A novel state of matter, dubbed 'half-ice, half-fire,' has been discovered within a magnetic compound, Sr3CuIrO6, by physicists at Brookhaven National Laboratory (USA) in 2024. This discovery builds upon their 2016 identification of a 'half-fire, half-ice' state in the same material, composed of strontium, copper, iridium, and oxygen.
The key to this breakthrough lies in the concept of 'frustration,' describing interactions between neighboring particles. The team found that within a narrow temperature range, the material's state completely reverses. In the 'half-fire, half-ice' state, electron spins on copper atoms are disordered, resembling flames, while iridium spins are frozen in place. Conversely, in the newly discovered 'half-ice, half-fire' state, copper spins become ordered, and iridium spins become chaotic.
This reversibility, identified by researchers Weiguo Yin and Alexei Tsvelik, is crucial for potentially harnessing Sr3CuIrO6 in quantum information science and microelectronics. The ability to precisely control phase transitions could unlock new technological possibilities in the quantum realm, potentially leading to advancements in quantum computing and spintronics. Yin emphasizes that understanding transitions between exotic states is central to condensed matter physics and materials science, with the potential to drive major technological progress.