Topological materials are condensed-matter systems whose electronic or quasiparticle excitations are characterized by nontrivial topological invariants in momentum space, leading to robust boundary or defect states protected by symmetries such as time-reversal, crystalline, or particle–hole symmetry. Their bulk band structure exhibits features like band inversion and topological band gaps, enabling phenomena such as dissipationless edge or surface conduction, Dirac or Weyl fermions, and Majorana bound states. As physical systems, they serve as platforms for studying topological phases of matter, spin–orbit coupling effects, and emergent gauge fields, with relevance to quantum transport, spintronics, and topological quantum computation.
New research into topological phases of matter may spur advances in innovative quantum devices. As described in a new paper published in the journal Nature Communications, a research team including Los Alamos National Laboratory ...
Condensed Matter
Jan 22, 2024
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190
Just like a book can't be judged by its cover, a material can't always be judged by its surface. But, for an elusive conjectured class of materials, physicists have now shown that the surface previously thought to be "featureless" ...
Condensed Matter
Jan 16, 2024
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631
Nanomolding of topological nanowires could speed the discovery of new materials for applications such as quantum computing, microelectronics and clean-energy catalysts, according to an article co-authored by Judy Cha, professor ...
Nanophysics
Sep 12, 2022
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175
A research team led by a physicist at the University of California, Riverside, has demonstrated a new magnetized state in a monolayer of tungsten ditelluride, or WTe2, a new quantum material. Called a magnetized or ferromagnetic ...
Nanophysics
Sep 5, 2022
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300
Tungsten di-telluride (WTe2) has recently proven to be a promising material for the realization of topological states. These are regarded as the key to novel "spintronic" devices and quantum computers of the future due to ...
Nanophysics
Aug 25, 2022
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99
Very thin wires made of a topological insulator could enable highly stable qubits, the building blocks of future quantum computers. Scientists see a new result in topological insulator devices as an important step towards ...
Nanophysics
May 12, 2022
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266
A collaborative study led by the University of Wollongong confirms switching mechanism for a new, proposed generation of ultra-low energy topological electronics.
Nanophysics
Mar 9, 2022
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99
Imagine stacking two sheets of graphene—the 2D form of graphite, or the pencil at your hand—in which the carbon atoms form a hexagonal lattice and twist the top sheet out of alignment with the sheet below, yielding a periodic ...
Nanomaterials
Sep 27, 2021
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179
Three-dimensional topological insulators are materials that can conduct electric current without resistance—but only on their surface. However, this effect is difficult to measure. This is because these materials usually ...
Nanophysics
Sep 21, 2021
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87
An intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MNBI2TE4 has been discovered with a large band gap, making it a promising material platform for fabricating ultra-low-energy electronics and observing exotic topological phenomena.
Nanophysics
Sep 21, 2021
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139
