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Nature 452, 542-543 (3 April 2008) | doi:10.1038/452542a; Published online 2 April 2008

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Condensed-matter physics: Opposite of a superconductor

Rosario Fazio1

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Magnetism and superconductivity are caused by spontaneous ordering on a macroscopic scale. Studies of a two-dimensional superconductor reveal another striking example of such behaviour — superinsulation.

What do fireflies and iron magnets have in common? The answer is collective behaviour: fireflies synchronize their flashes, whereas the magnetism in iron results from the alignment of atomic magnetic moments.

  1. Rosario Fazio is at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), via Beirut 2–4, I-34014 Trieste, Italy, and NEST-CNR-INFM, Pisa.
    Email: fazio@sns.it