The combination of two opposite properties of the resulting material will help eliminate errors in quantum computers. This will bring us one step closer to creating stable quantum systems, the researchers believe.
Physicists from Aalto University in Finland have received ultrathin bilayer material, which has quantum properties and can be used in the electronic devices of the new generation. About this study writes Phys.org.
As a rule, to create such materials requires expensive rare-earth metals, but the scientists have found an alternative. According to the researchers, the new compound can provide the creation of the original platform for quantum computing and accelerate development in this area. At the same time, it is relatively easy to make.
The team tried to create a spin (from spin – rotation, – ed.) liquid – this is one of the magnetic states of matter, which is characterized by special impulses of elementary particles at low temperatures. Typically, they create a single layer of tantalum disulfide one atom thick, but in the process of treatment appear two-layer “islands” of the substance.
Scientists have discovered that the interaction between the two layers of these “islands” produces a phenomenon known as the Kondo effect, leading to a tangled state of matter and a system with heavy fermions – particles in which electrons behave as if they are much heavier than they really are. They are used in studies of the quantum properties of materials. For example, materials with heavy fermions can act as topological superconductors, suitable for creating more stable qubits and reducing the probability of errors in quantum computers.
“The study of complex quantum materials is hampered by the properties of natural compounds. Our goal is to create artificial designer materials that can be easily tuned and controlled externally to extend the range of exotic phenomena that can be realized in the laboratory,” said Professor Peter Lillieroth.
Although both layers are composed of tantalum sulfide, they have different features. One exhibits metal properties and conducts electrons, while the other locks them in a stable atomic lattice. Their combination results in heavy fermines.
“Creating such a material in reality would be of enormous benefit if systems with heavy fermions could be easily incorporated into electrical devices and tuned externally,” added Viliam Vagno, lead author of the study.
The scientists emphasized that the two-layer material would help investigate the so-called quantum criticality, when a substance begins to move from one quantum state to another. In between, the whole system reacts strongly to the slightest change in the environment and can turn into even more exotic quantum matter.
“In the future, we will study how the system reacts to the rotation of each sheet relative to the other, and try to change the connection between the layers to tune the material to quantum critical behavior,” Peter Lillieroth shared his plans.