Scientists Discover a Topological Magnet that Exhibits Exotic Quantum Effects; Could Harness Quantum Topology for Next Generation Device Research

(Phys.org) An international team led by researchers at Princeton University has uncovered a new class of magnet that exhibits novel quantum effects that extend to room temperature. The researchers discovered a quantized topological phase in a pristine magnet.
“The discovery of a magnetic topological material with quantized behavior is a major step forward that could unlock new horizons in harnessing quantum topology for future fundamental physics and next-generation device research” said M. Zahid Hasan, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics at Princeton University, who led the research team.
The Princeton team of researchers used an advanced technique known as scanning tunneling microscopy, which is capable of probing the electronic and spin wavefunctions of a material at the sub-atomic scale with sub-millivolt energy resolution. Under these fine-tuned conditions, the researchers identified the magnetic kagome lattice atoms in the crystal, findings that were further confirmed by state-of-the-art angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with momentum resolution.