It’s been 40 years since the first demonstration of high-temperature superconductivity. A new article published in Nature written by UC Davis physicists Inna Vishik and Warren Pickett takes a retrospective look at “this strange state of matter.”

The discovery of room-temperature superconductors would open a huge range of applications and new technologies. There are no physical laws that rule out such materials, according to a recent perspectives article by a group of scientists including Warren Pickett, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of physics and astronomy at UC Davis.

Professor Inna Vishik joins 18 other researchers from across the nation who will each receive a five-year, $1.25 million grant to pursue new research goals and explore uncharted, innovative ideas.

During a recent Dean’s Faculty Fellow Public Talk, Inna Vishik guided attendees through “Superconductivity: The Hype and the Reality.” The lecture took a sobering look at the field while also providing insight into the latest research developments from Vishik and her UC Davis colleagues.

In a study appearing in Review of Scientific Instruments, UC Davis researchers report a refined NMR method for investigating condensed matter materials, improving the sensitivity of the method by roughly 1,000 times.