2023-11-27 12:00:05
In a study led by the University of Bristol and published in the journal Science, quantum physics scientists have discovered a rare phenomenon in purple bronze, a unique one-dimensional metal. This phenomenon might be the key to creating a “perfect switch” in quantum devices, capable of switching between an insulating state (A insulator is a material which prevents energy exchanges between two systems….) and a superconducting state.
Professor Nigel Hussey of the University of Bristol, lead author of the study, revealed that small changes in the material triggered by a light stimulus such as heat (In everyday language, the words heat and temperature often have an equivalent meaning:…) or light (Light is the set of electromagnetic waves visible to the eye…) , can cause an instantaneous transition between an insulating state with zero conductivity and a superconductor state with unlimited conductivity, and vice versa. This polarized versatility, called “emerging symmetry”, might offer an ideal switch for future developments in technology. ) quantum.
The scientific journey began 13 years ago, when two doctoral students, Xiaofeng Xu and Nick Wakeham, measured the magnetoresistance of purple bronze. Surprisingly, magnetoresistance turned out to be extremely “simple”, independently of the orientation of the current or field, and showed a perfect linear dependence as a function of temperature (Temperature is a physical quantity measured using a thermometer and…).
In 2017, during a seminar at Radboud University, Dr. Piotr Chudzinski proposed that the increased resistance of purple bronze might be due to interference (In wave mechanics, interference is when two waves of the same type…) between conducting electrons and elusive composite particles called dark excitons. This theory (The word theory comes from the Greek word theorein, which means “to contemplate, observe,…), once tested experimentally, was confirmed.
Dr. Chudzinski, now a researcher at Queen’s University Belfast, likens this phenomenon to a magic trick where a dull, distorted figure is transformed into a perfectly symmetrical sphere. This “emerging symmetry” is a rare, even unique state.
To validate this theory, 100 individual crystals, some insulators and some superconductors, were examined by another doctoral student, Maarten Berben, at Radboud University. This in-depth research made it possible to understand why different crystals presented such divergent fundamental states.
Looking to the future, it might be possible to exploit this “limit” to create switches in quantum circuits, where small stimuli induce profound changes in the resistance of the switch.
1701164466
#major #breakthrough #quantum #technology
