Our group, belonging to the Physics Department at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), develops models in the fields of superconductivity, magnetism, and nanotechnology, and the borders between them. Our goal is to analyze the physics in some interesting systems with potential applications. For this purpose, we collaborate with several groups around the world (see collaborations for a list of them).
Recent research on our group includes the development of an antimagnet for cloaking magnetic fields, the modelling of superconducting levitation systems with application in real maglev projects, the studies for optimizing magnetic nanoparticles as contrast agents for MRI, or the search for strategies to increase critical current in superconductors by the interaction with ferromagnets. Besides, the group has been participating in large projects such as the Supercable project for the development and construction of a superconducting cable, which represented a world record in current for a cable (3200 A) for the distribution of electricity.
RECENT GROUP NEWS
* The group research on magnetic invisibility has got the second position in Premio Vanguardia de la Ciencia at the best scientific discovery of 2012 in Spain, and has received a special mention in the Premis Ciutat de Barcelona 2012.
* Our research on magnetic energy harvesting and concentration at distance is published in Phys. Rev. Lett. (see Publications) and highligthed as a Focus in Physics and also in PhysicsWorld, PHYS.ORG, and RSEF. A patent based on this work has been applied.
* Our research on Quantum Magnetomechanics, to bring large levitating superconducting microspheres to the quantum regime, in collaboration with the group of Ignacio Cirac and Oriol Romero-Isart at MPQ in Garching, is published in Phys. Rev. Lett. (see Publications) and is highligthed in Nature Physics News and Views.
* Our research on the experimental realization of a magnetic cloak, in collaboration with the group of Fedor Gömöry in Slovakia, published in Science (see Publications), appeared in some international news (see Media).
* First magnetic cloak developed: the group's research on antimagnets appeared in some international news (see Media). Our article appears in the Highlights of 2011 collection of New Journal of Physics (NJP).