Study: Quantum fluctuations are key in superconductors

(Rice University) New experiments on a recently discovered class of iron-based superconductors suggest that the ability of their electrons to conduct electricity without resistance is directly connected with the magnetic properties of those electrons. Appearing in the Jan. 8 issue of Physical Review Letters, the results by U.S. and Chinese physicists bolster theories that high-temperature superconductivity in materials called "iron pnictides" arises from quantum magnetic fluctuations.