• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Thursday, August 28, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Chemistry

Electrons waiting for their turn: New model explains 3D quantum material

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
May 28, 2021
in Chemistry
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

IMAGE

Credit: Copyright: Jörg Bandmann

This new 3D effect can be the foundation for topological quantum phenomena, which are believed to be particularly robust and therefore promising candidates for extremely powerful quantum technologies. These results have just been published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

Dr. Tobias Meng and Dr. Johannes Gooth are early career researchers in the Würzburg-Dresdner Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat that researches topological quantum materials since 2019. They could hardly believe the findings of a recent publication in “Nature” claiming that electrons in the topological metal zirconium pentatelluride (ZrTe5) move only in two-dimensional planes, despite the fact that the material is three-dimensional. Meng and Gooth therefore started their own research and experiments on the material ZrTe5. Meng from the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) developed the theoretical model, Gooth from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids designed the experiments. Seven measurements with different techniques always lead to the same conclusion.

Electrons waiting for their turn

The research by Meng and Gooth paints a new picture of how the Hall effect works in three-dimensional materials. The scientists believe that electrons move through the metal along three-dimensional paths, but their electric transport can still appear as two-dimensional. In the topological metal zirconium pentatelluride, this is possible because a fraction of the electrons is still waiting to be activated by an external magnetic field.

„The way electrons move is consistent in all of our measurements, and similar to what is otherwise known from the two-dimensional quantum Hall effects. But our electrons move upwards in spirals, rather than being confined to a circular motion in planes. This is an exciting difference to the quantum Hall effect and to the proposed scenarios for what happens in the material ZrTe5″, comments Meng on the genesis of their new scientific model. „This only works because not all electrons move at all times. Some remain still, as if they were queuing up. Only when an external magnetic field is applied do they become active.”

Experiments confirm the model

For their experiments, the scientists cooled the topological quantum material down to -271 degree Celsius and applied an external magnetic field. Then, they performed electric and thermoelectric measurements by sending currents through the sample, studied its thermodynamics by analysing the magnetic properties of the material, and applied ultrasound. They even used X-ray, Raman and electronic spectroscopy to look into the inner workings of the material. “But none of our seven measurements hinted at the electrons moving only two-dimensionally”, explains Meng, head of the Emmy Noether group for Quantum Design at TUD and leading theorist in the present project. “Our model is in fact surprisingly simple, and still explains all the experimental data perfectly.”

Outlook for topological quantum materials in 3D

The Nobel-prize-winning quantum Hall effect was discovered in 1980 and describes the stepwise conduction of current in a metal. It is a cornerstone of topological physics, a field that has experienced a surge since 2005 due to its promises for the functional materials of the 21st century. To date, however, the quantum Hall effect has only been observed in two-dimensional metals. The scientific results of the present publication enlarge the understanding of how three-dimensional materials behave in magnetic fields. The cluster members Meng and Gooth intend to further persue this new research direction: “We definitely want to investigate the queueing behavior of electrons in 3D metals in more detail”, says Meng.

###

People involved

Besides the members of Tobias Meng’s research group for Quantum Design at TUD, the publication was co-lead by the scientists of Johannes Gooth’s team at the Max Planck Institut for Chemical Physics of Solids. Ultrasound measurements were performed at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf.

Publication

Galeski et al., Origin of the quasi-quantized Hall effect in ZrTe5, Nature Communications 12, 3197 (2021). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23435-y

Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat

The Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat – Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter is a joint research collaboration by the Julius-Maximilians- Universität Würzburg and the Technische Universität (TU) Dresden since 2019. More than 250 scientists from 33 countries and four continents perform research on topological quantum materials that reveal surprising phenomena under extreme conditions such as ultra-low temperature, high pressure, or strong magnetic field. Making these special properties usable under everyday conditions will be the basis for revolutionary quantum chips and new types of technical applications. The Cluster of Excellence is funded within Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments.

Media Contact
Dr. Tobias Meng
[email protected]

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23435-y

Tags: Chemistry/Physics/Materials Sciences
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Turbulent Flow in Heavily Polluted Tijuana River Elevates Regional Air Quality Risks

Turbulent Flow in Heavily Polluted Tijuana River Elevates Regional Air Quality Risks

August 28, 2025
Unlocking the Potential of In-Between Quantum States to Revolutionize Future Technologies

Unlocking the Potential of In-Between Quantum States to Revolutionize Future Technologies

August 28, 2025

When Ocean Waves Reach the Shoreline

August 28, 2025

Innovative Algorithm Paves the Way for Enhanced Noise Reduction in Quantum Devices

August 28, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Breakthrough in Computer Hardware Advances Solves Complex Optimization Challenges

    150 shares
    Share 60 Tweet 38
  • Molecules in Focus: Capturing the Timeless Dance of Particles

    142 shares
    Share 57 Tweet 36
  • New Drug Formulation Transforms Intravenous Treatments into Rapid Injections

    116 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • Neuropsychiatric Risks Linked to COVID-19 Revealed

    82 shares
    Share 33 Tweet 21

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Diabetes Management and Social Vulnerability Link Explored

Carers Say ANZAED Credentials Enhance Eating Disorder Treatment

DDX27 in Cancer: Mechanisms, Impact, and Therapy

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.