Rhein-Main Universitäten (RMU)

Quantum materials change their properties at very low temperatures. Superconductors, which are among the best-known quantum materials, lose their electrical resistance at extremely low temperatures and thus conduct electricity without loss. The Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio 288 “Elastic Tuning and Elastic Response of Electronic Quantum Phases of Matter (ELASTO-Q-MAT)” investigates quantum materials that change their properties when elastically deformed. Through the interplay of theory and experiment, for example, a crystal was grown that—at a temperature of minus 100 degrees Celsius—loses its magnetism when pressure is applied and becomes magnetic again as soon as the pressure is released. 

The aim is to understand the functioning of such altermagnets and other quantum materials such as nematic quantum phases or elastocaloric cooling materials, and to synthesize and study these materials. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding TRR 288 with a total of approximately 12.8 million euros until 2028.