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electron spin orientations in a portion of the YbMgGaO4 crystal structure
Neutron scattering studies of a rare earth metal oxide have identified fundamental pieces to the quantum spin liquid puzzle, revealing a better understanding of how and why the magnetic moments within these materials exhibit exotic behaviors such as failing to freeze into an ordered arrangement even near absolute zero temperatures.
The theories that led to physicists Thouless, Haldane, and Kosterlitz being awarded the Nobel Prize in physics, are guiding today’s quantum physicists at ORNL in their search for materials of the future. (Image credit: ORNL/Jill Hemman)

The theories recognized with this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics underpin research ongoing at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where scientists are using neutrons as a probe to seek new materials with extraordinary properties for applications such as next-generation electronics, superconductors, and quantum computing.

Sensors_Quantum_leap
By exploiting some exotic quantum states, researchers have conceptually designed a sensor that features unparalleled sensitivity. In a paper published in Physical Review A, Ali Passian of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and George Siopsis of the University of Tennessee describe ...
By leveraging Titan’s hybrid architecture, a multi-institution research team achieved a 7- to 10-fold increase in code performance for LQCD calculations
A multi-institution team led by Jefferson Lab’s Robert Edwards has been using Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Titan supercomputer to drastically improve modeling subatomic particles using lattice quantum chromodynamics methods. The Jefferson Lab investigators partnered with NVIDIA ...
Bryan Chakoumakos
Bryan Chakoumakos, a researcher at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected fellow of the American Crystallographic Association. Chakoumakos, who leads the Structure of Matter group in the Quantum Condensed Matter Division, has b...
quantum dots
A method to produce significant amounts of semiconducting nanoparticles for light-emitting displays, sensors, solar panels and biomedical applications has gained momentum with a demonstration by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory....
This rendering illustrates the excitation of a spin liquid on a honeycomb lattice using neutrons.

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory used neutrons to uncover novel behavior in materials that holds promise for quantum computing. The findings, published in Nature Materials, provide evidence for long-sought phenomena in a two-dim...