Add BrightSurf on Google Email

Making a ‘sandwich’ out of magnets and topological insulators, potential for lossless electronics

Researchers create a quantum anomalous Hall insulator by stacking a ferromagnetic material between two 2D topological insulators, enabling room-temperature lossless transport. The new architecture could lead to ultra-low energy future electronics or topological photovoltaics.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies·JournalAdvanced Materials·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 2, 2022

Negative capacitance in topological transistors could reduce computing’s unsustainable energy load

Researchers have discovered that negative capacitance in topological transistors can switch at lower voltage, potentially reducing energy losses. This new design could help alleviate the unsustainable energy load of computing, which consumes about 8% of global electricity supply.

Having your cake and eating it too: double-dosing induces magnetism while strengthening topological insulator

A University of Wollongong team has combined two doping elements to achieve new efficiencies in the topological insulator Bi2Se3. The resulting crystals show clear ferromagnetic ordering, a large band gap, high electronic mobility, and the opening of a surface state gap.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies·JournalPhysical Review B·TypeExperimental study·DateNov 12, 2021

Experiments confirm a quantum material’s unique response to circularly polarized laser light

Scientists confirmed that topological insulators produce a unique signature from their surface when exposed to circularly polarized laser light. This discovery was made possible by high harmonic generation, which enhances the signal coming from the surface and gives it a distinctive signature.

SourceDOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory·JournalNano Letters·TypeExperimental study·DateOct 22, 2021

Ultra-short or infinitely long: It all looks the same

A new study proves that ultra-short pulses of light can drive transitions to new phases of matter in tungsten disulfide (WS2) atoms, aiding the search for future low-energy electronics. The findings show that even ultrashort pulses are as effective in triggering state changes as continuous illumination.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies·JournalPhysical Review B·TypeExperimental study·DateOct 4, 2021

Triangular honeycombs

Researchers created indenene, a topological quantum material with a triangular honeycomb structure, which exhibits robust properties and doesn't require ultra-low temperatures to manifest its characteristics. This design improvement enables the growth of perfect films suitable for device nanofabrication.

SourceUniversity of Würzburg·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 14, 2021

Star attraction: Magnetism generated by star-like arrangement of molecules

A new study reveals the emergence of magnetism in a 2D organic material due to strong electron-electron interactions in its unique star-like atomic-scale structure. The findings have potential applications in next-generation electronics based on organic nanomaterials.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies·JournalAdvanced Functional Materials·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 12, 2021

Rice physicists find 'magnon' origins in 2D magnet

Researchers found that spin-orbit coupling induces asymmetric interactions between electrons in chromium triiodide, affecting its topological excitations. This discovery could exist in other 2D van der Waals magnets and has implications for spintronics.

SourceRice University·JournalPhysical Review X·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 1, 2021

Mixing a cocktail of topology and magnetism for future electronics

Researchers explore joining topological insulators with magnetic materials to achieve quantum anomalous Hall effect, promising building blocks for low-power electronics. The 'cocktail' approach allows tuning of both magnetism and topology in individual materials, enabling operation closer to room temperature.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies·JournalAdvanced Materials·TypeLiterature review·DateAug 5, 2021

Surpassing the lower limit on computing energy consumption

Researchers have found that using topological insulators in transistors could reduce switching energy by half and the overall energy used by each transistor by a factor of four. This breakthrough could lead to substantial reductions in computing energy consumption, as the industry continues to strive for sustainable technologies.

Electrons living on the edge

Scientists used theoretical calculations to predict electronic states in topological insulators excited with laser beams, generating Dirac states that can act as if massless. This discovery may pave the way for new computers systems that waste less energy.

SourceUniversity of Tsukuba·JournalScientific Reports·DateFeb 17, 2021

A high order for a low dimension

Scientists have created a new material, a higher-order topological insulator, which confines electrons to one dimension, enabling the creation of ultra-high-speed and low-power devices. This innovation has significant implications for spintronics, a field that may replace traditional electronic systems in the future.

SourceUniversity of Tokyo·JournalNature Materials·DateJan 4, 2021

Bridging the gap between the magnetic and electronic properties of topological insulators

Topological insulators exhibit unusual quantum phenomena due to their electrically conductive surface and insulating interior. A recent study revealed the relationship between the magnetic properties and electronic band structure, finding that the Dirac cone gap closes with increasing temperature, contradicting previous theories.

SourceTokyo Institute of Technology·JournalNature Communications·DateSep 24, 2020

Quantum simulation for 3D chiral topological phase

Researchers simulated a 3D chiral topological insulator using nitrogen-vacancy centers, observing dynamical bulk-surface correspondence and symmetry protection in momentum space. They measured spin textures on band inversion surfaces, revealing perfect (broken) topology depending on the preserved or broken chiral symmetry.

SourcePeking University·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateAug 25, 2020

Story tips: Pandemic impact, root studies, neutrons confirm, lab on a crystal & modeling fusion

Researchers developed a machine learning model to predict pandemic impact on fuel demand, analyzing mobility patterns and historical weekly motor travel trends. In another study, scientists found extraordinary fine-root growth with increasing temperatures in northern peatlands, indicating a previously hidden belowground mechanism that ...

SourceDOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory·JournalNature Energy·DateAug 4, 2020

Signatures of fractional electronic charge observed in topological insulators

Scientists at the University of Illinois have detected fractional electronic charges in topological insulators, a breakthrough that could lead to more efficient and robust devices. The discovery was made using specially designed microwave resonators, which allowed the researchers to measure the signature of these fractional charges.

4D electric circuit network with topology

Scientists have developed a 4D electric circuit network that simulates a topological insulator, exhibiting unusual properties such as quantized Hall currents and surface excitations. The work paves the way for studying topological phase transitions, non-linear effects, and quantum open systems.

SourceScience China Press·JournalNational Science Review·DateMay 19, 2020