In a refreshing new study, scientists have found a superconducting material inside one of the biggest meteorites on earth located in Australia! This significant study could point towards proper utilization of materials from outer space!
Superconductors are known as the material which can conduct electrical current easily and without resistance. These are the materials being desired by quantum computer companies and other tech companies hoping to efficiently improve the way energy is transferred.
The existence of superconductivity elsewhere
According to Ivan Schuller one of the lead authors of the study from the University of California San Diego in a statement given to Gizmodo, "The big takeaway is that there is superconductivity in the sky, naturally occurring,"
According to Schuller, the main focus is not just meteorites but rather superconductors! Just six years ago, the team under Schuller started to use a technology called the Magnetic Field Modulated Microwave Spectroscopy or MFMMS.
The MFMMS methodology starts with the scientist piecing together tiny sample fragments into a cavity which is filled with microwaves along with an oscillating magnetic field right before cooling it. Then the samples show transition from the known conductors into superconductors, the process in which they absorb microwaves changes drastically!
The findings on the largest meteorites and its implications
A graduate student by the name of James Wampler had finally measured the superconducting transition between two different meteorite fragments namely the Mundrabilla meteorite as well as the GRA 95205. The superconducting material found was an alloy classified with indium, lead, and tin, which confirm this material as superconductors previously known to scientists!
Since it is the very first evidence of superconductivity in space, this study has made a huge progress for humanity as Wampler tells Gizmo that "I don't remember the moment when I found it," continuing with "Your first reaction is that it's faking you out, it's something else. It's very cynical, not in a bad way, but being cynical makes you double check yourself."
The findings were brought to scientists Yimei Zhu as well as Shaobo Cheng at the Brookhaven National Lab to be properly inspected using electron microscopes. Once properly confirmed, the study should be a solid find.
The implications of these alloys
According to Munir Humayan, "The problem with non-obvious sources of contamination is that they aren't obvious," and that "This paper opens the door on an entire field of inquiry to look at rare metals like these indium-tin-lead alloys not known from meteorites previously."
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The findings have shown that for meteorites to develop superconductors, their components would have had undergone chemical changes which involve heating and recrystallization during a solar systems very formation. Although the alloy is not a superconductor when placed in room temperature, there are still quite a few locations in space that have a 5-degrees-Kevlar temperature.
The possible implications of these superconducting meteors could entail the disruption of magnetic fields surrounding Earth resulting in phenomena which is then potentially visible to the telescopes on Earth. This hypothesis may still require a lot more evidence, modeling, and research to hold strong ground.
