While superconductivity allows electrons to flow without energy loss, the flow is not continuous. Much like water flowing through a faucet appears smooth but is made up of individual droplets, continuous current is also made up of individual electrons that flow in tiny bursts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese small, unavoidable fluctuations in electron flow are called noise, and by listening to them we can learn how charge moves through a material,\u201d said Jong Han, PhD, professor in the UB Department of Physics, who was involved in the work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By analyzing the noise, the researchers measured the flow of electrons in iron and found it to be much like that in a Josephson junction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"superconductivity](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Junction.jpg\" "\\"US")
This illustration shows how superconductivity from vanadium (yellow) is transformed at the magnesium oxide barrier (green), enabling iron (blue) to form same-spin electron pairs and participate in Josephson-junction-like behavior. Photo:\u00a0Igor \u017duti\u0107\/University at Buffalo<\/p>\n
\u201cA typical Josephson junction with two superconductors is like two army battalions marching in step along opposite banks of a river. In our experiment, there was only one battalion \u2014 yet it\u2019s as if its marching caused citizens on the other side to form a militia and begin marching to the beat of a different drum,\u201d explained Igor \u017duti\u0107, professor in the Department of Physics at the University at Buffalo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why is this important?\u00a0<\/p>\n
This behavior was unexpected because iron is a ferromagnetic substance, which is quite the opposite of a superconductor. While spins of electron pairs in superconductors<\/a> are in opposite directions, those in ferromagnets are in only one direction. <\/p>\n Somehow, iron was able to make superconducting electron pairs, even though its spins were in the same direction.\u00a0The research team does not even have a theory to explain this behavior, but is excited about its potential applications.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe problem with conventional quantum computers is that even small environmental changes can throw off the spin of their electrons,\u201d added Zutic. \u201cWe want to find a way to lock an electron\u2019s spin into place, essentially, and same-spin pairing could hold some answers.\u201d<\/p>\n Another added advantage of this research is that, in the future, Josephson junctions could be made from ordinary materials, such as iron and magnesium oxide. Both of these materials are commonly used in hard drives and RAMs available today.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have added a superconducting twist to commercially viable devices,\u201d concluded \u017duti\u0107.\u00a0<\/p>\n