Science, Space and Technology News 2024
A schematic representation of quantum interference of the topological motion of electrons along the symmetry-allowed sample hinges. Credit: Shafayat Hossain, postdoctoral research associate in the Zahid Hasan group at Princeton UniversityIn a novel experiment, physicists have observed long-range quantum coherence effects due to Aharonov-Bohm interference in a topological insulator-based device.
The main device used to investigate the mysteries of quantum topology is called a topological insulator. This is a unique device that acts as an insulator in its interior, which means that the electrons inside are not free to move around and therefore do not conduct electricity. However, the electrons on the device’s edges are free to move around, meaning they are conductive.
“While it was not guaranteed in theory, through several years of experimentation we discovered that bismuth bromide’s hinge states have very long-range quantum coherence at relatively high temperatures. In this case, in our experiments based on the devices we fabricated, we found a balance between spin-orbit coupling effects, long-range quantum coherence, and thermal fluctuations,” said Hasan.
A further problem is caused by what physicists call “thermal noise,” which is defined as a rise in temperature such that the atoms begin to vibrate violently. This action can disrupt delicate quantum systems, thereby collapsing the quantum state.
The discovery’s topological roots lie in the workings of the quantum Hall effect — a form of topological effect that was the subject of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1985. Since that time, topological phases have been intensely studied. Many new classes of quantum materials with topological electronic structures have been found, including topological insulators, topological superconductors, topological magnets, and Weyl semimetals. Experimental and theoretical discoveries have both continued.
“If the electrons are not bouncing around, or are agitated, they are not losing energy,” said Hasan. “This creates a quantum basis for energy saving or greener technologies because they are consuming much less power. But this is still a long way off.”
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