A new way to combine two materials with special electrical properties — a monolayer superconductor and a topological insulator — provides the best platform to date to explore an unusual form of superconductivity called topological superconductivity. The combination could provide the basis for topological quantum computers that are more stable than their traditional counterparts.
Physicists have discovered how to switch topological states on and off in a strongly correlated metal using magnetic fields, a breakthrough made possible by the collective behavior of electrons that dramatically amplifies the material’s response to external magnetic fields and could enable new applications in quantum computing and sensor technology.
Researchers have designed and simulated the first topological acoustic transistors — with sound waves instead of electrons — and proposed a connection architecture to form a universal logic gate that can switch the flow of sound on and off.
Research has resulted in the discovery of a new rare topological superconductor, LaPt3P. This discovery may be of huge importance to the future operations of quantum computers.