Credit: Farrin Abbott/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
An illustration based on computer simulations shows stripes of electron charge (white atoms) and spin (red and blue atoms) in a copper-based superconducting material. The stripes are zones where electrons either pile up, creating bands of negative charge, or align their spins (arrows) in a particular pattern to create bands of magnetism. A computational study by researchers at SLAC and Stanford shows these stripes are present in a subtle, fluctuating form at high temperatures. The results will help researchers test theories about how stripes may be related to high-temperature superconductivity.