Electron orbitals may hold key to unifying concept of high-temperature superconductivity

A team of scientists has found evidence for a new type of electron pairing that may broaden the search for new high-temperature superconductors. The findings, described in the journal Science, provide the basis for a unifying description of how radically different "parent" materials--insulating copper-based compounds and metallic iron-based compounds--can develop the ability to carry electrical current with no resistance at strikingly high temperatures.