{"id":116447,"date":"2025-09-03T10:05:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T10:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/116447\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T10:05:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T10:05:15","slug":"quantum-materials-built-from-scratch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/116447\/","title":{"rendered":"Quantum Materials Built from Scratch"},"content":{"rendered":"

September 2, 2025&bullet; Physics 18, s102<\/p>\n

A proposed method could help scientists coax simple atomic systems into quantum states that have useful, tailored properties.<\/p>\n

\"Figure<\/a>\"expand<\/p>\n

In quantum many-body physics, researchers have conventionally asked a specific question: Given a particular system of interacting particles, what quantum phases can emerge? But in the past few years, attention has begun shifting to the inverse question: Given a particular quantum phase, what systems could give rise to it? Now Nicolai Lang and his colleagues at the University of Stuttgart in Germany have made progress in answering that question [1<\/a>]. In their theoretical work, they have shown how simple atomic systems could be coaxed into preordained topologically ordered quantum phases, exotic states with potential applications in quantum computing.<\/p>\n

The researchers considered arrays of atoms where each atom can be placed freely, controlled precisely, and subjected to experimentally realistic two-body interactions. Specifically, the team focused on 2D and 3D arrays in which each atom can be in either its ground state or an excited state. These atoms interact through a so-called blockade mechanism: When one atom is excited, its strong van der Waals interactions with nearby atoms shift those atoms\u2019 energy levels enough to prevent the atoms from also being excited. A uniform, coherent coupling between the ground and excited states causes the atoms to exhibit quantum dynamics.<\/p>\n

As an illustration, the researchers showed how such a setup could be used to achieve a specific sought-after topologically ordered quantum phase known as the toric code. They considered a 2D atomic array and introduced a particular symmetry that causes the ground state to display the toric code. The researchers note that, while idealized, their platform relies solely on physically accessible interactions, a factor that could facilitate experimental realizations in the future.<\/p>\n

\u2013Ryan Wilkinson<\/p>\n

Ryan Wilkinson is a Corresponding Editor for\u00a0Physics Magazine<\/a> based in Durham, UK.<\/p>\n

ReferencesT. F. Maier et al., \u201cTopological order in symmetric blockade structures,\u201d PRX Quantum 6, 030340 (2025)<\/a>.Subject AreasQuantum Physics<\/a>Condensed Matter Physics<\/a>Related Articles\"Unleashing<\/a>\"Skyrmions<\/a>Condensed Matter PhysicsSkyrmions as Active Matter<\/a>August 18, 2025<\/p>\n

Pairs of skyrmions\u2014tiny whirlpools that emerge in some magnetic materials\u2014might be able to self-propel, a behavior reminiscent of that of active-matter systems such as motile bacteria. Read More \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n

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