Indian scientists at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru have developed a groundbreaking method to detect hidden properties of exotic materials, marking a significant advancement in quantum materials research. Led by Professor Dibyendu Roy and PhD researcher Kiran Babasaheb Estake, the team has devised a novel approach to identify topological invariants—fundamental properties that remain unchanged under continuous deformations—in quantum materials.
Traditionally, identifying these topological invariants required complex techniques like Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES). However, the RRI team discovered that the momentum-space spectral function (SPSF), a property previously used to study electron behaviors, contains signatures of a material’s topology. By analyzing the SPSF, they can now detect these hidden topological features more efficiently.
This breakthrough offers a universal tool for exploring and classifying topological materials, potentially accelerating developments in quantum computing, fault-tolerant electronics, and energy-efficient systems. Their findings have been published in the journal Physical Review B.