Atomic Scale

Why the First Atomic-Scale View of a Nickelate Superconducting Gap Points to s-Wave Pairing, Not the Cuprate Playbook

Researchers have achieved the first atomic-scale view of a superconducting gap in bilayer nickelate films, revealing a U-shaped, nodeless structure. This spectral fingerprint indicates s-wave pairing symmetry, distinguishing it from the d-wave symmetry found in cuprate superconductors and suggesting a new path for high-temperature superconductivity research.