Superconductors found in Meteorites

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 Meteorites are known to have a wide range of materials due to their extreme environment. They are under constant heat, pressure and gravitational force. Hence it is possible to have rare materials on it, which might not be on the Earth. These all make them the perfect target to search superconductors. Meteorites are chemically inhomogeneous, which means they have non-uniform chemical composition. The superconductivity in meteorites might not be permanent. It can last for few minutes also. This makes the search for superconductivity even more difficult. To overcome this difficulty the astronomers have developed ultrasensitive MFMMS (Magnetic Field Modulated Microwave Spectroscopy).

The MFMMS is a technique to measure superconductivity very precisely. Sensitivity is the key feature of this technique. This makes astronomers possible to measure superconductivity which lasted for a very short time. MFMMS is also used to detect the superconductivity in many alloys and bulk materials apart from meteorites. 

Meteorites can preserve some of the oldest materials in the solar system. This is because the meteorites can withstand several gigapascals of pressure and several thousand degrees of heat. That's why they have quasicrystals (crystals that are ordered but not periodic). These crystals are not found in terrestrial conditions. 

Researchers studied about 15 meteorites and out of them, they detected superconductivity in two meteorites, namely Mundrabilla and GRA 95205. Mundrabilla is an iron meteorite with an excess of FeS. It has an extremely slow cooling time, about 3 degree Celsius/year. GRA 95205 is a ureilite meteorite. Ureilites are unique stony meteorites with a high percentage of carbon. They sometimes contain a diamond, graphite and other forms of carbon. Meteorites with such unique chemical composition are likely to show superconductivity. 

First, the MFMMS made observations on Mundrabilla. After applying low direct current (DC) it showed a magnetic field of about 15 Oe. The transition temperature detected was 6K. These characteristics clearly show superconductivity. A similar observation was done on GRA 95205. It showed the same magnetic field at 5.5K temperature. The samples of both the meteorites showed strong diamagnetic property (opposing the magnetic field). This further confirmed the superconductivity.


  

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