General Physics Colloquium, Prof. Brad Ramshaw, Cornell University

Title:  High Pressure, Low Integrity:  Debunking Claims of Room Temperature Superconductivity

Host:  Dan Ralph

Abstract:  Room-temperature superconductivity is a holy grail of physics: it would revolutionize energy transmission and storage, computation, and transportation. In 1968, Neil Ashcroft proposed that room-temperature superconductivity might be achieved by subjecting hydrogen to immense pressures. Over the past 10 years, this approach has led to the discovery of the superconducting hydrides, with claims of superconducting transition temperatures up to 293 kelvin published in erstwhile-reputable journals like Nature. Two of the most spectacular claims in this field, however, were recently retracted, and even previously-accepted results have come under scrutiny. I will provide a frontline perspective of how these fraudulent claims were uncovered, I will speculate on the role of the scientific journals in promoting such claims, and I hope to spark an open discussion on the role of the scientific community - and graduate students in particular - for setting transparency standards in experimental physics.