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Researchers at Rice University found that chiral phonons in a crystal can magnetize the material, aligning electron spins in a way similar to the effect of a strong magnetic field. This discovery challenges established notions in physics, particularly the concept of time-reversal symmetry, and paves the way for advanced research in quantum materials.

Quantum materials hold the key to a future of lightning-speed, energy-efficient information systems. The problem with tapping their transformative potential is that, in solids, the vast number of atoms often drowns out the exotic quantum properties electrons carry.

Rice University researchers in the lab of quantum materials scientist Hanyu Zhu found that when they move in circles, atoms can also work wonders: When the atomic lattice in a rare-earth crystal becomes animated with a corkscrew-shaped vibration known as a chiral phonon, the crystal is transformed into a magnet.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, composed of a single or a few layers of atoms, are at the forefront of material science, promising revolutionary advancements in technology. These ultra-thin materials exhibit unique and exotic properties, particularly when their layers are stacked and twisted in specific ways.

This manipulation of layers can significantly alter their electronic characteristics, presenting exciting opportunities for the development of next-generation technologies such as more efficient computers and reliable electricity storage systems.

Understanding the intricate relationship between the atomic structure and electronic properties of these materials, however, poses a significant challenge. Traditional microscopy techniques struggle to capture the complete 3D atomic structure of these layered materials, especially when the layers are oriented differently or composed of light elements.

Quantum materials hold the key to a future of lightning-speed, energy-efficient information systems. The problem with tapping their transformative potential is that in solids, the vast number of atoms often drowns out the exotic quantum properties electrons carry.

Rice University researchers in the lab of quantum materials scientist Hanyu Zhu found that when they move in circles, atoms can also work wonders: When the atomic lattice in a rare-earth crystal becomes animated with a corkscrew-shaped vibration known as a chiral phonon, the crystal is transformed into a magnet.

According to a new study published in Science, exposing cerium fluoride to ultrafast pulses of light sends its atoms into a dance that momentarily enlists the spins of electrons, causing them to align with the atomic rotation. This alignment would otherwise require a powerful magnetic field to activate, since cerium fluoride is naturally paramagnetic with randomly oriented spins even at zero temperature.

Previous attempts at trapping them in 2D had failed.

Successful electron trapping in 3D

The MIT team looked for materials that could be used to work out 3D lattices in kagome patterns and came across pyrochlore — a mineral with highly symmetric atomic arrangements. In 3D, pyrochlore’s atoms formed a repeating pattern consisting of cubes in a kagome-like lattice.

Continue reading “In a first, MIT researchers successfully trap electrons in 3D crystal” »

For more than 50 years, the semiconductor industry has been hard at work developing advanced technologies that have led to the amazing increases in computing power and energy efficiency that have improved our lives. A primary way the industry has achieved these remarkable performance gains has been by finding ways to decrease the size of the semiconductor devices in microchips. However, with semiconductor feature sizes now approaching only a few nanometers—just a few hundred atoms—it has become increasingly challenging to sustain continued device miniaturization.

To address the challenges associated with fabricating even smaller microchip components, the semiconductor industry is currently transitioning to a more powerful fabrication method—extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. EUV lithography employs light that is only 13.5 nanometers in wavelength to form tiny circuit patterns in a photoresist, the light-sensitive material integral to the lithography process.

The photoresist is the template for forming the nanoscale circuit patterns in the silicon semiconductor. As EUV lithography begins paving the way for the future, scientists are faced with the hurdle of identifying the most effective resist materials for this new era of nanofabrication.

In a new study, researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, (UCSB) have reported the discovery of a spin microemulsion in two-dimensional systems of spinor Bose-Einstein condensates, shedding light on a novel phase transition marked by the loss of superfluidity, complex pseudospin textures, and the emergence of topological defects.

A Bose-Einstein (B-E) condensate is a state of matter that occurs at extremely low temperatures, where bosons, such as photons, become indistinguishable and behave as a single quantum entity, forming a superfluid or superconducting state.

B-E condensates can exhibit unique quantum properties, such as a spin microemulsion. When the internal spin states of atoms in a B-E condensate are coupled to their motion, a unique phase called a spin microemulsion can emerge.

“There is a whole new discussion at least posing the question of the carbon footprint of particle physics.”

A particle collider, sometimes referred to as an atom smasher, is a type of high-energy physics apparatus used to investigate the fundamental particles and forces that exist in the cosmos. Subatomic particles, such as protons, electrons, or other charged particles, are accelerated to extremely high speeds and collide at extremely high energies in particle colliders.

Scientists use them to study the core components of matter and the fundamental forces of existence such as the nature of dark matter, the properties of quarks and leptons as well as the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear… More.

Continue reading “Energy efficient particle collider concept could revolutionize physics” »

The quantum behaviours of extremely cold rubidium atoms can be used to detect forces smaller than a tenth of what is needed to lift a single electron.

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

A record-breaking superatomic semiconductor material allows particles to traverse it between 100 and 1,000 times faster than electrons pass through a silicon chip.

By Matthew Sparkes