Researchers created a new entangled quantum state of matter by building an artificial quantum material atom-by-atom. The state, dubbed a higher-order topological quantum magnet, may be a way to address key problems in quantum technology, such as decoherence in qubits.

Researchers have fabricated a quasi-one-dimensional van der Waals zirconium telluride thin film, which is a form of a substance that has long promised advances in quantum computing, nano-electronics and other advanced technologies. Until now, it has stumped scientists who have tried to manufacture it in large-scale quantities.

Researchers have now demonstrated that the nonlinear optical response is unprecedently strong in a two-dimensional device made of three atomic layers of the semiconductor tungsten di-selenide (WSe2). The researchers also showed that the giant nonlinear response can be tuned.

This study shows that the superconducting edge currents in the topological material molybdenum telluride (MoTe2) can sustain big changes in the “glue” that keeps the superconducting electrons paired. This is important because electrons pairing up is what makes electricity flow freely in a superconductor.

The advance shows promise for creating compact, inexpensive, and portable light sources, which are crucial for space-based applications, biological and geological field research, and military operations.

Amulti-institutional team of scientists in the United States, led by physicist Peng Wei at the University of California, Riverside, has developed a new superconductor material that could potentially be used in quantum computing and be a candidate “topological superconductor.”

At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a group of scientists used neutron scattering techniques to investigate a relatively new functional material called a Weyl semimetal. This crystalline material hosts low-energy quasiparticles, which are atomic-scale properties treated as a particle. These Weyl fermions move very quickly in a material and can carry electrical charge at room temperature. Scientists think that Weyl semimetals, if used in future electronics, could allow electricity to flow more efficiently and enable more energy-efficient computers and other electronic devices.

A research group led by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has uncovered details about the formation and behavior of mobile, microscopic, particle-like objects called “excitons” in a class of materials known as van der Waals magnets.

As part of the Q-NEXT collaboration, Nitin Samarth is helping grow the capabilities of the Argonne Quantum Foundry. He’s also building a library of atom-scale materials for quantum technologies — and he’s sharing it with everyone.

An MIT-led group shows how to achieve precise control over the properties of Weyl semimetals and other exotic substances.