Tomasz Durakiewicz, John Joyce, Kevin Graham, Yinwan Li – Los Alamos Alamos National Laboratory

1. Observations of a kink in the dispersion of f-electronsJoseph J. Bisognano, University of Wisconsin-Madison, DMR 0537588 Intellectual Merit: In every electronic device a noticeable amount of the electricity flowing through it is wasted. As the electricity flows through the device it encounters resistance which heats up the device and prevents it from performing optimally. This issue can be solved by a physics phenomenon known as superconductivity. Superconductivity happens when matter becomes so cold that all electrical resistance disappears. With no resistance there is no heat and the electricity can flow much more efficiently. Using synchrotron radiation produced at the Synchrotron Radiation Center a team from the Los Alamos National Laboratory team studied the electron configurations of f-electrons (outer shell of the atom) in a handful of different elements such as uranium. These observations resulted in witnessing peculiar behaviors and patterns in these atom’s structures which have potential connections to creating higher temperature superconductors. High resolution angle resolved photoemission spectra taken at SRC showing the location of the kink in the dispersion of f-electrons. Tomasz Durakiewicz, John Joyce, Kevin Graham, Yinwan Li – Los Alamos Alamos National Laboratory SRC 2010_1

2. Observations of a kink in the dispersion of f-electrons Joseph J. Bisognano, University of Wisconsin-Madison, DMR 0537588 Broader Impacts: One of today's main hurdles in maintaining a superconducting state is that it must be at extremely low temperatures such as -321°F which is costly. The benefits of superconducting materials are apparent when looking at the efficiency of power transmission through the electric grid. Currently the combination of inefficiencies in power production combined with running the electricity through thousands of miles of wire results in less than a 30% efficiency due to the wasteful conversion into heat. Having a substance that can remain in a superconducting state at warmer temperatures is less costly and makes streamlining this technology more feasible. Work supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Division of Materials Science and Engineering, and the LANL LDRD Program. The SRC is operated under NSF Grant No. DMR-0537588. SRC 2010 _ 2