UC Irvine scientists identified a novel quantum state with potential for energy-efficient devices. Its radiation resistance makes it particularly valuable for space missions.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have identified a previously unknown state of quantum matter. According to the team, this discovery could pave the way for computers that recharge themselves and withstand the extreme conditions of deep space exploration.
“It’s a new phase of matter, similar to how water can exist as liquid, ice, or vapor,” said Luis A. Jauregui, professor of physics & astronomy at UC Irvine and corresponding author of the new Physical Review Letters. “It’s only been theoretically predicted – no one has ever measured it until now.”
The phase behaves like a fluid formed by electrons and their counterparts, known as “holes,” which spontaneously pair together to create exotic structures called excitons. In a surprising twist, both electrons and holes rotate in the same direction. “It’s its own new thing,” Jauregui said. “If we could hold it in our hands, it would glow a bright, high-frequency light.”
Materials and experimental conditions
The phase was detected in a material engineered at UC Irvine by postdoctoral researcher Jinyu Liu, the study’s first author. Jauregui and his colleagues confirmed its existence using powerful magnetic fields at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico.
To generate this unusual quantum state, the researchers exposed the material—hafnium pentatelluride—to an intense magnetic field of up to 70 Teslas. (For comparison, a strong refrigerator magnet produces about 0.1 Teslas.) Under these conditions, the material revealed its transformation into the new quantum phase.
Implications for future technology
Jauregui explained that, as his team applied the magnetic field, the “material’s ability to carry electricity suddenly drops, showing that it has transformed into this exotic state,” he said. “This discovery is important because it may allow signals to be carried by spin rather than electrical charge, offering a new path toward energy-efficient technologies like spin-based electronics or quantum devices.”
Unlike conventional materials used in electronics, this new quantum matter isn’t affected by any form of radiation, which makes it an ideal candidate for space travel.
“It could be useful for space missions,” Jauregui said. “If you want computers in space that are going to last, this is one way to make that happen.”
Companies like SpaceX are planning human-piloted space flight to Mars, and to do that effectively, you need computers that can withstand prolonged periods of exposure to radiation.
“We don’t know yet what possibilities will open as a result,” Jauregui said.
Reference: “Possible Spin-Triplet Excitonic Insulator in the Ultraquantum Limit of HfTe5” by Jinyu Liu, Varsha Subramanyan, Robert Welser, Timothy McSorley, Triet Ho, David Graf, Michael T. Pettes, Avadh Saxena, Laurel E. Winter, Shi-Zeng Lin and Luis A. Jauregui, 22 July 2025, Physical Review Letters.
DOI: 10.1103/bj2n-4k2w
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