International Year of Quantum Science and Technology : United Nations
The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, marking 100 years since quantum theory began to revolutionise science.
- Topological materials are substances that exhibit different physical properties on their surface and in their interior.
- These materials may behave like a metal on the outside (conducting electricity) but like an insulator on the inside (not conducting electricity).
- The term “topological” refers to the unique geometric and quantum properties of the material, which remain unchanged even if the shape of the material is distorted.
- Discovered in the latter half of the 20th century, these materials represent a new class of quantum matter.
- Nobel Prize in Physics (2016) was awarded to scientists (David Thouless, Duncan Haldane, and Michael Kosterlitz) for their theoretical discoveries in this field.
- These materials exhibit a metallic surface (conducting electrons freely) while maintaining an insulating core (electrons remain localized).
- This strange duality arises from quantum mechanical effects, especially the topology of electronic band structures.
- The behaviour is deeply rooted in the principles of quantum mechanics, where electron spin and momentum interplay due to a phenomenon called spin-orbit coupling.
- The interaction of light and matter, the collective behavior of electrons, and phase transitions are governed by quantum principles.
