Explaining Science Through Dance

Science can be difficult to explain to the public. Explaining a theoretical science concept to high school students requires a new way of thinking altogether, which is precisely what researchers at UC San Diego did when they orchestrated a dance with high school students at Orange Glen High School in Escondido as a way to explain topological insulators. The experiment was led by former graduate student Matthew Du and UC San Diego Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Joel Yuen-Zhou.

Scientists make a surprising discovery about magnetic defects in topological insulators

Scientists from the Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory made an intriguing discovery while characterizing the magnetism in a dilute magnetic topological insulator. Despite this material’s ferromagnetism, they discovered strong antiferromagnetic interactions between some pairs of magnetic defects that play a key role in several families of magnetic topological insulators.

Experiments confirm a quantum material’s unique response to circularly polarized laser light

SLAC scientists are probing topological insulators with circularly polarized light to reveal their many secrets. These exotic materials have potential for quantum computing and other technologies. A new study discovers that polarized laser light generates a unique signature from the topological surface.

Quirky Response to Magnetism Presents Quantum Physics Mystery

The search is on to discover new states of matter, and possibly new ways of encoding, manipulating, and transporting information. One goal is to harness materials’ quantum properties for communications that go beyond what’s possible with conventional electronics. Topological insulators–materials that act mostly as insulators but carry electric current across their surface–provide some tantalizing possibilities. Scientists at Brookhaven Lab describe one such material that should be right just right for making qubits. But this material doesn’t obey the rules.

A Talented 2D Material Gets a New Gig

Berkeley Lab scientists tap into graphene’s hidden talent as an electrically tunable superconductor, insulator, and magnetic device for the advancement of quantum information science