vortices

However, superconductors also contain tiny quantum structures known as vortices.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Scientists in Japan have discovered that tiny steps just one atom high can act like microscopic railroad tracks, guiding the movement of quantum vortices inside an ultrathin superconductor.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Using scanning tunneling microscopy, a technique capable of imaging surfaces at the atomic level, the researchers confirmed that the steps ran parallel to one another and directly observed vortices positioned along them.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

"Our study shows that atomic-scale steps can act as effective rails that guide superconducting vortices, and that this guiding effect can be tuned simply by changing the temperature or magnetic field," said Uchihashi.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Adam’s irises were light blue with dark radial lines leading into the vortices of his pupils.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck