New Research by Hyun-Tak Kim

On September 27, 2026, I came across an interesting article about superconductivity.

According to ZDNet Korea, Hyun-Tak Kim, a Research Professor of Physics at William & Mary, announced new research proposing a mechanism for superconductivity.[1]

One word in particular caught my attention: stress.

What could stress have to do with superconductivity?

Rather than trying to decide whether this new idea is right or wrong, I wanted to understand what Kim is proposing and explain it in a way that is easy to follow.

What Does Stress Have to Do With Superconductivity?

One of the key ideas in the research is shear stress.[1]

When a force is applied to a material, it can be compressed, stretched, or distorted. Shear stress is related to forces that cause different parts of a material to shift relative to one another.

Kim's proposed mechanism focuses on the idea that this stress can change the material's internal structure and break its symmetry.[1]

In other words, the question is:

Could an important structural change be taking place inside a material as it becomes superconducting?

That is one way to understand the basic idea behind the proposed mechanism.

If the Structure Changes, What Happens to the Electrons?

This is where charge density wave (CDW) comes into the picture.[1]

A charge density wave is a state in which the density of electrons develops a repeating pattern rather than remaining uniform throughout the material.

According to the explanation reported by ZDNet Korea, Kim proposes that below the critical temperature, structural symmetry breaking leads to the formation of a CDW state.[1]

And this brings us to electron pairs.

How Could Electron Pairs Create a Supercurrent?

According to Kim's explanation, electron pairs move between neighboring positions through a quantum process known as tunneling.

He proposes that many electron pairs tunneling in this way without energy loss can produce a spontaneous supercurrent.[1]

Quantum tunneling is a phenomenon in which a particle can pass through an energy barrier that it would not normally be able to cross according to classical physics.

In simple terms:

Shear stress
→ structural change
→ changes in the electronic state
→ movement of electron pairs
→ supercurrent

The actual physics is much more complicated than this. This is simply a way to understand the basic flow of the idea described in the article.

Does This Mean BCS Theory Is Wrong?

One of the best-known theories of superconductivity is BCS theory.

The ZDNet Korea article also reports Kim's criticism of BCS theory.[1]

However, the publication of a new proposal does not mean that BCS theory has been proven wrong.

At this point, it is more appropriate to say that Kim is proposing a different mechanism for understanding superconductivity.

How this proposal is received will depend on further examination, discussion, and experimental work by other researchers.

Is This the Opposite of the Meissner Effect?

This was something I was curious about because I had been writing about the Meissner effect.

Based on the research described in the article, however, this does not appear to be a phenomenon that is simply the opposite of the Meissner effect.

The Meissner effect describes how a superconductor responds to a magnetic field.

Kim's proposed mechanism, on the other hand, focuses more on how a supercurrent may form and continue to flow.

A simple way to separate the two questions is:

Meissner effect → How does a superconductor respond to a magnetic field?

Kim's proposed mechanism → How does a supercurrent form and continue to flow?

They are addressing different questions.

Has the Mystery of Superconductivity Finally Been Solved?

It is still too early to say.

According to the September 27, 2026 ZDNet Korea report, Kim said that his theory had been published in the Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, published by Springer Nature.[1]

So at this stage, rather than saying:

“A 115-year-old mystery of superconductivity has finally been solved,”

I think it is more reasonable to say:

“A new mechanism for explaining superconductivity has been proposed.”

That does not mean the proposal is wrong, either.

What matters now is how the research is examined and tested by other researchers.

Superconductivity was first observed in 1911, yet more than a century later, researchers are still exploring new ways to understand it.

We do not yet know what role Kim's research will ultimately play in that story.

So for now, I want to leave this article with a question rather than a conclusion:

Could stress really be an important clue to understanding superconductivity?

I would like to follow how this research develops and how it is evaluated in the future.

I came across Professor Hyun-Tak Kim’s research unexpectedly through a recent news article. His work caught my attention, and I plan to write about him again in a future post.

Since the article was related to superconductivity, I wanted to share it here while it was still recent. Whenever I come across new announcements, published papers, or research related to superconductivity, I’ll try to share them here as I did today.

Who Is Hyun-Tak Kim?

Hyun-Tak Kim is a Research Professor of Physics at William & Mary in the United States.

In 2023, William & Mary introduced him as a co-author of the LK-99 preprint and a member of an international research effort studying the material's reported superconducting properties.[2]

William & Mary records also show his involvement in superconductivity-related research projects, including work investigating LK-99.[3]

References

[1] Hee-beom Park, ZDNet Korea, “Stress Causes Zero Electrical Resistance in Superconductors… Could a 115-Year-Old Puzzle Be Solved?”, September 27, 2026.
Original ZDNet Korea article

[2] William & Mary, W&M researchers part of international team studying superconductive material, August 5, 2023.
William & Mary official source

[3] William & Mary, FY2024 Sponsored Program Proposals.
William & Mary official document