Communications of the ACM
Magnetic Semi-Metal Could Lead to More Efficient Electronics
Topological semi-metals represent a new quantum state of matter.
Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
A recent discovery by a team of researchers led by Tulane University advances fundamental knowledge that could one day lead to more energy-efficient computers, televisions, cell phones, and other electronics.
The researchers' discovery of a new magnetic topological semi-metal is described in "A Magnetic Topological Semimetal Sr1-yMn1-zSb2(y, z < 0.1)," published in the journal Nature Materials.
The Tulane team was led by physics professor Zhiqiang Mao, the Tulane School of Science and Engineering's Outstanding Researcher for 2017.
Mao's research, which focuses on quantum materials such as superconductors, magnetic materials, and topological materials, was carried out in response to the need for better ways to power electronics, especially given continually shrinking transistors in iPhones and other devices. Topological semi-metals represent a new quantum state of matter.
"The recent discoveries of topological materials — a new class of quantum materials — hold great promise for use in energy saving electronics," Mao says.
The phrase "topological materials" refers to those materials where the current carrying electrons act as if they have no mass, similar to the properties of photons, the particles that make up light.
"The result is expected to improve fundamental understanding of fascinating properties of topological semi-metals," Mao says.
In addition to Mao, scientists from Tulane include research assistant professor Jin Hu, assistant professor Jiang Wei, graduate students Jinyu Liu, Yanglin Zhu, and visiting scholar Goufeng Cheng.
Other authors of the Nature Materials study include collaborators from Louisiana State University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, National High Magnetic Field Lab at Tallahassee and Los Alamos, Florida State University, and the University of New Orleans.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Louisiana Board of Regents, among others.
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