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Nature 452, 542-543 (3 April 2008) | doi:10.1038/452542a; Published online 2 April 2008
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Professor of Urology (W3)
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena
- Jena 07740 Germany
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- University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University
- Edinburgh United Kingdom
Condensed-matter physics: Opposite of a superconductor
Rosario Fazio1
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Abstract
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.
- 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
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