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Simple solids can mimic complex electronic states

Solid-state systems that are designed to simulate the quantum behaviour of electrons in a solid could rival established techniques that require exhaustive computation or precise control of atoms in dilute gases.
  1. Mandar M. Deshmukh

    1. Mandar M. Deshmukh is in the Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai 400005, India.

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Just as flight simulators can offer a trainee pilot insight into what it might be like to fly an aeroplane in real life, quantum simulators help physicists to understand the complex quantum behaviour of electrons in solids. Ideally, such simulators should be as customizable as possible — featuring many ‘knobs’ with which to modify the properties of the system. Atoms cooled and manipulated by laser beams have proved extremely useful as quantum simulators, but solids could provide more knobs than can their cold-atom counterparts. In two papers in Nature, Lagoin et al.1 and Li et al.2 report solid-state simulators that produce unusual states in systems of particles with and without electric charge, hinting at the versatility of this solid alternative for quantum simulation.

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Nature 609, 470-471 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-02889-0

References

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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