A new MIT study marks a new direction in the field of topological insulators, and although they do not know where it will lead, they note that these developments could pave the way for promising possibilities for the development of innovative electronic devices.
![In the sheet of the material graphene (the horizontal surface with the hexagonal pattern of carbon atoms) placed in a strong magnetic field, electrons can move along the edges, and are prevented from moving in the inner part of the sheet. In addition, in these languages, only the electrons with the appropriate spin will move in one direction only (the blue arrow), while the electrons with the opposite spin (the red arrow) are prevented from moving. [Courtesy of the researchers].](https://www.hayadan.org.il/images/content3/2013/12/GRAPHENE-QUANTUM-MIT.jpg "In the sheet of the material graphene (the horizontal surface with the hexagonal pattern of carbon atoms) placed in a strong magnetic field, electrons can move along the edges, and are prevented from moving in the inner part of the sheet. In addition, in these languages, only the electrons with the appropriate spin will move in one direction only (the blue arrow), while the electrons with the opposite spin (the red arrow) are prevented from moving. [Courtesy of the researchers].")
In the sheet of the material graphene (the horizontal surface with the hexagonal pattern of carbon atoms) placed in a strong magnetic field, electrons can move along the edges, and are prevented from moving in the inner part of the sheet. In addition, in these languages, only the electrons with the appropriate spin will move in one direction only (the blue arrow), while the electrons with the opposite spin (the red arrow) are prevented from moving. [Courtesy of the researchers].
The two-dimensional carbon material graphene could be used in this new way for the discovery of unexpected properties and new applications in it. The new study, published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature, shows that graphene can also offer, under extreme conditions, additional benefits, including exotic uses such as quantum computing.
This discovery could, at the end of a long research path, lead to the development of quantum computers, according to one of the researchers, although the extreme conditions required for this would require the use of highly advanced equipment for high-priority computing tasks, such as national laboratories.
In this study, the scientists placed the material graphene in an extremely powerful magnetic field and at very low temperatures and were able to control the direction of the electron spin, which allowed the material to remove these electrons - a task that normal electronic systems are unable to perform.
The researchers found that if a strong magnetic field is applied to the graphene, its behavior changes so that the electrons can move around its conductive rim - either clockwise or counterclockwise. Under normal circumstances, the electric current advances only on the edges of the graphene, while its interior remains insulated. This current moves in one direction, according to Hall's quantum effect.
The material graphene itself is used for a variety of different purposes. However, by changing the magnetic field, the researchers found that they are able to turn on and off the electronic state of the material (along its edges), meaning - in principle, electrical circuits and transistors can be created from this system. Such a mechanism has never been seen in ordinary materials. Moreover, the spin selectivity prevents interference in the motion of the electrons as long as the languages are uniform.
According to the researchers, the behavior of these graphene surfaces was predicted, but it had never been observed in practice. Thus, for the first time ever, spin selectivity behavior was observed in a single sheet of graphene, and it was also the first time ever that the possibility of switching between these different states was revealed.
According to the scientists, the new research marks a new direction in the field of topological insulators, and although they do not know where it will lead, they note that these developments could pave the way for promising possibilities for the development of innovative electronic devices. In addition, they believe that their work can connect the physics of topological insulators to the physics of graphene.
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Asaf,
There are far better things to throw taxpayer money at. The dream/fantasy
To produce a quantum computer has already existed for about twenty years without significant achievements, which are equal
the investment.
Since research and development are very expensive. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to involve the defense industries in applied research at Garpon. Because most of Israel's available resources are found in defense.