Quantum Breakthrough Unlocks Potential of “Miracle Material” for Future Electronics

Scientists have directly observed Floquet effects in graphene for the first time, proving that its properties can be light-engineered at ultrafast timescales. Credit: SciTechDaily.com The research team has observed Floquet effects in graphene, paving the way for innovative new technologies. Graphene is a remarkable “miracle” material, consisting of a single, atom-thin layer of tightly connected carbon atoms that remains both stable and highly conductive. These qualities make it valuable for many technologies, including flexible screens, sensitive detectors, high-performance batteries, and advanced solar cells. A new study, carried out by the University of Göttingen in collaboration with teams in Braunschweig and Bremen in Germany, as well as Fribourg in Switzerland, shows that graphene may be even more versatile than previously believed. For the first time, researchers have directly identified “Floquet effects” in graphene. This finding settles a long-running question: Floquet engineering – an approach that uses precise light pulses to adjust a material’s properties – can also be applied to metallic and semi-metallic quantum materials like graphene. The work appears in Nature Physics.

Observing Floquet States The team explored Floquet states in graphene by using a method known as femtosecond momentum microscopy. With this approach, the material is first stimulated by extremely fast bursts of light, then inspected with a second light pulse that arrives slightly later. This timing allows scientists to follow the rapid changes taking place inside the material. “Our measurements clearly prove that ‘Floquet effects’ occur in the photoemission spectrum of graphene,” explains Dr Marco Merboldt, physicist at the University of Göttingen and first author of the study. “This makes it clear that Floquet engineering actually works in these systems – and the potential of this discovery is huge.” The study shows that Floquet engineering works in many materials. This means the goal of designing quantum materials with specific properties – and doing so with laser pulses in an extremely short time – is getting closer.

Toward Future Technologies Tailoring materials in this way for specific applications could form the basis for the electronics, computer, and sensor technology of the future.

Professor Marcel Reutzel, who led the research in Göttingen together with Professor Stefan Mathias, says: “Our results open up new ways of controlling electronic states in quantum materials with light. This could lead to technologies in which electrons are manipulated in a targeted and controlled manner.” Reutzel adds: “What is particularly exciting is that this also enables us to investigate topological properties. These are special, very stable properties which have great potential for developing reliable quantum computers or new sensors for the future.” Reference: “Floquet states in graphene revealed at last” by Julien Madéo, and Keshav M. Dani, 19 June 2025, Nature Physics. DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-02939-0 This research was made possible by the German Research Foundation (DFG) via Göttingen University’s Collaborative Research Centre “Control of Energy Conversion at Atomic Scales.