Laser pulses light the way to tuning topological materials for spintronics and quantum computing

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have discovered a means of controlling the surface conductivity of a three-dimensional (3-D) topological insulator, a type of material that has potential applications in spintronic devices and quantum computing.

Three-dimensional topological insulators are emerging materials that hold great promise due to their unique electron conducting states on their surfaces, immune to backscattering, versus the bulk interior, which behaves as a normal insulator.