Physics Colloquium Explores Magnetoelectric Superconductivity
On Tuesday, January 27, 2026, the Institute of Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (IP SAS), in cooperation with the Slovak National Centre for Quantum Technologies (QUTE.sk), hosted a physics colloquium entitled Magnetoelectric Phenomena of Non-Centrosymmetric Superconductors. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Denis Kochan, IMPULZ Fellow, an internationally recognized theoretical physicist specializing in spin–orbit coupling and nonreciprocal superconductivity, who is temporarilly affiliated as a Research Professor at National Cheng Kung University (Taiwan).
Let’s give it a spin
The colloquium focused on superconductivity in materials lacking inversion symmetry and how these microscopic mechanisms lead to helical superconducting phases and give rise to magnetoelectric and nonreciprocal phenomena, including the superconducting diode effect and anomalous Josephson responses. Dr. Kochan guided the audience from microscopic descriptions to phenomenological models, illustrating how spin-split electronic bands, combined with magnetic or exchange fields, give rise to unconventional pairing states such as finite-momentum Cooper pairing and helical superconducting phases – quite literally, giving superconductivity a spin.
Discussion and Reflections
The colloquium attracted a broad audience of researchers, PhD candidates, and physics students and concluded with a lively discussion. In an informal closing remark, it was noted that Dr. Kochan’s path from supergeometry to superconductivity was mirrored in the lecture itself, which could be described as super – among other superlatives – as the talk successfully combined rigor with clarity and engagement.
Photoreport
