High-field Reentrant Superconductivity in Nickelates

Published October 15, 2026

Evolution of the normal metal to superconductor phase boundaries with temperature and magnetic field for four nickelate thin films with different critical temperatures.

In nickelates, superconductivity vanishes—then surprisingly reappears and remains stable—as the magnetic field grows stronger. This discovery could open new possibilities for superconducting technologies that operate in extreme magnetic fields.

What is the finding

Scientists studying nickelates, an emerging family of superconducting materials, found that superconductivity can survive in surprisingly strong magnetic fields and, in some cases, even come back after disappearing. In certain nickelate samples, superconductivity vanished as the magnetic field increased and then reappeared at even higher field strengths. In other samples, superconductivity remained intact in magnetic fields of at least 65 tesla, more than 20 times stronger than a typical hospital MRI scanner. The researchers found that magnetism from europium atoms inside the material appears to partially cancel out the external magnetic field. Under the right conditions, this internal magnetic effect helps protect superconductivity instead of destroying it.

Why is this important?

Superconductors carry electricity without resistance, but strong magnetic fields usually destroy this ability. This work points to a different approach: engineering magnetism within a material to help protect superconductivity. This strategy could lead to more powerful superconducting magnets, sensors, and quantum devices that operate under extreme magnetic fields.

Who did the research?

K. Rubi¹, K. Y. Yip², E. Krenkel¹, N. Fitriyah², X. Gao², S. Prakash², S. L. E. Chow², C. S. Tang², T. F. Poon³, S. K. Goh³, S. M. Thomas¹, A. P. Dioguardi¹, O. E. Ayala-Valenzuela¹, M.B. H. Breese², M. K. Chan¹, D. Graf⁴, A. Ariando², and N. Harrison¹

¹Los Alamos National Laboratory ²National University of Singapore ³The Chinese University of Hong Kong ⁴National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

Why did they need the MagLab?

This unusual behavior could only be seen in magnetic fields far beyond those available in ordinary laboratories. The MagLab’s unique facilities provide fields up to 75 tesla, along with specialized low-temperature equipment and expertise for measuring tiny electrical and magnetic signals under these extreme conditions. These capabilities allowed researchers to track superconductivity as it disappeared, reappeared, and persisted under conditions unavailable at most laboratories.