Russian scientists have found a new way to study materials of the future – using light. This approach will make it significantly easier to investigate complex states of matter, which are crucial for the creation of new materials, the development of quantum electronics, and solid-state quantum simulators. Details were revealed by "Rosatom Quantum Technologies" company.
Researchers from the Russian Quantum Center, ITMO University, and MIPT have for the first time shown that the collective behavior of electrons in an ultrathin material can be observed optically. The results of the work are published in the scientific journal Physical Review B. The research was carried out within the framework of the roadmap for the development of quantum computing, led by the state corporation "Rosatom".
The result is important for studying materials in which particles begin to behave as a single system. It is precisely such collective effects that underlie superconductivity, unusual magnetism, and new electronic states. Understanding them is necessary for the development of new generation materials, quantum devices, and more efficient electronics.
During the experiment, scientists observed a so-called Wigner crystal – a state in which highly cooled electrons stop moving chaotically and arrange themselves into a regular structure. This state was recorded in a monolayer of tungsten diselenide – a two-dimensional semiconductor about one nanometer thick, which is approximately one hundred thousand times thinner than a human hair. For the first time, signs of such an electron crystal were observed through the material's response to light without the use of a strong magnetic field.
According to Alexander Chernov, head of the research group at the Russian Quantum Center and MIPT, and one of the authors of the work, the new approach will provide researchers with a more convenient tool for studying quantum states. Now, such experiments will not require creating complex systems of electrical contacts or using powerful magnetic fields.
In the future, similar two-dimensional structures could form the basis of solid-state quantum simulators, which will help model the behavior of complex materials – tasks that classical supercomputers often cannot handle due to the need to account for the collective behavior of a huge number of particles.