Rutgers University-New Brunswick researchers have now fabricated an “impossible” quantum structure, potentially opening the way to new developments in stable yet complex quantum computing.
The team’s innovative new method for designing and fabricating a sandwich of atomic layers containing dysprosium titanate and pyrochlore iridate allows the combination of each material’s unique capabilities. Materials are described as “impossible” if their creation exceeds current fabrication capabilities or defies expected behavior. In the case of these two materials, each possesses properties that challenge our current understanding of quantum physics.
The Q-DiP Leads Innovation
Rutgers professor Jak Chakhalian led the team behind the new research, which took four years to complete. Chakhalian’s team first developed a new instrument, the Quantum Phenomena Discovery Platform (Q-DiP), in 2023 to aid them in constructing their “atomic sandwich.” Two lasers make up Q-Dip, one for heating and another for constructing materials at the atomic level. The tandem laser beams allow the exploration of materials down to temperatures near absolute zero.
“To the best of our knowledge, this probe is unique in the U.S. and represents a breakthrough as an instrumental advance,” Chakhalian said.
The interface where the two impossible materials meet on the atomic scale is an exotic new area for quantum mechanics, the science of the motion and interaction of subatomic particles and related phenomena. Combining two impossible materials in an exotic structure offers new possibilities for quantum computers and sensors.
Superposition, one of the many strange phenomena observed in quantum mechanics, allows quantum bits called qubits to occupy multiple states simultaneously. This capability is the crux of quantum computing, allowing for highly efficient complex computations.
A major area of inquiry for quantum mechanics is wave-particle duality, a quantum phenomenon in which objects can act like both waves and particles. Wave-particle duality currently plays a major role in lasers, transistors, and MRI technologies, but will also allow for added complexity in forthcoming quantum computers.
One Directional Magnets
Dysprosium titanate, also known as spin ice, carries unique properties useful for generating elusive magnetic monopole particles through quantum interactions and trapping radiation in nuclear reactors. Magnetic monopoles emerge from tiny magnets contained in the material’s structure, arranged in a pattern like water ice.
Magnetic monopoles are curious particles that do not occur in free form naturally but were predicted by Nobel prize winner Paul Dirac in 1931. They are called “monopoles” because they only have one pole, which can be either north or south, instead of having both like most magnets.
Unusual Quantum Properties
The magnetic semimetal pyrochlore iridate carries unusual electronic, topological, and magnetic properties and is primarily used in experimental research.
Two years before Dirac, in 1929, Hermann Weyl predicted a theoretical particle, the Weyl fermion. It wasn’t until 2015 that scientists discovered the relativistic particle present in crystals. Weyl fermions move like light, can spin in left—or right-handed motions, and resist disturbances. They grant pyrochlore iridate excellent conductivity and cause it to have unusual reactions to magnetic fields and special effects from electromagnetic fields.
The Future of Quantum Computing
“This work provides a new way to design entirely new artificial two-dimensional quantum materials, with the potential to push quantum technologies and provide deeper insight into their fundamental properties in previously impossible ways,” said Chakhalian.
The exotic material developed by Chakalian’s team allows for a combination of high stability and unusual states that could be a significant boon to quantum computing. While quantum computing is still in its infancy, researchers believe it will eventually revolutionize how humans process information, further advancing AI and other scientific endeavors.
“This study is a big step forward in material synthesis and could significantly impact the way we create quantum sensors and advances spintronic devices,” he said.
The paper “Ionizing Radiation Resilience: How Metabolically Active Lichens Endure Exposure to the Simulated Mars Atmosphere” appeared on March 31, 2025, in IMA Fungus.
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.