New Quantum State Discovered at Exotic Materials Interface

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Researchers have identified a previously unknown quantum state of matter at the boundary between two specialized materials. 

The study, published in Science Advances, examined how a Weyl semimetal interacts with spin ice, an insulating magnetic material, when exposed to strong magnetic fields.

The new quantum state appears to offer characteristics that could pave the way for advanced technological applications.

Discovery of quantum liquid crystal

The new state has been dubbed “quantum liquid crystal,” a state of matter distinct from solid, liquid, gas or plasma. This emerged when electronic properties of the Weyl semimetal were influenced by the magnetic properties of spin ice at their interface.

Both Weyl semimetal and spin ice have separately been the subject of much research, due to their unique properties.

“Although each material has been extensively studied, their interaction at this boundary has remained entirely unexplored,” said study first author Tsung-Chi Wu, who earned his doctoral degree in June from the Rutgers graduate program in physics and astronomy. “We observed new quantum phases that emerge only when these two materials interact. This creates a new quantum topological state of matter at high magnetic fields, which was previously unknown.”

The researchers observed that at the interface of these two materials, the electronic properties of the Weyl semimetal are influenced by the magnetic properties of the spin ice. This leads to “electronic anisotropy,” where the material conducts electricity differently in different directions. Within a circle of 360 degrees, the conductivity was markedly lower at six specific directions.

Under an increasing magnetic field, other strange phenomena were seen. For example, electrons unexpectedly began flowing in two opposite directions, which is characteristic of another quantum phenomenon known as “rotational symmetry breaking”.

Implications for materials science

The findings expand understanding of how material properties can be altered and manipulated under extreme conditions. Insights into electron movement within such special materials could potentially help guide the development of devices designed for operation in challenging environments, such as ultra-sensitive quantum sensors that can operate in the oppressive conditions of space or inside powerful machines.

The research builds on earlier work from the Rutgers team, which described a novel method to design and build a unique, tiny, atoms-thick structures composed of a Weyl semimetal and spin ice using a purpose-built “quantum phenomena discovery platform”, or Q-DiP.

“In that paper, we described how we made the heterostructure,” said co-author Jak Chakhalian, the Claud Lovelace Endowed Professor of Experimental Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “The new Science Advances paper is about what it can do.”

The research relied on ultra-low temperature and high magnetic field conditions, achieved at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab) in Florida. 

“We had to initiate the collaboration and travel to the MagLab multiple times to perform these experiments, each time refining ideas and methods,” Wu said. “The ultra-low temperatures and high magnetic fields were crucial for observing these new phenomena.”

“The experiment-theory collaboration is what really makes the work possible,” Wu continued. “It took us more than two years to understand the experimental results. The credit goes to the state-of-the-art theoretical modeling and calculations done by the Pixley group, particularly Jed Pixley and Yueqing Chang, a postdoctoral researcher. We are continuing our collaboration to push the frontier of the field as a Rutgers team.”

Reference: Wu TC, Chang Y, Wu AK, et al. Electronic anisotropy and rotational symmetry breaking at a Weyl semimetal/spin ice interface. Sci Adv. 2025;11(24):eadr6202. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adr6202

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