May 2, 2024

A New Theoretical Concept Interweaves Magnetism and Topology – Revolutionary Future Potential

It identifies and surveys potential new magnetic topological materials, discusses their possible future applications in spin and quantum electronics and as products for effective energy conversion. Magnetic topological materials represent a class of compounds whose homes are highly influenced by the geography of the electronic wavefunctions paired with their spin setup. Magnetic topological materials can support chiral channels of electrons and spins, and can be used for a variety of applications from info storage, control of dissipationless spin and charge transport, to giant actions under external stimuli such as temperature level and light.
The review summarizes the experimental and theoretical development attained in the field of magnetic topological materials beginning with the theoretical prediction of the Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect without Landau levels, and leading to the current discoveries of magnetic Weyl semimetals and antiferromagnetic topological insulators.

The identification of products for a specific technological application (e.g. Quantum Anomalous Hall) is uncomplicated. Using this method magnetic topological products with magnetic transition temperature levels above room temperature can be identified or if required, developed for classical applications such as thermoelectric gadgets, Hall sensors or effective catalysts but they are likewise helpful for quantum applications at low temperatures, including computing and sensing.
Andrei Bernevig remarks that “The realization of the QAHE at room temperature level would be innovative, overcoming limitations of lots of data-based technologies, which are affected by power losses from Joule heating,” and his colleague Stuart Parkin, Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Halle, Germany, “can picture how the unique homes of this new class of magnetic products can lead the way to new generations of low energy consuming quantum spintronic and electronic devices and even unique superconducting spintronic gadgets.”
Claudia Felser, MPI CPfS is most delighted about their possible applications in chemistry. She says “if we can design a magnetic catalyst for water splitting we may be able to alter the catalytic homes with an external field, which would allow us to change on and off catalysis.”
For Haim Beidenkopf, the quantum computer is possibly the most exciting direction in science today: “The style of a product that exhibits a high temperature quantum anomalous Hall via quantum confinement of a magnetic Weyl semimetal, and its combination into quantum devices is my primary goal for the future.” The field of magnetic topological materials plainly has and will have effect in both the scientific and technological worlds.
Recommendation: “Progress and Prospects In Magnetic Topological Materials” 2 March 2022, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/ s41586-021-04105-x.

Graphical representation of the connection between material (= two twisted graphene layers) with topological properties, a topological surface in the mathematical sense (= mobius strip) and magnetism (magnetic spins). Credit: © MPI CPfS
The new review paper on magnetic topological materials of Andrei Bernevig, Princeton University, USA, Haim Beidenkopf, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, and Claudia Felser, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden, Germany, presents the brand-new theoretical idea that links magnetism and geography. It recognizes and surveys possible brand-new magnetic topological materials, discusses their possible future applications in spin and quantum electronic devices and as products for effective energy conversion. The review talks about the connection in between geography, symmetry, and magnetism at a level suitable for college students in physics, chemistry, and products science that have a basic knowledge of condensed matter physics.
Magnetic topological products represent a class of compounds whose homes are strongly influenced by the geography of the electronic wavefunctions coupled with their spin configuration. Geography is a simple idea dealing with the surfaces of things. If it is maintained under continuous contortion, the topology of a mathematical structure is identical. A pancake has the exact same geography as a cube, a donut as a coffee cup, and a pretzel as a board with three holes. Adding spin uses additional structure– a new degree of liberty– for the realization of brand-new states of matter that are not understood in non-magnetic materials. Magnetic topological materials can support chiral channels of electrons and spins, and can be used for a range of applications from info storage, control of dissipationless spin and charge transport, to huge reactions under external stimuli such as temperature level and light.
The evaluation sums up the speculative and theoretical progress attained in the field of magnetic topological products beginning with the theoretical prediction of the Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect without Landau levels, and leading to the recent discoveries of magnetic Weyl semimetals and antiferromagnetic topological insulators. Current theoretical development that resulted in the tabulation of all magnetic symmetry group representations and geography is described. As a result of this, all known magnetic materials– consisting of future discoveries– can be totally identified by their topological homes.