A celebration of achievement: Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat marks its 1000th publication

1000 Examples of Outstanding Research

The 1000th paper by the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat – Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter highlights the collaborative efforts of its scientists in exploring tailored topological insulators. These materials are at the forefront of the development of energy-saving and faster high tech, offering the unique combination of being insulators internally while conducting electricity without loss on their edges. In addition to members of ct.qmat from Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, and the Leibnitz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research in Dresden (IFW), researchers from the University of Amsterdam were also involved in the publication.

“Our 1000th publication reflects the collaborative essence of ct.qmat. As the only Cluster of Excellence to span two German states, it connects two premier research hubs for condensed matter in Würzburg and Dresden and collaborates internationally with the best minds in this field,” says ct.qmat’s Würzburg spokesperson Ralph Claessen, Professor of Experimental Physics at JMU Würzburg. “Since ct.qmat began in 2019, the two universities and our external partners have evolved into a network that together is more than the sum of its parts.”

Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat
The Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat – Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter has been jointly run by Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg and Technische Universität (TU) Dresden since 2019. Over 300 scientists from more than thirty countries and four continents study topological quantum materials that reveal surprising phenomena under extreme conditions such as ultra-low temperatures, high pressure, or strong magnetic fields. ct.qmat is funded through the German Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments and is the only Cluster of Excellence in Germany to be based in two different federal states.

Research Elite

“We’ve managed to establish Würzburg and Dresden as the prime German centers for topological materials physics,” declares Matthias Vojta, Professor of Theoretical Solid-State Physics at TU Dresden and ct.qmat’s Dresden spokesperson. “At ct.qmat, we’re competing at the highest level, a status confirmed by our groundbreaking discoveries. Our collaborative efforts between Würzburg and Dresden have led to the development of topological quantum materials like manganese bismuth telluride, introducing entirely new functionalities.” And he adds: “Our achievements include advances in superconductivity, topological insulators, and topological lasers.”

Close Cooperation

Among the contributors to ct.qmat’s landmark 1000th publication is Anna Isaeva, Professor of Quantum Materials at the University of Amsterdam. In 2019, then serving as a junior professor at ct.qmat, Isaeva and her team made headlines with their synthesis of the first magnetic topological insulator, manganese bismuth telluride (MnBi₂Te₄). “This latest paper is the fruit of successful collaboration among teams from Dresden, Würzburg, and Amsterdam. Our primary objective was to develop new crystals with enhanced ferromagnetic transition temperatures, enabling their revolutionary properties as magnetic topological insulators to be harnessed at higher operational temperatures,” explains Isaeva. “These advancements are particularly promising for the application of energy-efficient quantum technologies, such as in data processing and storage, at increasingly higher temperatures.” The long-term goal is to adapt these materials for everyday use. Isaeva and her team have now moved “a step closer to room temperature,” as Isaeva puts it.

During the ct.qmat Cluster Retreat, to be held in Weimar from March 25 to 27, 2024, the authors will be awarded a trophy and present their findings as posters.

ct.qmat’s 1000th publication is called:

Tuning strategy for Curie-temperature enhancement in the van der Waals magnet Mn_1+xSb_2-xTe₄, M. Sahoo, M. Rahn, E. Kochetkova, O. Renier, L. Folkers, A. Tcakaev, M. Amigó, F. Stier, V. Pomjakushin, K. Srowik, V. Zabolotnyy, E. Weschke, V. Hinkov, A. Alfonsov, V. Kataev, B. Büchner, A. Wolter, J. Facio, L. Corredor, and A. Isaeva, Mater.
Today Phys. 38, 101265 (2023).

For a comprehensive listing of publications featuring research by ct.qmat, visit: https://ctqmat.de/de/research/publications

Further details on ct.qmat’s research activities are available in the 2022 Interim Report: https://ctqmat.de/report