Breakthrough Quantum Material Conducts Electricity With Zero Energy Loss

The Quark Side - Quantum Physics Podcast · Mar 2, 2026 · 32m · transcript

Researchers at the University of Washington have engineered a new quantum material that conducts electricity without losing energy as heat. By precisely stacking ultrathin layers of molybdenum and tellurium, the team achieved a rare fractional Chern insulator state—without applying a magnetic field.

Thanks to improved crystal purity and advanced fabrication techniques, electric current flows along the material’s edges with zero dissipation, carried by collective fractional charges. This breakthrough could accelerate the development of more stable and energy-efficient quantum technologies…