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Maw-Kuen Wu talks with
ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about
this month's New Hot Paper in the field of Physics.
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Article Title: Superconductivity in the PbO-type
structure alpha-FeSe
Authors: Hsu, FC;Luo, JY;Yeh, KW;Chen, TK;Huang, TW;Wu, PM;Lee,
YC;Huang, YL;Chu, YY;Yan, DC;Wu, MK
Journal: PROC NAT ACAD SCI USA, Volume: 105, Issue: 38, Page:
14262-14264, Year: SEP 23 2008
* Acad Sinica, Inst Phys, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
* Acad Sinica, Inst Phys, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
* Natl Tsing Hua Univ, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, Hsinchu 30013,
Taiwan.
* Duke Univ, Dept Phys, Durham, NC 27708 USA.
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Why do you think your paper is highly cited?
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of
knowledge?
This paper describes the discovery of a new Fe-based superconductor which
has the simplest structure among all the Fe-based superconductors. It also
contains materials that are much easier to handle than those found in other
iron-pnictide superconductors, so that it has attracted the attention of
other research groups throughout the world who are involved in the study of
this new and exciting class of materials. Our paper describes, in great
detail, the synthesis and physical properties of the newly discovered
material.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman’s terms?
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"I believe the discovery of this new class of Fe-based
superconductors has already made an impact in the
field..."
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There are several important points described in our paper:
- The new class of Fe-based superconductors may also exist in other
classes of materials, not limited to only pnictide.
- The superconductivity observed in an Fe-based superconductor is closely
related to the structural distortion observed at a temperature much higher
than the superconducting transition temperature.
- The material is much easier to handle, so that more research groups
around the world are able to participate in the research of this new class
of materials.
How did you become involved in this
research, and were there any problems along the way?
We have been working on transition chalcogenides for quite a while. The
only problem, which is not a critical one, is how to better control the
material stoichiometry in the synthesis process.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
We believe the research community will develop a better knowledge and more
detailed information on FeSe and related compounds. And that these results
will undoubtedly play a major role in the understanding of
superconductivity in Fe-based superconductors.
Do you foresee any social or political
implications for your research?
I believe the discovery of this new class of Fe-based superconductors has
already made an impact in the field, not only among members of the research
community, but also to funding agencies worldwide.
Maw-Kuen Wu, Ph.D.
Director
Institute of Physics
Academia Sinica
Taipei, Taiwan
KEYWORDS: ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES; FE-OXYPNICTIDE; COMPOUND.
