(NewsWire) Exceptional surfaces could have applications in information processing and sensing, including in new quantum technology. For example, the behaviors displayed by these surfaces could help make quantum sensors more sensitive to slight changes. They could also improve the how well quantum circuits handle environmental noise. In addition, the use of magnon polaritons to create these surfaces provides a new way to reveal unusual behavior at the quantum level. This ability would help scientists explore quantum physics and design quantum information systems. A recent study from scientists at the Center for Nanoscale Materials and the Imperial College London worked together to produce the surface.shows that the strong coupling of photons and spin waves in magnetic materials creates an “exceptional surface” for new phenomena, potentially advancing the field of information processing.
For the first time, scientists have observed an exceptional surface–a continuous saddle-shaped surface comprised of exceptional points. Past research has detected exceptional points and lines, but this is the first time that researchers have plotted surfaces with potential impact on physical processes. They demonstrated that there is an exceptional saddle point in the exceptional surface that originates from the unique couplings between magnons and microwave photons. The exceptional surface displays unique phenomena, such as complex anisotropic behavior, that can enable desirable behavior such as high sensitivity and unidirectional signal propagation in materials.
This work was performed in part at the Center for Nanoscale Materials, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science user facility, one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Additional funding came from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.