"Unveiling the Timeless Influence of an Old Law on Quirky Quantum Materials"

A theoretical study by researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, and the University of Illinois suggests that the 170-year-old Wiedemann-Franz law, which relates the ratio of electronic conductivity to thermal conductivity in metals, still approximately holds for copper oxide superconductors (cuprates), a type of quantum material. The researchers propose that other factors, such as vibrations in the material's atomic lattice, may account for experimental results that make it seem like the law does not apply. This finding is significant for understanding unconventional superconductors and other quantum materials.