Madhab Neupane and his research team with their in-house ARPES system. From left to right: Gyanendra Dhakal, Klauss Dimitri, Md Mofazzel Hosen, Madhab Neupane, Christopher Sims and Firoza Kabir. Photo: University of Central Florida.A physicist at the University of Central Florida (UCF) has discovered a new material with the potential to become a building block in the forthcoming era of quantum materials. Composed of microscopically condensed matter, quantum materials are expected to change our development of technology.
Researchers are entering the quantum age and instead of using silicon to advance technology they are finding new quantum materials, conductors with the ability to use and store energy at the subatomic level. Madhab Neupane, an assistant professor at UCF, has spent his career learning about the quantum realm and looking for these new materials, which are expected to become the foundation of the technology to develop quantum computers and long-lasting memory devices. These new devices will increase computing power for big data and greatly reduce the amount of energy required to power electronics.
Big companies recognize the potential and are investing in this research. Microsoft has invested in its Station Q, a lab dedicated solely to studying the field of topological quantum computing. Google has teamed up with NASA on a Quantum AI Lab that studies how quantum computing and artificial intelligence can mesh. Once the quantum phenomena are well understood and can be engineered, the new technologies are expected to change the world, much like electronics did at the end of the 20th century.
Neupane's discovery, reported in a paper in Nature Communications, is a big step in making that reality happen. "Our discovery takes us one step closer to the application of quantum materials and helps us gain a deeper understanding of the interactions between various quantum phases," Neupane said.
The material that Neupane and his team discovered is composed of hafnium, tellurium and phosphorus (Hf2Te2P). It is the first material to have multiple quantum properties, meaning there is more than one electron pattern that develops within its electronic structure, giving it a range of quantum properties.
Neupane's research group is now studying this quantum material with specialized equipment for conducting an advanced-spectroscopic characterization technique known as angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). "With the discovery of such an incredible material, we are at the brink of having a deeper understanding of the interplay of topological phases and developing the foundation for a new model from which all technology will be based off, essentially the silicon of a new era," Neupane said.
This story is adapted from material from the University of Central Florida, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier. Link to original source.