Can light spark superconductivity? A new study reignites debate

Brief blasts of light might make some materials into fleeting superconductors. A new study strengthens the case for this controversial claim, first made more than a decade ago. But while some physicists are convinced, others remain skeptical.

Superconductors transmit electricity without resistance, typically only at low temperatures. But since 2011, some scientists have claimed that certain materials, when hit with intense, ultrashort laser pulses, can briefly become superconductors at temperatures far above their normal limit, including room temperature. 

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