University of Michigan researchers, under the direction of Professor Lu Li, have discovered an unexpected path-breaking phenomenon. This discovery upends the prevailing paradigms in materials physics. The team joined forces with over a dozen global researchers. Together, they uncovered the unusual properties of a high quality sample of ytterbium boride (YbB12) under the influence of an extreme magnetic field. Their results were published in the journal Physical Review Letters. They demonstrate the material’s capacity to exhibit both conductive and insulating states, generating what Li calls an investigation into the edges of the “new duality.”
This new duality illuminates materials’ behaviors that before were only attributed to conductors. More than a hundred years ago, quantum mechanics brought us the first duality. This revolutionary idea divided materials into two very different groups: conductors and insulators. Climate impacts that Li’s team just recently discovered. They reveal that YbB12 can display quantum oscillations in its heat capacity, a behavior normally only observed in metals.
To make this pioneering finding a reality, the scientists performed experiments under the condition of a magnetic field. They operated at a strength of around 35 Tesla, which is around 35x stronger than what we find in an MRI machine. The best thing about this extraordinary magnetic field is to gain channels to the great and weird behavior of the material.
“Confirming that the oscillations are bulk and intrinsic is exciting,” – Yuan Zhu
The team’s research suggests that quantum oscillations, something once only seen in conducting metals, can now be observed in insulators too. This discovery creates exciting new opportunities to better understand how these materials can be deployed to best behave under strained, dynamic conditions.
Even with the hopeful implications of their findings, Li is careful when it comes to applying this research. He remarked, “I would love to claim that there’s a great application, but my work keeps pushing that dream further away.” His feelings are a common expression of the anxiety underlined by scientific progress.
Li elaborated on the implications of their discovery: “Effectively, we’re showing that this naive picture where we envisioned a surface with good conduction that’s feasible to use in electronics is completely wrong.” This assertion highlights the importance of redefining current paradigms and assumptions adjacent to material qualities.
Yuan Zhu, another member of the research team, said that their findings were significant enough to warrant further investigation. He stated, “We don’t yet know what kind of neutral particles are responsible for the observation. We hope our findings motivate further experiments and theoretical work.”
This collaborative research among six institutions from the United States and Japan highlights a massive worldwide collaborative effort to piece together the puzzles of material behaviors and interactions. The research’s publication represents an essential turning point in our understanding of quantum material science. Furthermore, it lays the foundation for greater knowledge in programs for subsequent generation technologies.