An international research team has presented a new quantum platform based on the electron spin of single atoms on a solid surface, achieving a ‘multiple qubit (quantum bit)’ system using three electron spins. Unlike previous atomic quantum devices on surfaces where only a single qubit could be controlled, the researchers have successfully demonstrated the ability […]
The isolation and manipulation of atomically-thin crystals have recently enabled the investigation of a wealth of exotic electronic phenomena. A remarkable example is the case of superconductivity in transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers, where the strong spin-orbit coupling, together with the lack of inversion symmetry, triggers the emergence of unconventional superconducting properties. In parallel to the […]
Catalysis • Chemistry • DIPC Electronic Properties • DIPC Interfaces • Materials
Organic compounds of sulphur that contain the group -S- linked to two hydrocarbons are known as thioethers. This alternative name to sulphides comes from the fact that they are analogues of ethers in which the oxygen is replaced by a sulphur; thioethers are generally more reactive than ethers, though. The formation of thioether structures increases […]
Chemistry • DIPC Biochemistry • DIPC Interfaces • DIPC Particle Physics • Particle physics
The observation of the neutrinoless double beta decay is the only practical way to establish that neutrinos are their own antiparticles. But, because of the small masses of neutrinos, the lifetime of neutrinoless double beta decay is expected to be at least ten orders of magnitude greater than the typical lifetimes of natural radioactive chains […]
One feature of supramolecular chemistry is that of self-assembly, in which the structure forms spontaneously as a consequence of the nature of the molecules. Weak non-covalent bonds are fundamental for designing self-assembled organic structures with potentially high responsiveness to mechanical, light, and thermal stimuli. The contributions of multiple weak interactions control the ability of the […]
Condensed matter • DIPC Interfaces • Materials • Quantum physics
Surfaces are at the frontier of every solid. They provide versatile supports for functional nanostructures and mediate essential physicochemical processes. Intimately related to two-dimensional materials, interfaces and atomically thin films often feature distinct electronic states with respect to the bulk, which is key to many relevant properties, such as catalytic activity, interfacial charge-transfer, and crystal […]
In the last decades, a new synthetic approach has been developed, generally termed as “on-surface synthesis” that substantially departs from standard chemistry in solution. Instead of the three-dimensional space of solvents in the latter, the environment of the reactants in this new approach are well-defined two-dimensional solid surfaces that are typically held under vacuum conditions […]
Several classes of correlated electron systems such as cuprates, iron-pnictides, iron-chalcogenides, and several heavy-fermion compounds, have been identified as unconventional superconductors. More recently, superconductivity with unconventional features has also been identified in twisted bilayer graphene. In this vein, the electronic correlations intrinsically present in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), a family of layered materials, are promising […]
Carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation (CO + ½ O2 → CO2) is an industrially relevant catalytic reaction, and accordingly, it is among the most studied processes in fundamental surface science. This has led to a wealth of research studies in vacuum, but the doubts remain on whether this reaction proceeds in the same way when changing […]
Diodes are everywhere these days as they are key elements for electronics, optics, and detection. A diode is an electronic device with two electrodes. In the obsolescent thermionic diode a heated cathode emits electrons, which flow across the intervening vacuum to the anode when a positive potential is applied to it. The device permits flow […]