A Celebration of Achievement: Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat Marks Its 1000th Publication

Overview

One of the benchmarks used to measure the success of research is the volume of publications in esteemed journals. The Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat has recently celebrated a significant achievement with its 1000th publication. This milestone paper was published late last year in the prestigious journal Materials Today Physics and focuses on the development of magnetic topological insulators. These innovative materials are expected to pave the way for energy-efficient quantum technologies in data processing and storage. To mark this achievement, the authors will receive a trophy at the Cluster Retreat in Weimar at the end of March 2024.

1000 Examples of Outstanding Research 

The 1000th paper by the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat – Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter highlights the collaborative efforts of its scientists in exploring tailored topological insulators. These materials are at the forefront of the development of energy-saving and faster high tech, offering the unique combination of being insulators internally while conducting electricity without loss on their edges. In addition to members of ct.qmat from Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, and the Leibnitz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research in Dresden (IFW), researchers from the University of Amsterdam were also involved in the publication.

“Our 1000th publication reflects the collaborative essence of ct.qmat. As the only Cluster of Excellence to span two German states, it connects two premier research hubs for condensed matter in Würzburg and Dresden and collaborates internationally with the best minds in this field,” says ct.qmat’s Würzburg spokesperson Ralph Claessen, Professor of Experimental Physics at JMU Würzburg. “Since ct.qmat began in 2019, the two universities and our external partners have evolved into a network that together is more than the sum of its parts.”

Research Elite 

“We’ve managed to establish Würzburg and Dresden as the prime German centers for topological materials physics,” declares Matthias Vojta, Professor of Theoretical Solid-State Physics at TU Dresden and ct.qmat’s Dresden spokesperson. “At ct.qmat, we’re competing at the highest level, a status confirmed by our groundbreaking discoveries. Our collaborative efforts between Würzburg and Dresden have led to the development of topological quantum materials like manganese bismuth telluride, introducing entirely new functionalities.” And he adds: “Our achievements include advances in superconductivity, topological insulators, and topological lasers.”

Close Cooperation

Among the contributors to ct.qmat’s landmark 1000th publication is Anna Isaeva, Professor of Quantum Materials at the University of Amsterdam. In 2019, then serving as a junior professor at ct.qmat, Isaeva and her team made headlines with their synthesis of the first magnetic topological insulator, manganese bismuth telluride (MnBi₂Te₄). “This latest paper is the fruit of successful collaboration among teams from Dresden, Würzburg, and Amsterdam. Our primary objective was to develop new crystals with enhanced ferromagnetic transition temperatures, enabling their revolutionary properties as magnetic topological insulators to be harnessed at higher operational temperatures,” explains Isaeva. “These advancements are particularly promising for the application of energy-efficient quantum technologies, such as in data processing and storage, at increasingly higher temperatures.” The long-term goal is to adapt these materials for everyday use. Isaeva and her team have now moved “a step closer to room temperature,” as Isaeva puts it.

During the ct.qmat Cluster Retreat, to be held in Weimar from March 25 to 27, 2024, the authors will be awarded a trophy and present their findings as posters.