Picosecond pulses push superconductors past critical-current limit

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) have shown that type-II superconductors can exceed their conventional critical-current limit when current is applied for only a few picoseconds. The finding could enable more powerful superconducting devices.

• Critical current is the maximum current a superconductor can carry without resistance
• Type-II superconductors exceeded the limit under picosecond-scale current pulses
• The work was done at the Max Planck Institute (MPSD)