A New Form of Matter 2 - Fermionic Condensates

Fermionic condensates might help.

The biggest problem with today's superconductors is that -135°C is the warmest temperature at which any of them can operate. The liquid nitrogen or other cryogenics needed to cool the wires down make any apparatus using superconductors expensive and bulky. Engineers would rather work with superconductors at room temperatures.

"The strength of pairing in our fermionic condensate, adjusted for mass and density, would correspond to a room-temperature superconductor," notes Jin. "This makes me optimistic that the fundamental physics we learn through fermionic condensates will help others design more practical superconducting materials."

Pairs of fermions can get together and act like bosons. In this diagram, the spins of paired particles are aligned. In Jin's work they are opposite.

NASA has many uses for superconductors. For instance, gyros that keep satellites oriented could use frictionless bearings made from superconducting magnets, improving their precision. Also, because superconductors can carry the same amount of current as copper in a much smaller wire, the superconducting electric motors aboard spacecraft could be 4 to 6 times smaller than ordinary motors, saving precious volume and weight.

Others speculate that superconductors could play a role in a permanent Moon base, such as the one in President Bush's recently announced vision for future human exploration of space. Superconductors would be a natural choice for ultra-efficient power generation and transmission, because ambient temperatures plummet to -173 °C during the long lunar night. And during the months-long journey to Mars, a "table top" MRI machine made possible by superconducting wire would be a powerful diagnosis tool to help ensure the health of the crew.

The Moon. Mars. There's no telling where fermionic condensates might take us. Definitely beyond grade school....

Writer's note: This story mentions six phases of matter: solids, liquids, gases, plasmas, BECs and fermionic condensates. Physicists debate the total. You could add to the list many other forms such as liquid crystals, glasses, ferromagnets, paramagnets and so on. Do fermionic condensates rightly belong among the major categories, like liquids and solids, or with less fundamental subdivisions such as liquid crystals? This question will be answered in the months and years ahead as researchers learn more about the properties of coalescing fermions.