Researchers use timed magnetic fields to engineer exotic quantum phases with no static counterpart

Tue, 05 May 2026 10:16:00 +0200

Physicists from California Polytechnic State University have demonstrated that periodically switching a magnetic field over time can create exotic quantum states of matter that do not exist in static, unchanging materials. The work, led by Cal Poly Lecturer Ian Powell and former student Louis Buchalter, introduces a technique called 'flux‑switching Floquet engineering,' an approach that relies on time‑dependent control of external fields rather than changing the underlying material composition. By driving materials with carefully timed magnetic pulses, the team generated new quantum phases that have no counterpart in conventional, static systems, highlighting how temporal control can shape matter’s behavior at the quantum level. The findings also reveal a clearer mathematical structure in the system’s topological phase diagram, suggesting that simple, periodically driven setups can mimic patterns usually associated with more complex, higher‑dimensional quantum systems. These time‑engin