In the past, scientists often conduct research in the field of creation of two-dimensional materials. And is the graphene is not the only one in this list. For example, we recently wrote about a new modification of phosphorus, which could oust the carbon material. However, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently demonstrated a material that combines the properties of two different electronic components. And this can be very useful in creating quantum computing systems.
A new two-dimensional material is a tungsten telluride. Of course, this substance has been known for quite some time, but only by creating on its base the transistor (by placing a 2D material between two layers of boron nitride), scientists from MIT found that the resulting element can be switched between two electronic States. With the passage of the charge “on the edge” devices it has the properties of a topological insulator, and at the termination of exposure, telluride tungsten performs the function of a superconductor. According to Professor of physical Sciences at MIT Pablo Jarillo-Herrero
“This is the first case where the same material can be configured as either a topological insulator or superconductor. We can do this by modifying the electric field using standard dielectrics, so that in fact is the same type of technology that is used in standard semiconductor electronics. This opens a lot of opportunities.”
One of the most promising areas in which to apply the new tool, according to researchers, is the development of quantum computers, which just had to develop a substance that works this way.
In this case we can talk about the use of the so-called Majorana fermions. Are elementary particles which have not been found in nature, but according to the theory, particles that are their own antiparticles. They can manifest themselves in such described materials at a temperature of absolute zero.
“It’s interesting in itself from the point of view of fundamental physics and, besides, we have the prospect to use this for topological calculations, which are a special type of quantum computing.”
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