Low-temperature superconductivity has been known since 1957 to be described by BCS theory for effective single-band metals controlled by the density of states at the Fermi level, very far from band edges, the electron–phonon coupling constant l, and the energy of the boson in the pairing interaction w0, but BCS has failed to predict high-temperature superconductivity in different materials above about 23 K. High-temperature superconductivity above 35 K, since 1986, has been a matter of materials science, where manipulating the lattice complexity of high-temperature superconducting ceramic oxides (HTSCs) has driven materials scientists to grow new HTSC quantum materials up to 138 K in HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8 (Hg1223) at ambient pressure and near room temperature in pressurized hydrides. This perspective covers the major results of materials scientists over the last 39 years in terms of investigating the role of lattice inhomogeneity detected in these new quantum complex materials. We highlight the nanoscale heterogeneity in these complex materials and elucidate their special role played in the physics of HTSCs. Especially, it is highlighted that the geometry of lattice and charge complex heterogeneity at the nanoscale is essential and intrinsic in the mechanism of rising quantum coherence at high temperatures.

The question as to why deoxidized SrTiO3−δ becomes metallic and superconducting at extremely low levels of oxygen vacancy concentration has been a mystery for many decades. Here, we show that the real amount of effused oxygen during thermal reduction, which is needed to induce superconducting properties, is in the range of only 1014/cm3 and thus even lower than the critical carrier concentrations assumed previously (1017–1019/cm3). By performing detailed investigations of the optical and electrical properties down to the nanoscale, we reveal that filaments are forming during reduction along a network of dislocations in the surface layer. Hence, a reduced epi-polished SrTiO3−δ crystal has to be regarded as a nano-composite consisting of a perfect dielectric matrix with negligible carrier density, which is short-circuited by metallic filaments with a local carrier density in the range of 1020/cm3. We present that electro-degradation leads to a more pronounced evolution of filamentary bundles and thus can generate a superconducting state with higher TC than thermal reduction. These findings indicate that traditional homogeneous models of superconductivity in self-doped SrTiO3−δ need to be revised, and we propose an alternative explanation taking into account the coexistence of metallic dislocation cores with polar insulating regions allowing for polaronic coupling.

Early on, oxides were ruled out from superconductivity, since they are typically large-band-gap insulators. Nevertheless, a rather small number of them were found to be superconducting, with transition temperatures up to 14 K and a remarkably low carrier density. This was the starting point of K. Alex Müller (KAM) becoming interested in superconductivity in oxides. Step by step, he advanced the research on oxides and finally discovered, together with J. Georg Bednorz, high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) in the perovskite-type compound Ba-La-Cu-O. Even though he was inspired by specific and clear ideas in his search, he added new impact in the understanding of HTSC for many years after receipt of the Nobel prize for this discovery.

In this review we concentrate on the work of K. Alex Muller in connection with his activities on oxide perovskites and ferroelectrics which were central to his research career long before he successfully discovered the first high temperature superconductor (HTSC) together with J. G. Bednorz in 1986. Not accidentally, but taking his long experience in perovskite ferroelectrics into account, the first HTSC was an oxide perovskite which had never been considered before to be superconducting.

The Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors of the GE1/1 station of the CMS experiment have been operated in the CMS magnetic field for the first time on the 7(th) of October 2021. During the magnetic field ramps, several discharge phenomena were observed, leading to instability in the GEM High Voltage (HV) power system. In order to reproduce the behavior, it was decided to conduct a dedicated test at the CERN North Area with the Goliath magnet, using four GE1/1 spare chambers. The test consisted in studying the characteristics of discharge events that occurred in different detector configurations and external conditions. Multiple magnetic field ramps were performed in sequence: patterns in the evolution of the discharge rates were observed with these data. The goal of this test is the understanding of the experimental conditions inducing discharges and short circuits in a GEM foil.The results of this test lead to the development of procedure for the optimal operation and performance of GEM detectors in the CMS experiment during the magnet ramps. Another important result is the estimation of the probability of short circuit generation, at 68 % confidence level, p(short)(HV OFF) = 0.42(-0.35)(+0.94)% with detector HV OFF and p(short)(HV OFF) < 0.49% with the HV ON. These numbers are specific for the detectors used during this test, but they provide a first quantitative indication on the phenomenon, and a point of comparison for future studies adopting the same procedure.

We report on measurements of the oxygen isotope (16O/18O) effect (OIE) on the transition temperature ��c and the zero-temperature in-plane magnetic penetration depth ��ab(0) in the stoichiometric cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu4O8 by means of muon-spin rotation/relaxation. An analysis of the temperature evolution of ��-2 ab in terms of coexisting isotropic ��-wave and anisotropic ��-wave order parameters (�� + ��-wave) reveals that the OIE on the superfluid density ��s(0) & PROP; ��-2ab (0) stems predominantly from the ��-wave component while the contribution of the ��-wave one is almost zero. The OIE on the transition temperature ��c is found to be rather small: ����c/��c = -0.32(7)%, compared to the total OIE on the superfluid density ��s(0): ����s(0)/��s(0) = -2.8(1.0)%. The partial OIE's on the corresponding ��-wave and ��-wave components of ��s(0) are ����s,d(0)/��s(0) = -3.0(1.2)%, and ����s,s(0)/��s(0) = 0.2(1.2)%, respectively. Our results demonstrate that polaron formation in the CuO2 planes is the origin of the observed OIE in the ��-wave channel. In the much weaker ��-wave channel, fermionic quasiparticles are present, which do not contribute to the OIE on ��s(0). Our results support the original idea of K. Alex Muller on the polaronic nature of the supercarriers in high-temperature cuprate superconductors.

The upgrade of the CMS detector for the high luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will include gas electron multiplier (GEM) detectors in the end-cap muon spectrometer. Due to the limited supply of large area GEM detectors, the Korean CMS (KCMS) collaboration had formed a consortium with Mecaro Co., Ltd. to serve as a supplier of GEM foils with area of approximately 0.6 m2. The consortium has developed a double-mask etching technique for production of these large-sized GEM foils. This article describes the production, quality control, and quality assessment (QA/QC) procedures and the mass production status for the GEM foils. Validation procedures indicate that the structure of the Korean foils are in the designed range. Detectors employing the Korean foils satisfy the requirements of the HL-LHC in terms of the effective gain, response uniformity, rate capability, discharge probability, and hardness against discharges. No aging phenomena were observed with a charge collection of 82 mC cm-2. Mass production of KCMS GEM foils is currently in progress.

In this article, we review the essential properties of high-temperature superconducting cuprates, which are unconventional isotope effects, heterogeneity, and lattice responses. Since their discovery was based on ideas stemming from Jahn–Teller polarons, their special role, together with the Jahn–Teller effect itself, is discussed in greater detail. We conclude that the underlying physics of cuprates cannot stem from purely electronic mechanisms, but that the intricate interaction between lattice and charge is at its origin.

Some puzzling and unexplained observations regarding the cubic to "tetragonal" phase transition at TS = 282 K in the almost-multiferroic perovskite EuTiO3 have been reanalyzed to obtain deeper insight into the true structure and magnetic activity evolving below TS. For this purpose, birefringence and high-quality synchrotron x-ray-diffraction (XRD) data have been used where zero magnetic field data are compared to data under the influence of a direction-dependent magnetic field. The birefringence data have been analyzed with respect to the angle dependence of the domain orientation from which the dominance of the monoclinic symmetry is unambiguously proven. The XRD structural data have been taken as input to derive the magnetic exchange constants, the related Neel temperatures TN, and the energies of the possible magnetic ground states. Taking both results together we conclude that below TS the symmetry cannot be tetragonal, but only monoclinic followed by another symmetry lowering transition around T * approximate to 210 K. In addition, the involved magnetic exchange interactions have been calculated based on the experimental lattice constants, and it is shown that these support the conclusion that any kind of magnetism stems from a competition of the various ground-state energies and consequently induces a highly frustrated magnetically active state near room temperature.

The series of upgrades to the Large Hadron Collider, culminating in the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider, will enable a significant expansion of the physics program of the CMS experiment. However, the accelerator upgrades will also make the experimental conditions more challenging, with implications for detector operations, triggering, and data analysis. The luminosity of the proton-proton collisions is expected to exceed 2-3 x 10(34) cm(-2) s(-1) for Run 3 (starting in 2022), and it will be at least 5 x 10(34) cm(-2) s(-1) when the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider is completed for Run 4. These conditions will affect muon triggering, identification, and measurement, which are critical capabilities of the experiment. To address these challenges, additional muon detectors are being installed in the CMS endcaps, based on Gas Electron Multiplier technology. For this purpose, 161 large triple-Gas Electron Multiplier detectors have been constructed and tested. Installation of these devices began in 2019 with the GE1/1 station and will be followed by two additional stations, GE2/1 and MEO, to be installed in 2023 and 2026, respectively. The assembly and quality control of the GE1/1 detectors were distributed across several production sites around the world. We motivate and discuss the quality control procedures that were developed to standardize the performance of the detectors, and we present the final results of the production. Out of 161 detectors produced, 156 detectors passed all tests, and 144 detectors are now installed in the CMS experiment. The various visual inspections, gas tightness tests, intrinsic noise rate characterizations, and effective gas gain and response uniformity tests allowed the project to achieve this high success rate.

The B$^0_s$ and B$^+$ production yields are measured in PbPb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV. The data sample, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.7 nb$^{-1}$. The mesons are reconstructed in the exclusive decay channels B$^0_s$ $\to$ J/$\psi(\mu^+\mu^-)\phi($K$^+$K$^-)$ and B$^+$ $\to$ J/$\psi(\mu^+\mu^-)$K$^+$, in the transverse momentum range 7-50 GeV/c and absolute rapidity 0-2.4. The B$^0_s$ meson is observed with a statistical significance in excess of five standard deviations for the first time in nucleus-nucleus collisions. The measurements are performed as functions of the transverse momentum of the B mesons and of the PbPb collision centrality. The ratio of production yields of B$^0_s$ and B$^+$ is measured and compared to theoretical models that include quark recombination effects.

K.A. Müller took a long route in science leaving many traces and imprints, which have been and are still today initiations for further research activities. We “walk” along this outstanding path but are certainly not able to provide a complete picture of it, since the way was not always straight, often marked by unintended detours, which had novel impact on the international research society.

A combination of searches for top squark pair production using proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb(-1) collected by the CMS experiment, is presented. Signatures with at least 2 jets and large missing transverse momentum are categorized into events with 0, 1, or 2 leptons. New results for regions of parameter space where the kinematical properties of top squark pair production and top quark pair production are very similar are presented. Depending on themodel, the combined result excludes a top squarkmass up to 1325 GeV for amassless neutralino, and a neutralinomass up to 700 GeV for a top squarkmass of 1150 GeV. Top squarks with masses from 145 to 295 GeV, for neutralino masses from 0 to 100 GeV, with a mass difference between the top squark and the neutralino in a window of 30 GeV around the mass of the top quark, are excluded for the first time with CMS data. The results of theses searches are also interpreted in an alternative signal model of dark matter production via a spin-0 mediator in association with a top quark pair. Upper limits are set on the cross section for mediator particle masses of up to 420 GeV.

The Phase-II high luminosity upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is planned for 2023, significantly increasing the collision rate and therefore the background rate, particularly in the high $\eta$ region. To improve both the tracking and triggering of muons, the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Collaboration plans to install triple-layer Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors in the CMS muon endcaps. Demonstrator GEM detectors were installed in CMS during 2017 to gain operational experience and perform a preliminary investigation of detector performance. We present the results of triple-GEM detector performance studies performed in situ during normal CMS and LHC operations in 2018. The distribution of cluster size and the efficiency to reconstruct high $p_T$ muons in proton--proton collisions are presented as well as the measurement of the environmental background rate to produce hits in the GEM detector.

SrTiO_3, although a wide gap insulator, has long been known to become metallic and superconducting at extremely low doping levels. This has given rise to questions concerning the coexistence or interdependence of metallicity, superconductivity, and the material's polar properties. This issue becomes especially intriguing in conjunction with the observation that filamentary metallicity can be induced by means of resistive switching at conditions well below relevant doping levels for homogeneous metallicity. In this study, we demonstrate that resistive switching can also be employed to generate superconductivity at the superconducting transition temperature of T_c ≈ 0.2 K in SrTiO_3. By combining local characterization of the conductivity with theoretical analysis, we propose that the superconducting properties are associated with the electro-formation of columnar-like bundles with a diameter of 40-50 nm, consisting of metallic filaments surrounded by polar regions. We provide a theoretical model identifying the coexistence of metallic and polar regions as a prerequisite for the filamentary-like superconductivity observed.

The Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) foil is an amplification stage that has been introduced to overcome the problem of discharges observed in gaseous detectors. There are two major production techniques of GEM foils: double-mask and single-mask etching. Despite being an effective method, an asymmetry is observed between the top and bottom diameters of GEM holes in single mask technique compared to double mask one. In this paper we describe extensive simulations and measurements to study this hole asymmetry and its effect on the performance of GEM based detectors. The experimental data is collected using GEM foils of various hole geometries and orientations. In simulations, the same dimensions are used to study the properties of the detector. Simulations are performed with the Garfield++ simulation package along with ANSYS for creating the geometry of the GEM foils as well as the triple-GEM detector and the meshing needed for the field calculations. The simulation results match the observations from experimental studies. The gains measured with single and triple-GEM detectors are lower if asymmetric foils are oriented with the smaller diameters towards the readout plane. Detailed simulation of the amplification and collection steps indicates that the lower gain is attributed to a loss of electrons at the GEM3 foil for the first time.

The second-order Fourier coefficients (v(2)) characterizing the azimuthal distributions of Y(1S) and Y(2S) mesons produced in PbPb collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV are studied. The Y mesons are reconstructed in their dimuon decay channel, as measured by the CMS detector. The collected data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.7 nb(-1). The scalar product method is used to extract the v2 coefficients of the azimuthal distributions. Results are reported for the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar < 2.4, in the transverse momentum interval 0 < pT < 50 GeV/c, and in three centrality ranges of 10-30%, 30-50% and 50-90%. In contrast to the J/psi mesons, the measured v(2) values for the Y mesons are found to be consistent with zero. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.