Designing Functional Quantum Materials: From Anyons to Magnetic Storage

自石器时代以来，我们的社会和工业革命一直与新材料的发展密切相关，硅晶体管的诞生使现代信息技术成为可能就是一个例子。然而，目前计算的局限性要求量子技术需要新材料。固态材料是由数十亿个原子以周期性的方式排列而成的。这样的固体具有从原子捐赠的电子的集合，其中每个电子具有电荷和自旋。虽然原子中很少有电子的行为被理解，但它们在微米级固体中的基本物理属性在很大程度上隐藏在它们的电子和磁性下。材料可能会变成金属、绝缘或超导，尽管它们的成分没有变化，这就提出了一个关键问题，即是什么因素决定了这些不同的物质状态。为了表征不同的状态，已经使用了对称性破缺的概念。在某些条件下，一些固体可以成为铁磁体，其中自旋朝向特定方向排列。由于一个方向是在所有其他可能的方向上选择的，所以它被称为破缺对称。最近，量子物质的知识通过一系列激进和意想不到的革命在我们的理解中取得了进展。不同的状态是由它们的波函数的拓扑特征来区分的。拓扑是指不受平滑变形影响的属性。例如，一个有洞的甜甜圈在拓扑上与一个有把手的咖啡杯相同，而一个没有洞的球在拓扑上与两者不同。将这一概念应用于物理学，拓扑材料对杂质和缺陷具有免疫力，这些杂质和缺陷是能量损失的来源。由于它们能够传导电流，这些材料在量子技术的发展中具有巨大的潜力。另一个在过去几十年中发展起来的概念是纠缠，它表示没有描述量子态的局部量。在具有纠缠的拓扑相中，存在数学模型，其中出现了称为任意子的新型粒子，这对纠错量子计算机至关重要。我们的研究目标是为不同的目的设计功能材料，从量子计算机的任意子到磁存储的室温铁磁体。PI是开发微观理论的领先专家，这些理论弥合了数学模型和固态材料之间的差距。我们将与材料合成领域的其他专家合作，以产生创造性和协同性的研究成果。我们的研究结果将指导我们发现未来的材料，以满足当前的社会需求，为量子技术奠定基础，并扩大我们目前的理解范围。这项研究将涉及在加拿大社会和工业高度需求的领域培训下一代加拿大科学家。

Since the Stone Age, our social and industrial revolutions have been intimately tied to the development of new materials, an example being how modern information technology was made possible by the genesis of silicon transistors. However, current limitations on computing call for new materials needed for quantum technology. Solid-state materials are made of billions of atoms arranged in a periodic pattern. Such solids have collections of electrons donated from atoms, where each electron has an electric charge and a spin. While behaviours of few electrons in atoms are understood, their fundamental physical attributes inside micrometer-size solids are largely hidden under their electronic and magnetic properties. Materials may become metallic, insulating, or superconducting despite no change in their constituents, raising the critical question of what factors determine these different states of matter. To characterize different states, the concept of a broken symmetry has been used. Under certain conditions, some solids can become ferromagnets where the spins align toward a particular direction. Since one direction is chosen over all other possible directions, it is referred to as broken symmetry. Recently, knowledge of quantum matter has advanced through a series of radical and unexpected revolutions in our understanding. Distinct states are differentiated by the topological character of their wave functions. Topology refers to a property that is immune to smooth deformations. For example, a donut with a hole is topologically identical to a coffee mug with a handle, while a ball without a hole is topologically distinct from both. Applying this concept to physics, topological materials have an immunity to impurities and defects, sources of energy loss. Due to their ability to conduct electrical current, these materials have great potential in the development of quantum technology. Another notion evolved over the last few decades is entanglement, which denotes the absence of local quantities describing the quantum state. In topological phases with entanglement, there exist mathematical models where new types of particles named anyons, essential for error-correcting quantum computers, emerge. Our research goal is designing functional materials for distinct purposes ranging from anyons for quantum computers to room temperature ferromagnets for magnetic storage. The PI is a leading expert in developing microscopic theories that bridge a gap between mathematical models and solid-state materials. We will collaborate with other experts in the materials synthesis to generate creative and synergetic research outcomes. Our findings will guide us to discover future materials that will address current societal needs, lay the foundations for quantum technology, and expand the boundaries of our current understanding. This research will involve training the next generation of Canadian scientists in areas of high demand for Canadian society and industry.