Overview
- Published in Science, the international team reports creating C13Cl2 and directly observing a previously unknown half-Möbius electronic topology.
- The ring-shaped molecule was assembled atom by atom at IBM from an Oxford-synthesized precursor using calibrated voltage pulses under ultra-high vacuum near absolute zero.
- STM and AFM imaging revealed orbitals that twist by 90 degrees per circuit, requiring four loops to return to the starting phase, with the topology switchable between twisted and untwisted states.
- IBM’s quantum computer reproduced the helical orbitals, enabled simulations exploring up to 32 electrons, and pointed to a helical pseudo–Jahn-Teller mechanism behind the topology.
- Researchers say the result makes electronic topology a controllable degree of freedom, though practical uses remain uncertain and experts still debate advantages over optimized classical approximations.