New kind of superconductor immune to magnetic fields?

It appears that National High Magnetic Field Laboratory scientists at Florida State University have discovered some unexpected properties in a novel superconducting material that indicate an entirely new class of superconductor.

It's long been known that the superconducting state, which is a quantum collective state of the conductors in a material, expels magnetic fields from a solid. But at sufficiently high fields, the field will penetrate and destroy the superconducting state. But the superconducting state in the recently formulated iron oxyarsenide superconductor has remained stable in a magnetic field all the way up to a whopping 45 Tesla, far past the critical field points at which all known superconductors become normal conductors.

This is significant for future technology. To quote the article: "A high tolerance for magnetic field is one of three key properties researchers hope for in superconductors. Also desirable are the abilities to operate at relatively high temperatures and in the presence of high electrical currents. Superconductors are used to make MRI and research magnets, and now they are being tested in a new generation of superconducting electric motors, generators, transformers and power transmission lines. Today, the most powerful superconducting magnet generates a field of about 26 Tesla. If a superconductor could be found that tolerates a higher current and field, it may make possible more powerful magnets, opening up vast new research areas to scientists and power applications."

See Eurekalert.