Superconductivity is a popular topic for student research at Wesleyan. When some metals are cooled by placing them in liquid helium, they attain zero resistance to electrical current. This phenomenon is called superconductivity.

In the 1980s, superconductivity was discovered in a class of ceramic materials. These materials do not need to be nearly as cold. Superconductivity is used in applications requiring high currents, such as magnetic resonance imaging equipment in hospitals. Superconductivity is a subject of much active research today.

The photo below shows the cold finger of our helium dilution refrigerator.The yttrium-barium-copper-oxide superconductor is the black cylinder with the four wires attached.