Tuning Oxide Pyrochlores: Optimizing Lattices for Observable GeneratIon of Quantum magnetoelectric phenomena

Objective

Topological magnons offer immense promise for the development of dissipation-less spintronic devices. However, the ability to control these spin excitations through electric fields remains a significant challenge due to the difficulty in stabilising systems that exhibit both topological and magnetoelectric properties within a single framework. TOPOLOGIQ aims to address this by creating a novel epitaxial platform based on pyrochlore oxides (A2B2O₇), with the final goal of combining topological and magnetoelectric properties in an oxide material for the first time. Bulk pyrochlore oxides host a rich variety of quantum phenomena due to the interplay between electron, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom in a geometrically-frustrated lattice. Recent advancements in epitaxial growth and related nanotechnology provide the tools to precisely control factors like strain, dimensionality, oxygen stoichiometry and interface proximity, offering a unique opportunity to manipulate these complex interactions in thin-film form. TOPOLOGIQ’s strategy encompasses four core objectives: 1) Growing high-quality magnetically-ordered pyrochlore heterostructures, 2) Inducing structural transitions by manipulating strain, confinement, periodicity, and oxygen non-stoichiometry, 3) Characterising the emerging topological and symmetry properties using resonant spectroscopic probes, and 4) Modulating these properties via external magnetic and electric fields. This ambitious approach extends the use of cutting-edge nanotechnology beyond the perovskite oxides (ABO3) commonly studied in this context, unlocking the potential of pyrochlore oxides as novel quantum materials. By achieving atomic-scale control over magnetoelectric coupling and magnon topology, TOPOLOGIQ will establish a new paradigm in material science, with broad implications for energy-efficient devices and quantum technologies.