The problem with tapping their transformative potential is that, in solids, the vast number of atoms often drowns out the exotic quantum properties electrons carry. Quantum materials hold the key to a future of lightning-speed, energy-efficient information systems.

view moreĬredit: (Image courtesy of Mario Norton and Jiaming Luo/Rice University) The compass needle represents the magnetization induced by the rotating atoms. Fluorine ions (red, fuchsia) are set into motion by circularly polarized terahertz light pulses (yellow spiral), where red denotes the ions with the largest motion in the chiral phonon mode. Chiral phonons excited by the circularly polarized terahertz light pulses generate ultrafast magnetization in cerium fluoride.