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In a breakthrough akin to the effects of 3D cinema, scientists are using light particles to uncover the mysteries of electron behavior and propel our understanding of quantum materials forward. These materials, rich with potential for energy-efficient electronics and cutting-edge technology of tomorrow, are distinguished by their topological properties that could rarely be measured directly – until now.

Magnetic topological insulators are an exotic class of materials that conduct electrons without any resistance at all and so are regarded as a promising breakthrough in materials science. Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat have achieved a significant milestone in the pursuit of energy-efficient quantum technologies by designing the ferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi₆Te_10.

Engaging presentations, captivating posters, and team-building exercises like the marshmallow challenge and the spaghetti tower marked the 2023 Retreat of the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, held in Bayreuth from March 20 to 22. The three days were brimming with the latest insights from the cluster areas Topological Electrons (A), Quantum Magnetism (B), and Topological Photonics (C), accompanied by many personal meetings.

The Dresden-based Collaborative Research Center 1143: "Correlated Magnetism: From Frustration to Topology" has been successfully conducting fundamental research in solid state physics for the past eight years. As confirmed by the German Research Foundation, the CRC will now be granted a third funding period, starting in 2023.

Three awards in one sweep: the creators of the mobile game app Kitty Q and its follow-up project QUANTube from the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat had every reason to be excited this Wednesday, Sept. 21. Attending two parallel award ceremonies in Leipzig and Berlin, they took home a total of three awards for outstanding science communication and creative science marketing.

The ct.qmat Cluster of Excellence at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) and the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) has embarked on a cooperation with the German Network of Excellence of STEM schools, MINT-EC. The aim is to incorporate the latest quantum physics research findings into the school curriculum as quickly as possible. Teachers from secondary schools from all over Germany are now meeting with the scientists in Dresden. At the center of the exchange are the research topics of ct.qmat and a revolutionary approach of teaching quantum physics through play: gamification, for which the award-winning games app “Kitty Q – A Quantum Adventure” serves as a trailblazing example.

Be it magnets or superconductors: materials are known for their various properties. However, these properties may change spontaneously under extreme conditions. Researchers at the Technische Universität Dresden and the Technische Universität München have discovered an entirely new type of such phase transitions. They display the phenomenon of quantum entanglement involving many atoms, which previously has only been observed in the realm of few atoms. The results were recently published in the scientific journal Nature.