Three misstatements
We very much appreciated you publishing an article about our research (“New iron-based superconductor found,” Sept. 13, page 4). The article is quite well written in general. However, some corrections are needed in order to avoid confusion.
First, the statement “Currently, the iron-based compound — dubbed ‘PbO type structure alpha-FeSe’ — can reach superconductive status at a temperature of 30 Kelvin” is not accurate. The FeSe superconductor has a transition temperature of 8K, and under pressure can reach 27K. Thus, it is important to stress that the higher transition temperature to the superconducting state can be achieved only under high pressure.
Second, the statement “Superconductivity is a physical phenomenon in which certain materials, when cooled to very low temperatures such as zero Kelvin” could be misleading. Up to now, it has been very difficult to cool things to exactly zero Kelvin. The lowest attainable temperatures with liquid cryogenic methods are typically in the range of tens of milliKelvin, which is still somewhat larger than zero. Also, as seen with high-tc and iron superconductors, we observe transitions around 8K to 93K, which are larger than zero Kelvin.
Finally, the statement “Meanwhile, a long-existing hypothesis about superconductors is that only substances that are anti-ferromagnetic in nature can be transformed into superconductors” is misphrased and somewhat incorrect. The hypothesis is that magnetism does not lead to superconductivity. Antiferromagnetism is in fact a form of magnetism that denotes how interacting spins align in an anti-parallel position. The high-tc superconductors are normally antiferromagnetic materials that become superconducting below their transition temperature. But the antiferromagnetism is not necessarily directly responsible for the superconductivity.
Saying that only antiferromagnetic materials can become superconducting is a gross misstatement.
MAW-KUEN WU
Director
Institute of Physics
Academia Sinica
Taipei
Importance or impotence?
Taiwanese sometimes have difficulty pronouncing the English words “importance” and “impotence.” The words might sound similar, but it seems that some can’t even tell them apart by their meanings.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) does not feel like saying sorry to the nation after “only” four bridges collapsed when Typhoon Sinlaku pelted Taiwan. The destruction does not seem to bother the minister: His important position has more important tasks than facing the families of victims and taking responsibility.
Casualties and damage brought by the typhoon are increasing, the stock market is tumbling, tainted Chinese products are entering the market and the sovereignty of the country is being challenged.
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) important post also involves dealing with other more important issues, whatever they are. His schedule is hectic and includes dining with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators.
What else must happen on this island that would prompt the leaders of this country to reflect on the style of their leadership and make them aware that a sense of “importance” can be destructive? “Importance” leads to a failure to perform — to impotence.
HANNA SHEN
Taipei
Labubu, an elf-like plush toy with pointy ears and nine serrated teeth, has become a global sensation, worn by celebrities including Rihanna and Dua Lipa. These dolls are sold out in stores from Singapore to London; a human-sized version recently fetched a whopping US$150,000 at an auction in Beijing. With all the social media buzz, it is worth asking if we are witnessing the rise of a new-age collectible, or whether Labubu is a mere fad destined to fade. Investors certainly want to know. Pop Mart International Group Ltd, the Chinese manufacturer behind this trendy toy, has rallied 178 percent
My youngest son attends a university in Taipei. Throughout the past two years, whenever I have brought him his luggage or picked him up for the end of a semester or the start of a break, I have stayed at a hotel near his campus. In doing so, I have noticed a strange phenomenon: The hotel’s TV contained an unusual number of Chinese channels, filled with accents that would make a person feel as if they are in China. It is quite exhausting. A few days ago, while staying in the hotel, I found that of the 50 available TV channels,
Kinmen County’s political geography is provocative in and of itself. A pair of islets running up abreast the Chinese mainland, just 20 minutes by ferry from the Chinese city of Xiamen, Kinmen remains under the Taiwanese government’s control, after China’s failed invasion attempt in 1949. The provocative nature of Kinmen’s existence, along with the Matsu Islands off the coast of China’s Fuzhou City, has led to no shortage of outrageous takes and analyses in foreign media either fearmongering of a Chinese invasion or using these accidents of history to somehow understand Taiwan. Every few months a foreign reporter goes to
There is no such thing as a “silicon shield.” This trope has gained traction in the world of Taiwanese news, likely with the best intentions. Anything that breaks the China-controlled narrative that Taiwan is doomed to be conquered is welcome, but after observing its rise in recent months, I now believe that the “silicon shield” is a myth — one that is ultimately working against Taiwan. The basic silicon shield idea is that the world, particularly the US, would rush to defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion because they do not want Beijing to seize the nation’s vital and unique chip industry. However,
RSS