Cooper Pair Density Wave Persists Above Critical Temperature in Uranium Ditelluride

Physicists at the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign have observed that in uranium ditelluride a pair density wave—an arrangement of Cooper pairs—remains detectable even after the material’s bulk superconducting phase disappears. The finding suggests that superconducting correlations can survive beyond the conventional critical temperature.

Why it matters. The discovery challenges the traditional view of superconductivity as an all‑or‑nothing state and could inform the design of new materials with higher‑temperature superconducting properties.