Aoptical furnace for quantum materials discovery

The project aims at synthesizing new quantum materials based on extended lattices. Materials with important magnetic and electronic properties can be either molecular in nature, built from discrete 0-dimesional units, or extended structures, typically 3-dimensional, with covalent or ionic bound lattice structures. Such non-molecular materials provide for important important quantum properties, including high temperature superconductivity. As they consist of typically high-melting solids, they require high temperatures for synthesis and for growth of large single crystals. The so-called optical floating zone furnace covered by this grant will be used to explore this class of materials and in particular synthesize crystals of sufficient size to be studied by neutron techniques.