{"id":3116,"date":"2023-01-19T15:00:35","date_gmt":"2023-01-19T09:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.asminternational.org\/edfas\/milestone-for-light-driven-electronics-excitons-generated-in-a-topological-insulator-for-the-first-time\/"},"modified":"2023-01-19T15:00:35","modified_gmt":"2023-01-19T09:30:35","slug":"milestone-for-light-driven-electronics-excitons-generated-in-a-topological-insulator-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asminternational.org\/edfas\/results\/-\/journal_content\/56\/10192\/51285378\/NEWS\/","title":{"rendered":"Milestone for light-driven electronics: excitons generated in a topological insulator for the first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"An international team of scientists collaborating within the W\u00fcrzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, Germany, has achieved a breakthrough in quantum research \u2013 the first detection of excitons (electrically neutral quasiparticles) in a topological insulator. This discovery paves the way for a new generation of light-driven computer chips and quantum technologies. It was enabled thanks to smart material design in W\u00fcrzburg, the birthplace of topological insulators. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In their search for novel materials for future quantum technologies, scientists from the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat \u2013 Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter \u2013 at the two universities in W\u00fcrzburg and Dresden are concentrating on topological insulators, which enable the lossless conduction of electrical current and robust information storage. The first experimental realization of this materials class took place in W\u00fcrzburg in 2007, prompting a worldwide research boom in solid-state physics that continues to this day.<\/p>\n

Previous concepts for using topological insulators are based on the application of electrical voltages in order to control currents \u2013 an approach adopted from conventional computer chips. However, if the exotic material properties are based on electrically neutral particles (which are neither positively nor negatively charged), an electric voltage no longer works. Such quantum phenomena therefore require other tools if they are to be generated at all \u2013 for example, light.<\/p>\n

An international research team headed by Professor Ralph Claessen, quantum physicist from W\u00fcrzburg and co-spokesperson of ct.qmat, has now made a crucial discovery. \u201cFor the first time, we\u2019ve been able to generate and experimentally detect quasiparticles known as excitons in a topological insulator. We\u2019ve thus created a new toolkit for solid-state physics that can be used to control electrons optically.\u201d As Claessen emphasizes, \u201cThis principle could become the basis for a new type of electronic components.\u201d<\/p>\n

Excitons are electronic quasiparticles. Although they seem to behave like independent particles, they actually represent an excited electronic state that can only be generated in certain types of quantum matter. \u201cWe created excitons by applying a short light pulse to a thin film consisting of just one single layer of atoms,\u201d explains Claessen. What\u2019s unusual about this, he says, is that the excitons were activated in a topological insulator \u2013 something that wasn\u2019t possible before. \u201cThis has opened up a completely new line of research for topological insulators,\u201d adds Claessen.<\/p>\n

The right starting material is crucial \u2013 in this case bismuthene. \u201cIt\u2019s the heavy sibling of the miracle material graphene,\u201d says Claessen, who first tailored the topological insulator in the lab five years ago. \u201cWe\u2019re the global leaders in this field,\u201d he adds. \u201cDue to our sophisticated materials design, the atoms of the single layer of bismuthene are arranged in a honeycomb pattern, just like graphene. The difference is that bismuthene\u2019s heavy atoms make it a topological insulator, meaning it can conduct electricity along the edge without loss \u2013 even at room temperature. This can\u2019t be done by graphene.\u201d<\/p>\n

For about ten years, excitons have been investigated in other two-dimensional semiconductors and regarded as information carriers for light-driven components. \u201cFor the first time, we\u2019ve managed to optically excite excitons in a topological insulator. The interaction between light and excitons means we can expect new phenomena in such materials. This principle could be used, for example, to generate qubits,\u201d says Claessen.<\/p>\n

Qubits are computing units for quantum chips. They\u2019re far superior to traditional bits and allow to solve tasks within minutes for which conventional supercomputers would literally take years.i Using light instead of electrical voltage enables quantum chips with much faster processing speeds. The latest findings therefore pave the way for future quantum technologies and a new generation of light-driven devices in microelectronics.<\/p>\n

Image – Three excitons (pairs consisting of an electron and an electron hole) on the topological insulator bismuthene. Due to the honeycomb atomic structure, electrons can only flow along the edges. This topological effect allows current to flow without resistance. Researchers from ct.qmat have managed to generate excitons in a topological insulator for the very first time, paving the way for novel light-driven components \u2013 and possibly even the realization of qubits. Courtesy of J\u00f6rg Bandmann\/ct.qmat.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more information:<\/p>\n

W\u00fcrzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.ctqmat.de\/en<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An international team of scientists collaborating within the W\u00fcrzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, Germany, has achieved a breakthrough in quantum research \u2013 the first detection of excitons (electrically neutral quasiparticles) in a topological insulator. This discovery paves the way for a new generation of light-driven computer chips and quantum technologies. It was enabled thanks to… View Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63080,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[434,444,437,458,456,435,436,440,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-electronics","category-industries-and-applications","category-materials-testing-and-evaluation","category-metallography-and-microstructures","category-metals-and-alloys","category-news","category-news-articles","category-phase-diagrams-and-crystallography","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMilestone for light-driven electronics: excitons generated in a topological insulator for the first time - Electronic Device Failure Analysis Society<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asminternational.org\/edfas\/results\/-\/journal_content\/56\/10192\/51285378\/NEWS\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Milestone for light-driven electronics: excitons generated in a topological insulator for the first time - Electronic Device Failure Analysis Society\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An international team of scientists collaborating within the W\u00fcrzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, Germany, has achieved a breakthrough in quantum research \u2013 the first detection of excitons (electrically neutral quasiparticles) in a topological insulator. This discovery paves the way for a new generation of light-driven computer chips and quantum technologies. It was enabled thanks to... 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