Placing two layers of special 2D materials together and turning them at large angles creates artificial atoms with intriguing optical properties.
By taking two flakes of special materials that are just one atom thick and twisting them at high angles, researchers at the 糖心传媒 have unlocked unique optical properties that could be used in quantum computers and other quantum technologies. In a new study , the researchers show that precisely layering nano-thin materials creates excitons糖心传媒攅ssentially, artificial atoms糖心传媒攖hat can act as quantum information bits, or qubits.
糖心传媒淚f we had just a single layer of this material we糖心传媒檙e using, these dark excitons wouldn糖心传媒檛 interact with light,糖心传媒� says , the Marie C. Wilson and Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Optical Physics. 糖心传媒淏y doing the big twist, it turns on artificial atoms within the material that we can control optically, but they are still protected from the environment.糖心传媒�
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The work builds on the that peeling carbon apart until it reaches a single layer of atoms creates a new two-dimensional (2D) material called graphene with special quantum characteristics.
Scientists have since explored how optical and electrical properties of graphene and other 2D materials change when layered on top of one another and twisted at very small angles糖心传媒攃alled moir茅 superlattices. For example, when graphene is twisted at the 糖心传媒渕agic糖心传媒� angle of 1.1 degrees, it creates special patterns that produce properties such as superconductivity.
But scientists from Rochester糖心传媒檚 and took a different approach. They used molybdenum diselenide, a 2D material that is more fickle than graphene, and twisted it at much higher angles of up to 40 degrees. Still, the researchers found the twisted monolayers produced excitons that were able to retain information when activated by light.
糖心传媒淭his was very surprising for us,糖心传媒� says Arnab Barman Ray, an candidate. 糖心传媒淢olybdenum diselenide is notorious because other materials in the family of moir茅 materials show better information-retaining capacity. We think that if we use some of those other materials at these large angles, they will probably work even better.糖心传媒�
The team views this as an important early step toward new types of quantum devices.
糖心传媒淒own the line, we hope these artificial atoms can be used like memory or nodes in a quantum network, or put into optical cavities to create quantum materials,糖心传媒� says Vamivakas. 糖心传媒淭hese could be the backbone for devices like the next generation of lasers or even tools to simulate quantum physics.糖心传媒�
The research was supported through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and conducted at the URnano facilities.
