Materials

Quantum materials exhibit quantum mechanical effects, such as quantum fluctuations, entanglement and coherence, which are readily observable over a wide range of energies and length scales and which produce novel and exotic material properties like topologically protected electronic states and more. Examples of quantum materials include unconventional superconductors, topological insulators, Dirac and Weyl semimetals, quantum spin liquids, etc. Design and engineering of tailored quantum materials is essential for achieving the promise of the second quantum revolution by enabling controllable, robust and scalable devices and systems for quantum sensing, communication and computing.

The Mid-Atlantic is home to a number of world-class academic, industry and national laboratory powerhouses in materials science, engineering and condensed matter physics; the MQA is bringing these together into a collaborative community to spur rapid discovery and harnessing of quantum materials functionality for device applications. Core quantum materials capabilities in the MQA include:

• Classical and quantum simulation of materials
• MGI and ML/AI approaches for material discovery and database development
• Fabrication and characterization of quantum materials with desired structural, electronic, magnetic and optical properties, including 2D materials, topological insulators and semimetals, superconducting Josephson junctions and non-trivial superconductors, N-V centers in diamond, doped silicon carbide, quantum dots in silicon, etc.
• Device engineering, fabrication, and testing utilizing targeted quantum materials and heterostructures with correlated structure-property-performance characteristics.