FLEET's research pursued three broad research themes to develop devices in which electrical current can flow without resistance: •
Topological insulators: a relatively new class of materials and recognised by the
2016 Nobel Prize in Physics, topological insulators conduct electricity only along their edges, and strictly in one direction. This one-way path conducts electricity without loss of energy due to resistance. Approaches being used within FLEET to study topological materials include magnetic topological insulators and
quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), topological
Dirac semimetals (including oxide ‘
antiperovskites’) and artificial topological systems (artificial graphene and 2D topological insulators). •
Exciton superfluids: a quantum state known to achieve electrical current flow with minimal wasted dissipation of energy. FLEET aims to develop superfluid devices that operate at room temperature, without the need for expensive, energy-intensive cooling. Approaches being used within FLEET’s include exciton–polariton bosonic condensation in atomically thin materials, topologically-protected exciton–polariton flow, and exciton superfluids in twin-layer materials. •
Light-transformed materials: a material can be temporarily forced into a new state by applying an intense light beam. FLEET aims to study the fundamental physics behind this temporary state change. Approaches being pursued in FLEET include optically-induced Floquet topological states (topological states that change with time), nonequilibrium superfluidity and creation of topological states in multi-dimensional extensions of the kicked
quantum rotor. These approaches are enabled by the following two technologies: •
Atomically thin materials: FLEET seeks to find new ways of controlling the properties of two-dimensional materials via synthesis, substrates, and tuning electric and magnetic ordering. • Nanodevice fabrication: FLEET aims to work on new techniques to integrate novel atomically thin materials into high-quality device structures with suitable performance. ==Participants==