U. of I. researchers not only have discovered an unusual phenomenon in which ultra-narrow wires show enhanced superconductivity when exposed to strong magnetic fields, they also have developed a theory to explain it. As reported in the Sept. 29 issue of Physical Review Letters, U. of I. physics professor and Beckman affiliate Alexey Bezryadin and his research group have studied the effect of applying a magnetic field to ultra-narrow superconducting wires only a few hundred atoms across, and have used a microscopic theory proposed by physics professor Paul Goldbart and his team to explain the results.