Channelling electricity with virtually no resistance under ambient conditions has been a focus for physicists for the better part of half a century.

Tantalizing opportunities may be found in copper-oxide ceramics known as cuprates, but achieving them requires first understanding how the superconducting phenomenon emerges at relatively warm temperatures.

Now, a team of researchers led by Canada's National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS) has uncovered evidence of a hidden rivalry between two quantum states that could help explain how these remarkable materials work their magic.

The discovery suggests a mysterious phenomenon known as a pseudogap may not facilitate superconductivity as some theories propose. Instead, the two states appear to be competing for control of the material's electrons.

It's a finding that could bring us closer to understanding one of the biggest mysteries in modern physics, and perhaps one day help engineers design superconductors that don't require elaborate cooling systems.

Superconductivity is to electrical power as empty roads and green lights are to a morning commute. As electrons push through the traffic of jiggling electromagnetic fields in a copper wire, they spend a portion of their energy in the form of heat.

Electrons in a superconductor glide through without resistance, retaining far more of their energy. The trick involves persuading electrons to abandon their individuality and form quantum partnerships known as Cooper pairs. Working together in a blurred state, these electron twins don’t suffer the impediments of their isolated siblings.

The advantages are huge. Think super-powerful magnets in medical imaging and particle physics experiments ; faster circuits that won’t overheat; potential for nuclear fusion plasma confinement .

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