A joint research team has unveiled a new topological insulator (TI), a unique state of matter that differs from conventional metals, insulators, and semiconductors. Unlike most known TIs, which are either three-or two-dimensional, this TI is one-dimensional. The breakthrough will lead to further developments of qubits and highly efficient solar cells.
Details of the research were published in the journal Nature (“Observation of edge states derived from topological helix chains”).
TIs boast an interior that behaves as an electrical insulator, meaning electrons cannot easily move; Whereas its surface acts as an electrical conductor, with the electrons able to move along the surface.
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