Research

We work on following different research themes

Weyltronics

Weyl semimetals (WSMs) were discovered in the year 2015. Over time, angle-resolved photoemission experiments have shown that there are hundreds of materials that possess Weyl nodes in bulk and associated Fermi arc surface states. With the existence of WSMs conclusively confirmed, an important goal of future research is to identify the potential use of these materials for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. The definite chirality of Weyl fermions in WSM provides a new degree of freedom besides spin to store and process information. A new research area called Weyltronics, analogous to spintronics, is expected to emerge in the near future. Many proof-of-concept devices have been proposed that utilize the chiral current of Weyl fermions. We are interested in the development of a new type of Weyltronic and spintronic devices based on the chirality of Weyl fermions [1,2,3].

References:

[1] P. K. Muduli*, T. Higo, T. Nishikawa, Danru Qu, H. Isshiki, K. Kondou, S. Nakatsuji, and YoshiChika Otani, Phys. Rev. B 99, 184425 (2019).

[2] M. Kimata, H. Chen, K. Kondou, S. Sugimoto, P. K. Muduli, M. Ikhlas, Y. Omori, T. Tomita, A. H. MacDonald, Satoru Nakatsuji, YoshiChika Otani, Nature 565, 627(2019).

[3] P. K. Muduli*, M. Kimata, Y. Omori, T. Wakamura, S. P. Dash, Y. C. Otani, Phys. Rev. B 98, 024416 (2018).

Superconducting Devices

In a quantum computer, the qubit is the core unit of quantum information which is typically made of Josephson junctions (JJs), superconducting loops, and superconducting islands. One of the major problems in quantum computation is that the quantum states of qubits are very fragile and tend to decohere fast due to coupling with the environment. The current approach to solving this problem involves grouping many physical qubits to encode a single logical qubit. Although this error correction method has been successfully demonstrated, it increases the complexity of quantum computers. We are interested in an alternative approach where coherence time can be improved at the hardware level using superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor (SFS) JJs, called π-JJ. In π-JJ, the weak link consists of a ferromagnetic metal or insulator layer, which leads to a phase difference of π between the order parameter of the two superconductors. A superconducting ring comprising one conventional JJ (0-JJ) and one π-JJ is called a π-qubit. The π-qubit is anticipated as a "quiet" qubit because it can form a two-level quantum system without any external magnetic field. Recent theoretical proposals suggest the qubit relaxation time (T1) and coherent time (T2) can be significantly increased in the π-qubit. Our research activities are primarily focused on the superconductor–ferromagnetic insulator–superconductor (S–FI–S) π-JJs and their applications in superconducting spintronics, cryogenic memory, and quantum computing [1,2].

References:

[1] P. K. Muduli*, Avradeep Pal, and Mark G. Blamire, Phys. Rev. B 89, 094414 (2014).

[2] P. K. Muduli*, Phys. Rev. B 96, 024514(2017).

Topological oxide electronics

Recently topological materials have become a central research direction in condensed matter physics, as recognized by the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics. In a race to find new topological materials exhaustive theoretical study using symmetry indicators has been done recently. However, most topological materials discovered so far quickly oxidize at ambient conditions, which significantly limits their application potential. Therefore, finding suitable topological materials robust against oxidation at ambient conditions is highly desirable for device applications. To this end, topological oxide materials provide an excellent solution as they are already oxidized. In oxide materials correlated topological phases emerge due to the interplay between spin-orbit coupling and electron correlation. Several recent theoretical works have identified many potential topological oxide candidates, and few have been successfully synthesized in the single crystal form. The studies on topological oxide electronics have just begun, and it has great potential to emerge as a frontier research field in the near future. We are primarily interested in epitaxial thin film growth of different topological oxides and explore their device application potentials [1,2,3,4,5].

References:

[1] Prasanta Muduli*, Richard Schlitz, Tobias Kosub, René Hübner, Artur Erbe, Denys Makarov, Sebastian TB Goennenwein, APL Materials 9, 021122 (2021).

[2]P. K. Muduli and R.C. Budhani, J. Appl. Phys. 106 103924 (2009)

[3]P.K. Muduli and R. C. Budhani, Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 202510 (2009)

[4]P. K. Muduli, Gyanendra Singh, R. Sharma, R. C. Budhani, J. Appl. Phys. 105, 113910 (2009).

[5]P. K. Muduli, S. K. Bose and R. C. Budhani, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 19, 226204 (2007) .

Designer Quantum Material

Next-generation quantum technology will require designer quantum material with exotic physics not accessible in conventional materials. The engineering of novel quantum materials can be achieved by combining natural materials in lateral and vertical heterostructures such that each of them retains their electrical, optical, magnetic, and superconducting properties in the heterostructure. Designer quantum materials can lead to the realization of new quantum states that no natural materials host. For example, topological superconductors are extremely rare in nature. However, it can be artificially produced by combining s-wave superconductivity, magnetism, and spin-orbit coupling effects. Although there are many routes to design new quantum materials, we are primarily interested in Van der Waals 2D materials. The 2D materials provide an excellent platform to design new quantum materials with stacking and twisting of different layers. Recently many elusive quantum phenomena such as topological superconductor, flat-band, and quantum spin-liquid have been realized in artificial 2D heterostructures. We want to create proof of concept spintronics and topological quantum computing devices using designer materials that merge magnetism, superconductivity, and large spin-orbit coupling of 2D materials [1,2].

References:

[1]Anamul Md. Hoque, Bing Zhao, Dmitrii Khokhriakov, Prasanta Muduli, Saroj P. Dash, Appl. Phys. Lett. 121, 242404 (2022)

[2]P. K. Muduli*, J. Barzola-Quiquia, S. Dusari, A. Ballestar, F. Bern, W. Bohlmann, P. Esquinazi, Nanotechnology 24, 015703 (2013)

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