New ultra-thin material with quantum properties

Finnish physicists created an ultra-thin 2D material with quantum properties that would normally only be possible using rare earth minerals. But this new material was created using only normal materials.

“The study of complex quantum materials is hindered by the properties of natural compounds,” explains atomic physicist Peter Lilzeroth of Aalto University.

“Our goal is to produce man-made design materials that can be easily tuned and controlled to expand the range of exotic phenomena that can be achieved in the laboratory.”

The team from Aalto University and Jyvskyl University in Finland has just published a new Nature paper that describes how the material was made.

Essentially, they formed a layer of atomically thin tantalum disulfide. But during the manufacturing process, parts of the material form two layers, each with different properties – one layer behaves like a metal, conducting electrons, while the other forces electrons into the lattice structure. Gave. ,

The interactions between these microscopically different layers have led to what is known as the Kondo effect, whereby the electrical resistance of the material changes with temperature (although the relationship is not necessarily linear).

The electrons in the material then behaved as if they had more mass than they actually were, creating a heavier fermion system. It is a strongly correlated state of matter that is of great interest to physicists because it can be used to search for exotic behavior in materials ranging from unconventional superconductivity to quantum criticality.

Typically, such systems are driven only in materials composed of rare earth elements – so it is a godsend to find a new heavy fermion material that is easier to synthesize.

The study’s lead author, William Waugh of Aalto University, explains that such research could help build more accurate quantum computers, as heavy fermion materials can act as topological superconductors – constructions unaffected by environmental noise. useful for.

“Building this in real life would greatly benefit from a heavy fermion material system that can be easily incorporated into electrical devices and adjusted externally,” he says.

The material could also help investigate quantum criticality.

“Material can reach a critical quantum point when it is transferred from one collective quantum state to another – for example, in fermion material heavily entangled from a regular magnet,” says co-author Jose Lado. from Alto. “Between these states, the entire system is critical, responding strongly to minor changes and providing an ideal platform for designing even more exotic quantum matter.”

The team claims that this material is not only easier to fabricate than similar systems using rare earth compounds, but also allows an unprecedented level of control over system parameters.

Next, they aim to refine the material – the way the layers are oriented and how the layers are connected – to help better explore quantum criticality.