This is definitely exciting news, because if verified, this will truly open up a whole new phase space for superconductivity.
An advanced publication has appeared reporting the discovery of high-spin state quasiparticles that are involved in superconducitivty.[1] This occurs in a topological semimetal YPtBi.
Previously, superconductivity occurs due to quasiparticles of spin 1/2 forming pairs called Cooper pairs. Now these Cooper pairs can have a total spin of either 0 (singlet state), or 1 (triplet state). This new superconductor seems to be formed by quasiparticles having spin 3/2! The resulting Cooper pairs may have total spin of 3 or 2.
It turns out that based on their measurements, the pairing symmetry appears to be predominantly in the spin state of 3, with a sub-dominant component having 0 (the singlet) state.
If you want to know how a quasiparticle here could have a spin 3/2 state, then you need to learn about spin-orbit coupling that we all learned in intro QM classes, and read the article.
This is utterly fascinating. Just when you think you can't be surprised anymore by the phenomenon of superconductivity, along comes one!
Zz.
[1] H. Kim et al., Sci. Adv.2018;4
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