Quantum materials could transform technologies ranging from powerful computers and ultrasecure communications to advanced energy systems. But there has always been one major obstacle.
Nearly all known quantum materials exhibit their remarkable properties only when cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero. At room temperature, heat creates constant atomic vibrations that overwhelm the delicate quantum behavior scientists are trying to harness. Keeping those vibrations in check requires bulky cryogenic refrigeration systems, making quantum materials powerful tools in the laboratory but difficult to translate into practical technologies.
In a study published in Nature, LSU physicists have developed the first room-temperature quantum material capable of distinguishing and transporting different quantum states of light, overcoming one of the biggest challenges in quantum materials research. Led by Associate Professor of Physics Omar S. Magaña-Loaiza, the work establishes a general design principle for engineering an entirely new class of quantum materials, opening new possibilities for quantum computing, secure communications, sensing technologies and advanced energy systems.
For Chenglong You, a former postdoctoral researcher who is now a professor at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, one of the most rewarding moments came when the team's unconventional approach worked exactly as theory predicted.
"One of the most exciting parts of this project was realizing that we could build a material that does something nature doesn't provide on its own. Seeing it work exactly as we predicted was incredibly rewarding," said You.
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