RECENT DEVELOPMENT IN THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF SUPERCONDUCTIVITY

Superconductivity is an active research field that has simulated a wide variety of scientific studies and technological development. The intense research in high-temperature superconductivity since 1986 has revealed various phenomena that challenge the conventional notion of metals and superconductors. This paper reviews some of the key issues associated with high-temperature superconductivity and also reports our experimental investigation that intends to address some of them. Potential applications of high-temperature superconductivity based on our experimental findings are also discussed. In addition, recent advances in conventional superconducting technology are described in the context of enabling new possibilities for studying fundamental physics with unprecedented precision. Some examples for such studies include precise measurements of the critical phenomena and phase transitions in quantum fluids, the equation of state of the saturated vapor coexisting with quantum fluids, and Bose-Einstein condensation of strongly-interacting Bosons.