https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Today's most powerful computers hit a wall when tackling certain problems, from designing new drugs to cracking encryption codes. Error-free quantum computers promise to overcome those challenges, but building them requires materials with exotic properties of topological superconductors that are incredibly difficult to produce. Now, researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) and West Virginia University have found a way to tune these materials into existence by simply tweaking a chemical recipe, resulting in a change in many-electron interactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-tuning-topological-superconductors-adjusting-ratio.html Superconductivity Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:07:43 EST news689533621 A team of theoretical researchers has found duality can unveil non-invertible symmetry protected topological phases, which can lead to researchers understanding more about the properties of these phases, and uncover new quantum phases. Their study is published in Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-duality-quantum-phases.html Condensed Matter Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:20:10 EST news689324978 Recently, scientists from institutions including the University of Science and Technology of China made a fundamental breakthrough in nuclear-spin quantum precision measurement. They developed the first intercity nuclear-spin-based quantum sensor network, which experimentally constrains the axion topological-defect dark matter and surpasses the astrophysical limits. The study is published in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-intercity-quantum-sensor-network-tightens.html General Physics Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:20:01 EST news689263834 The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a key process in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, technologies expected to play a central role in a low-carbon energy future. However, ORR proceeds slowly on most materials, limiting efficiency and increasing costs. Finding catalysts that can speed up this reaction is therefore a major challenge in reducing our energy footprint. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-topological-surfaces-boost-energy-catalysts.html Analytical Chemistry Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:30:01 EST news688918884 Across the physical world, many intricate structures form via symmetry breaking. When a system with inherent symmetry transitions into an ordered state, it can form stable imperfections known as topological defects. Such defects are found everywhere, from the large-scale structure of the universe to everyday materials, making them a powerful way to study how order emerges in complex systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ai-defect-based-material.html Nanomaterials Tue, 27 Jan 2026 09:21:53 EST news688728061 Physicists from University of Jyväskylä and Aalto University (Finland) have experimentally realized a two-dimensional topological crystalline insulator. This is a quantum material that has been theoretically predicted for more than a decade but had remained inaccessible due to materials challenges. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-2d-topological-crystalline-insulator-decade.html Nanophysics Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:55:48 EST news688305301 At TU Wien, researchers have discovered a state in a quantum material that had previously been considered impossible. The definition of topological states should be generalized. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-state-quantum-material.html Condensed Matter Wed, 14 Jan 2026 09:50:01 EST news687606442 Researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, in collaboration with Huzhou University, discovered that the entanglement workhorse of most quantum optics laboratories can have hidden topologies, reporting the highest ever observed in any system: 48 dimensions with over 17,000 topological signatures, an enormous alphabet for encoding robust quantum information. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-conventional-entanglement-thousands-hidden-topologies.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 17 Dec 2025 12:23:28 EST news685196581 Hybrid materials made of magnets and superconductors give rise to fascinating quantum phenomena, which are so sensitive that it is crucial to measure them with minimal interference. Researchers at the University of Hamburg and the University of Illinois Chicago have now demonstrated, both experimentally and theoretically, how these quantum phenomena can be detected and controlled over longer distances using special techniques with a scanning tunneling microscope. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-corral-technique-fragile-quantum-states.html Superconductivity Wed, 26 Nov 2025 15:49:27 EST news683394541 Something strange goes on inside the material platinum-bismuth-two (PtBi₂). A new study by researchers at IFW Dresden and the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat demonstrates that while PtBi₂ may look like a typical shiny gray crystal, electrons moving through it do some things never seen before. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-surface-superconductor-strangest-kind.html Superconductivity Wed, 19 Nov 2025 11:00:02 EST news682763522 It's a well-known fact that quantum calculations are difficult, but one would think that quantum computers would facilitate the process. In most cases, this is true. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-problem-quantum-unfathomable-amount.html Quantum Physics Fri, 31 Oct 2025 06:40:01 EDT news681061128 As someone who studies materials, Lu Li knows people want to hear about the exciting new applications and technologies his discoveries could enable. Sometimes, though, what he finds is just too weird or extreme to have any immediate use. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-strong-magnetic-field-duality-materials.html Condensed Matter Thu, 30 Oct 2025 16:50:04 EDT news681061639 Topological insulators could form the basis for revolutionary electronic components. However, as they generally only function at very low temperatures, their practical application has been severely limited to date. Researchers at the University of Würzburg have now developed a topological insulator that also works at higher temperatures. Their results are published in Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-topological-insulator-quantum-hall-effect.html Condensed Matter Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:40:06 EDT news680794801 People tend to think of quantum materials—whose properties arise from quantum mechanical effects—as exotic curiosities. But some quantum materials have become a ubiquitous part of our computer hard drives, TV screens, and medical devices. Still, the vast majority of quantum materials never accomplish much outside of the lab. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-quantum-materials-stall-scale.html Condensed Matter Wed, 15 Oct 2025 08:37:05 EDT news679736222 Superconductors (materials that conduct electricity without resistance) have fascinated physicists for more than a century. While conventional superconductors are well understood, a new class of materials known as topological superconductors has attracted intense interest in recent years. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-superconductivity-distorts-crystal-lattice-topological.html Condensed Matter Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:32:03 EDT news679228321 Over the past few years, engineers and material scientists have been trying to devise new optical systems in which light particles (i.e., photons) can move freely and in useful ways, irrespective of defects and imperfections. Topological phases, unique states of matter that are not defined by local properties, but by non-local and global features, can enable the robust movement of photons despite material defects. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-floquet-chern-insulators-based-nonlinear.html Nanophysics Thu, 02 Oct 2025 06:30:02 EDT news678368479 In a breakthrough for next-generation technologies, scientists have learned how to precisely control the behavior of tiny waves of light and electrons, paving the way for faster communications and quantum devices. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-terahertz-faster-electronics.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:20:04 EDT news676555462 RIKEN physicists have created the first thin films featuring a special combination of electrical and topological properties. This demonstration could help to realize new forms of electronics that are highly energy efficient. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-physicists-thin-topological-insulators-ferroelectric.html Condensed Matter Wed, 27 Aug 2025 10:53:39 EDT news675510815 Researchers at Rice University and collaborating institutions have discovered direct evidence of active flat electronic bands in a kagome superconductor. This breakthrough could pave the way for new methods to design quantum materials—including superconductors, topological insulators and spin-based electronics—that could power future electronics and computing technologies. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-scientists-quantum-behavior-unusual-superconducting.html Quantum Physics Sat, 16 Aug 2025 03:16:23 EDT news674532955 Exploring the BTZ black hole in (2+1)-dimensional gravity took me down a fascinating rabbit hole, connecting ideas I never expected—like black holes and topological phases in quantum matter! When I swapped the roles of space and time in the equations (it felt like turning my map upside down when I was lost in a new city), I discovered an interior version of the solution existing alongside the familiar exterior, each with its own thermofield double state. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-space-btz-black-hole.html General Physics Thu, 31 Jul 2025 09:10:04 EDT news673171327 Topological materials are a class of materials that exhibit unique electronic properties at their boundary (surface in 3D materials; edge in 2D materials) that are robust against imperfections or disturbances and are markedly different from their bulk properties. In other words, these materials could be insulators (i.e., resisting the flow of electrons or heat), and yet be conducting at their boundary (i.e., allowing electrons or heat to easily flow through them). https://phys.org/news/2025-07-uncover-topological-excitonic-insulator-tunable.html Quantum Physics Fri, 25 Jul 2025 07:30:01 EDT news672571742 A new method for combining magnetic elements with semiconductors—which are vital materials for computers and other electronic devices—was unveiled by a research team led by the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-boost-semiconductors-magnetic-atoms-materials.html Nanophysics Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:57:35 EDT news672389849 Solar cells and computer chips need silicon layers that are as perfect as possible. Every imperfection in the crystalline structure increases the risk of reduced efficiency or defective switching processes. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-cosmic-chips-cooling-triggers-phase.html Condensed Matter Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:30:05 EDT news672386224 I've always been fascinated by how materials break down, especially glasses and polymers that don't have a regular crystal structure. Unlike crystals, where we understand plasticity through things like dislocations, amorphous materials like glasses are messier. There's no neat lattice to analyze, so figuring out where and how they deform under stress is a big open question. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-unveiling-hedgehog-topological-defects-dimensional.html Condensed Matter Thu, 03 Jul 2025 11:01:46 EDT news670759301 Magnetic-superconducting hybrid systems are key to unlocking topological superconductivity, a state that could host Majorana modes with potential applications in fault-tolerant quantum computing. However, creating stable, controllable interfaces between magnetic and superconducting materials remains a challenge. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-magnetic-chains-superconductors-heterostructure-advances.html Superconductivity Thu, 26 Jun 2025 12:40:26 EDT news670160422 The candidate pool for engineered materials that can help enable tomorrow's cutting-edge optical technologies—such as lasers, detectors and imaging devices—is much deeper than previously believed. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-pathways-previously-thought-optical-topological.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 24 Jun 2025 15:55:04 EDT news669999301 If one side of a conducting or semiconducting material is heated while the other remains cool, charge carriers move from the hot side to the cold side, generating an electrical voltage known as thermopower. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-thermopower-based-technique-fractional-quantum.html Condensed Matter Fri, 28 Mar 2025 09:50:01 EDT news662370378 A possible method for probing the properties of exotic particles that exist on the surfaces of an unusual type of superconductor has been theoretically proposed by two RIKEN physicists. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-revealing-hidden-symmetries-superconductor.html Condensed Matter Thu, 13 Mar 2025 07:49:23 EDT news661070960 Physicists at the University of Cologne have taken an important step forward in the pursuit of topological quantum computing by demonstrating the first-ever observation of Crossed Andreev Reflection (CAR) in topological insulator (TI) nanowires. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-topological-insulator-nanowires-reveal-superconducting.html Superconductivity Tue, 11 Mar 2025 11:54:04 EDT news660912842 If you start with a two-dimensional ribbon and make it narrower and narrower, when does it stop being a ribbon and start being a one-dimensional line? Scientists from Utrecht University and the University of Twente made one-atom-thick ultrathin nanoribbons consisting of germanium atoms. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-germanene-nanoribbons-pave-quantum.html Nanophysics Mon, 03 Mar 2025 10:36:03 EST news660220561