Yes, no, yes: Schematic showing how an applied field affects superconductivity in a LaTiO 3 /KTaO 3 heterostructure. (Courtesy: RIKEN)

Unconventional superconductors are poorly understood materials with exceptionally useful properties. One example is their response to magnetic fields. In conventional superconductors, applied magnetic fields suppress superconductivity by either breaking up the paired electrons that facilitate it (Cooper pairs) or introducing magnetic flux which introduce resistance when it moves through the material. However, in a few unconventional materials, competition between ferromagnetic ordering, where the magnetic moments align to point in the same direction, and superconducting ordering, where paired electron moments point in opposite directions, can lead to a phenomenon known as re-entrant superconductivity (RSC).…