Breakthrough in Superconductivity: Unveiling the Quantum Secrets of H3S

Breakthrough in Superconductivity: Unveiling the Quantum Secrets of H3S

Published by Quantum Server Networks | April 25, 2025

High-pressure superconductivity image

In a remarkable scientific breakthrough, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry have achieved what was long considered impossible: direct observation of the superconducting gap in hydrogen-rich compounds like H3S using high-pressure electron tunneling spectroscopy. This novel technique now unlocks unprecedented insight into the quantum behavior of materials that may one day revolutionize power transmission, magnetic levitation, and quantum computing.

Superconductivity—where materials conduct electricity with zero resistance—has captivated scientists for over a century. But until recently, practical limitations prevented most superconductors from operating at temperatures anywhere near room temperature. That changed with the discovery of high-pressure superconductors like hydrogen sulfide (H3S) in 2015, which exhibited superconductivity at an astonishing 203 Kelvin (-70°C), and later, lanthanum decahydride (LaH10), reaching 250 K (-23°C).

Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy: Peering Into Quantum Realms

To truly understand superconductivity, scientists must measure the superconducting gap—a key property that reveals how electrons pair up to form a frictionless state. However, the extreme pressures required to create these hydrogen-rich materials (over 1 million atmospheres) made traditional techniques like scanning tunneling microscopy unfeasible.

That's where the team in Mainz stepped in. They developed a new planar tunneling junction that can operate under these incredible pressures, successfully measuring the gap in H3S and its isotope variant, D3S. Their findings: a superconducting gap of 60 meV for H3S and 44 meV for D3S.

This difference affirms that superconductivity in these compounds is driven by electron-phonon interactions, a long-theorized mechanism involving lattice vibrations—now finally verified with microscopic evidence.

What This Means for the Future of Superconductors

Dr. Feng Du, lead author of the study, hopes this pioneering method will now be applied to other hydride superconductors, accelerating the path toward discovering new materials that work at room temperature and lower pressures. The late Dr. Mikhail Eremets, a titan in high-pressure superconductivity research, had anticipated this moment, calling the study “the most important work in the field since the discovery of superconductivity in H3S.”

Room-temperature superconductors could transform our world—enabling super-efficient power grids, levitating trains, and scalable quantum processors. Thanks to this breakthrough, we are one step closer to this reality.

📚 Read the full article on Phys.org: High-pressure electron tunneling spectroscopy reveals nature of superconductivity in hydrogen-rich compounds

🔬 DOI link to the scientific paper in Nature: 10.1038/s41586-025-08895-2

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