Scientists report evidence of triplet superconductivity in NbRe, a potential boost for energy-efficient quantum computing.
Scientists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology believe they may have observed a long-sought form of superconductivity that could make quantum computers more stable and dramatically more energy efficient.
The team, led by Professor Jacob Linder at NTNU’s Department of Physics and the QuSpin research center, reports evidence that the alloy NbRe behaves like a triplet superconductor. If confirmed, the finding could open new paths for spin-based electronics and quantum technologies.“A triplet superconductor is high on the wish list of many physicists working in the field of solid state physics,” said Professor Jacob Linder.He added that materials that are triplet superconductors are a kind of “holy grail” in quantum technology, and more specifically quantum computing.Conventional superconductors, known as singlet superconductors, can carry electrical current with zero resistance. But the paired particles inside them do not carry spin. That limits how they can be used in spintronics and quantum systems that rely on controlling spin rather than charge.Zero resistance spin transportTriplet superconductors are different because their superconducting particles carry spin. According to Linder, “The fact that triplet superconductors have spin has an important consequence. We can now transport not only electrical currents but also spin currents with absolutely zero resistance.”That matters because spin is a fundamental property of electrons and can be used to encode and transmit information. Spintronics aims to use spin instead of electric charge to process signals, potentially reducing energy use and boosting speed.“One of the major challenges in quantum technology today is finding a way to perform computer operations with sufficient accuracy,” explained Linder. Instability and errors remain major barriers to scaling quantum computers. Materials that support lossless spin transport could help address that problem.The researchers collaborated with experimental physicists in Italy to test NbRe, a niobium–rhenium alloy. Their measurements suggest the material behaves differently from what would be expected for a conventional singlet superconductor.“In our published article, we demonstrate that the material NbRe exhibits properties consistent with triplet superconductivity,” said Linder.He cautioned that more work is needed before drawing firm conclusions. “It is still too early to conclude once and for all whether the material is a triplet superconductor. Among other things, the finding must be verified by other experimental groups. It is also necessary to carry out further triplet superconductivity tests,” he said.Majorana path and promiseTriplet superconductors are also linked to exotic particles known as Majorana particles. A Majorana particle is its own antiparticle and is considered promising for building more stable quantum bits.Such particles could enable quantum calculations that are less vulnerable to environmental noise.Another advantage of NbRe is its operating temperature. The material becomes superconducting at about 7 Kelvin. While still extremely cold, that is significantly higher than the roughly 1 Kelvin required for some other triplet candidates, making experiments more practical.“Our experimental research demonstrates that the material behaves completely differently from what we would expect for a conventional singlet superconductor,” added Linder.If independent teams confirm the results, NbRe could become a key platform for combining superconductivity and spintronics in next-generation quantum devices.The findings were published in Physical Review Letters.
Nbre Alloy NTNU Quantum Computing Spintronics Superconductivity Triplet Superconductor Zero Resistance
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