About
Louis Taillefer works in condensed matter physics. More specifically, he investigates why some materials exhibit remarkable electronic properties, such as magnetism and superconductivity.
In the last decade, he has specialized in superconductors, materials that conduct electricity without any resistance. A team of CIFAR researchers and collaborators led by Taillefer made a major breakthrough by observing ‘quantum oscillations’ in a high-temperature superconductor, providing direct insight into the nature of electron behaviour in these materials. Taillefer is aiming to understand how to make these superconductors useful for practical purposes – power transmission, levitating trains, magnetic medical imaging, wireless communications and much more.
Awards
- Kamerlingh Onnes Prize, 2018
- Simon Memorial Prize, 2017
- Killam Prize in Natural Sciences, 2017, 2013
- Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2013
- Officer, Ordre national du Québec, 2012
- Member of the Order of Canada, 2010
Relevant Publications
- Badoux, S. et al. "Change of carrier density at the pseudogap critical point of a cuprate superconductor." Nature 531 (2016): 210–14.
- Grissonnanche, G. et al. "Direct measurement of the upper critical field in cuprate superconductors." Nature Communications 5 (2014).
- Laliberté, F. et al. "Fermi-surface reconstruction by stripe order in cuprate superconductors." Nature Communications 2 (2011).
- Daou, R. et al. "Broken rotational symmetry in the pseudogap phase of a high-Tc superconductor." Nature 463 (2010): 519–22.
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CIFAR is a registered charitable organization supported by the governments of Canada, Alberta and Quebec, as well as foundations, individuals, corporations and Canadian and international partner organizations.