises have a significant negative impact on biodiversity and the environment. This relationship appears to be bi-directional: as global biodiversity declines, the likelihood of new crises increases. The study examines the status of populations encompassing thousands of species worldwide over the past 50 years. The article has been published in Economics Letters, an international journal.
Scientists Discover That the Brain Responds to Others’ Actions as if They Were Its Own
When we watch someone move their finger, our brain doesn’t remain passive. Research conducted by scientists from HSE University and Lausanne University Hospital shows that observing movement activates the motor cortex as if we were performing the action ourselves—while simultaneously ‘silencing’ unnecessary muscles. The findings were published in Scientific Reports.
Russian Scientists Investigate Age-Related Differences in Brain Damage Volume Following Childhood Stroke
A team of Russian scientists and clinicians, including Sofya Kulikova from HSE University in Perm, compared the extent and characteristics of brain damage in children who experienced a stroke either within the first four weeks of life or before the age of two. The researchers found that the younger the child, the more extensive the brain damage—particularly in the frontal and parietal lobes, which are responsible for movement, language, and thinking. The study, published in Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology, provides insights into how age can influence the nature and extent of brain lesions and lays the groundwork for developing personalised rehabilitation programmes for children who experience a stroke early in life.
Scientists Test Asymmetry Between Matter and Antimatter
An international team, including scientists from HSE University, has collected and analysed data from dozens of experiments on charm mixing—the process in which an unstable charm meson oscillates between its particle and antiparticle states. These oscillations were observed only four times per thousand decays, fully consistent with the predictions of the Standard Model. This indicates that no signs of new physics have yet been detected in these processes, and if unknown particles do exist, they are likely too heavy to be observed with current equipment. The paper has been published in Physical Review D.