Featured on the cover of Nano Letters, the breakthrough emerged after four years of rigorous experimentation, culminating in the creation of a nanoscale sandwich comprising distinct atomic layers. One layer consists of dysprosium titanate, known for its ability to capture magnetic monopoles and for its use in nuclear containment, while the other is made of pyrochlore iridate, a semimetal with complex electronic and magnetic behaviors studied largely in experimental physics.
Individually, each compound defies conventional expectations in quantum mechanics, making their fusion into a single, stable interface particularly remarkable. The new material enables exploration at the boundary where the two components meet, opening novel avenues for probing quantum behaviors at the atomic scale.
"This work provides a new way to design entirely new artificial two-dimensional quantum materials, with the potential to push quantum technologies and provide deeper insight into their fundamental properties in ways that were previously impossible," said Jak Chakhalian, Claud Lovelace Endowed Professor of Experimental Physics at the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of the study.
Chakhalian and his team delve into the quantum realm, where the dual nature of particles as both waves and matter underpins major technologies such as MRI machines, transistors, and lasers. Their research emphasizes how quantum principles govern the smallest scales of matter and energy.
He credited the hard work of several Rutgers students for their significant contributions: doctoral candidates Michael Terilli and Tsung-Chi Wu, and Dorothy Doughty, who participated as an undergraduate before graduating in 2024. Material scientist Mikhail Kareev and recent doctoral graduate Fangdi Wen also played key roles in the project.
Due to the complexity of constructing this quantum interface, the team developed a custom instrument named Q-DiP (Quantum Phenomena Discovery Platform), completed in 2023. It utilizes twin lasers, including an infrared heater, to layer materials atom by atom and probe their behavior at temperatures nearing absolute zero.
"To the best of our knowledge, this probe is unique in the U.S. and represents a breakthrough as an instrumental advance," Chakhalian said.
The layer of dysprosium titanate, or spin ice, features a magnetic structure resembling frozen water, where internal magnetic spins mimic the geometry of water ice. These configurations allow for the emergence of magnetic monopoles-hypothetical particles that carry a single magnetic pole, first theorized by Paul Dirac in 1931.
Pyrochlore iridate, forming the other half of the structure, hosts Weyl fermions-relativistic particles predicted in 1929 by Hermann Weyl and only observed in crystalline materials in 2015. These fermions move like light and exhibit robust electronic behavior, maintaining stability under external disturbances, and are thus highly suitable for applications in advanced electronic and magnetic systems.
The fusion of these two unconventional materials into a single platform offers a robust foundation for future quantum devices. Chakhalian believes the hybrid structure holds great promise for next-generation quantum sensors and computing systems.
"This study is a big step forward in material synthesis and could significantly impact the way we create quantum sensors and advances spintronic devices," he said.
Quantum computing leverages quantum mechanical principles like superposition, enabling qubits to exist in multiple states simultaneously. This capability can dramatically accelerate complex computations compared to classical systems.
The electronic and magnetic features of the newly developed structure may help stabilize rare quantum states, which are critical for building reliable quantum computers. As these technologies mature, they could revolutionize fields from pharmaceutical research and manufacturing to finance and artificial intelligence.
Research Report:Epitaxial Stabilization of a Pyrochlore Interface between Weyl Semimetal and Spin Ice
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