Room-temperature superconductivity in an artificial 2D Mott-insulating square lattice and its advanced condensed phase that generates a low-loss current in the atmosphere: A possible perpetual motion machine

TL;DR

This study reports the creation of a room-temperature superconductor in a 2D Mott-insulating lattice that maintains zero resistance in atmospheric conditions, potentially enabling perpetual low-loss current flow.

Contribution

It demonstrates a novel method to induce room-temperature superconductivity in an artificial 2D lattice through temperature cycling and Mott insulator formation, challenging existing energy paradigms.

Findings

Zero resistance achieved at 60 K and persists up to 300 K in atmosphere.

Critical current of 18.8 mA and critical field of 12 T measured.

Evidence of low-loss current generation from the superconductor interface.

Abstract

A 2D metallic phononic crystal (PnC), which is fabricated by drilling periodic holes in a suspended niobium (Nb) film, is repeatedly cooled and warmed in the temperature range of 2--300 K. During the first five temperature cycles, the resistance of the metallic PnC gradually increases in accordance with the Friedel sum rule, indicating that narrow Nb bridges between adjacent thru-holes are converted into $d$-orbital-filled Mott insulators. The consequent 2D Mott-insulating square lattice is a crystallographic analog of a copper oxide layer in high-temperature superconductors such as YBCO and BSCCO. Subsequent temperature cycles of the thus produced ideal Hubbard crystal realize zero resistance at 60 K, and the zero-resistance state remains up to 300 K, being retained in the atmosphere (i.e., at room temperature, in a terrestrial magnetic field, and under atmospheric pressure). The necessity of the latter temperature cycles remains unclear in this study; however, a possible transition mechanism involving the combined Josephson and charging effects is discussed. The critical current and critical field of the room-temperature superconductor (RTSC) are $I_{C}$ = 18.8 mA and $\mu_{0}H_{\perp}$ = 12 T, respectively. Once a large current exceeding $I_{C}$ is applied to the RTSC, some of the $d$ electrons are forced out, and a special interface consisting of the p-type semiconducting and superconducting states is formed. Carriers diffuse because of the nonequilibrium charge concentration, but they are Andreev-reflected back. In the reversible, thermally isolated system, the entropy never increases, and a simple experiment confirms a low-loss current generated from the interface spontaneously. That is, this study challenges the forbidden perpetual motion machine which can be a solution to the World energy crisis.