A new type of metallic state of matter has been discovered by an international team of researchers studying a superconductor made from carbon-60 molecules or "buckyballs". The team found the new state after changing the distance between neighbouring buckyballs by doping the material with tiny amounts of rubidium. The study reveals that the material has a rich combination of insulating, magnetic, metallic and superconducting phases – including the hitherto unknown state, which the researchers have dub a "Jahn–Teller metal".
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Ref: Optimized unconventional superconductivity in a molecular Jahn-Teller metal. Science Advances (2015) | DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1500059
New state of matter identified - Could help create unique superconductors
