Superconductivity offers new insights into quantum material MnBi₂Te₄

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For the first time since the discovery of the material MnBi₂Te₄ (MBT), researchers at the University of Twente have successfully made it behave like a superconductor. This marks an important step in understanding MBT and is significant for future technologies, such as new methods of information processing and quantum computing.

MBT is a recently discovered material attracting attention due to its unique magnetic and topological properties. In their research, the scientists examined how electricity behaves in the material. The findings are published in the journal Communications Materials.

MBT's topological properties cause electrons to move only along the edges of the material, and in theory, they should only move in a clockwise direction. However, the experiments at Twente demonstrated that under certain conditions, the electrons can rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise.

According to the researchers, this finding is crucial. Researcher Thies Jansen explains, "It may not seem like a significant difference, but the one-way electron flow is essential for creating new electronic states that enable novel ways of processing information."

The researchers observed that the electrons rotated in both directions when they succeeded in making MBT act as a superconductor—a material without electrical resistance, which allowed them to study its properties under the influence of a magnetic field.

"The different rotation directions of the electrons are undesirable if we aim to use the material in quantum applications, but now that we understand how these unwanted properties emerge, we can also work on preventing them," says Jansen.

More information: Thies Jansen et al, Josephson coupling across magnetic topological insulator MnBi₂Te₄, Communications Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s43246-024-00649-3

Journal information: Communications Materials

Provided by University of Twente