Ranga Dias, the physics researcher whose work on room-temperature superconductors has been retracted after coauthors raised concerns about the data, has lost another paper for the same reason.
In December, the Physical Review Letters journal published an expression of concern for the paper "Synthesis of Yttrium Superhydride Superconductor with a Transition Temperature up to 262 K by Catalytic Hydrogenation at High Pressures", stating it was investigating concerns “regarding the origins and integrity of the transport data” in several of the paper’s figures “with the cooperation of the authors.”
On June 13, the journal retracted the paper. The notice states: "After repeated attempts to locate the raw data and obtain an authoritative account of its origins, Physical Review Letters concurs that the article is not supported by its data and that it needs to be retracted. Ranga P. Dias stands by the data in the aforementioned figures and table, and does not agree to retract the paper. The remaining authors regret any confusion or inconvenience caused to the scientific community."
Washington State University, where Dias obtained his PhD, is also investigating allegations of plagiarism in his thesis.
More: https://retractionwatch.com/2024/06/21/superconductor-researcher-loses-fifth-paper/
