Collaborative Research Center 360
Constrained Quantum Matter
Less is more!
We use carefully chosen constraints to design and
manipulate quantum states in solids, seeking to create new quantum
materials and explore conceptual challenges from quantum information
theory to non-equilibrium physics.
Our outreach project in Augsburg is looking for a motivated student for a Hiwi position!
Our annual Retreat Meeting is coming up!
Frank Pollmann awarded with the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz prize 2026
In 2026, another member of the TRR360, Frank Pollmann from the Technical University Munich, is awarded with the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz prize 2026 which is handed out by the German Research Foundation (DFG). He will be given this prestigious prize in March 2026 for his work on statistical mechanics of many-body systems and their link to quantum information theory. More details can be found here.
2025 James C. McGroddy Prize awarded to Hidenori Takagi
We are very proud to announce that one member of the TRR 360, Hidenori Tagaki from the MPI for solid-state research in Stuttgart, will be awarded with the 2025 James C. McGroody Prize for New Materials. He is honoured “for seminal theoretical and experimental research, materials design and discoveries that pioneered the exploration of novel forms of topological quantum matter in spin-orbit assisted Mott insulators realized in transition metal oxides”. More information can be found here. The prize will be presented in March 2025.
Next events
Recent Articles
Gippius, A. A.; Zhurenko, S. V.; Tkachev, A. V.; Gunbin, A. V.; Büttgen, N.; Schaedler, M.; Silkin, I. G.; Morozov, I. V.; Bogach, A. V.; Sobolev, A. V.; Presniakov, I. A.; Moskvin, A. S. Short-range helical magnetic order in FeP1-xAsx (x = 0.33 and 0.5) Journal Article J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 651, 174177 (2026). @article{GIPPIUS2026174177,Although the FeP1-xAsx solid solution compounds are isostructural with the binary helimagnets FeP and FeAs with MnP-type structure (sp. gr. Pnma) of the B31 family, their magnetic structure remained unclear. We studied two members of this family (x = 0.33 and 0.5) via microscopic site-selective techniques such as Mössbauer and NMR spectroscopy. Our results indicate that the helimagnetic nature of the ground state is preserved, but undergoes significant modifications. In particular, its ordering range seems to become drastically shorter, so that the local fields on the non-magnetic phosphorus atoms decrease several times compared to those in FeP, and even local fields on iron slightly decrease compared to FeP and FeAs. The ordering temperature for these fragmented structures is suppressed down to 20–30 K, which is significantly lower than the TN values for FeP and FeAs. Additionally, both compounds demonstrate higher sustainability to the external field than the parent compound FeP. |
Zhao, K.; Deng, H.; Chen, H.; Ma, N.; Oefele, N.; Guo, J.; Cui, X.; Tang, C.; Gutmann, M. J.; Mueller, T.; Su, Y.; Hutanu, V.; Jin, C.; Gegenwart, P. Three-dimensional XY universality and nonlinear magnetic susceptibility in a kagome ice compound Journal Article Phys. Rev. X 16, 021043 (2026). @article{xl5f-zj9p,Kagome spin ice is an intriguing class of spin systems constituted by in-plane Ising spins with ferromagnetic interaction residing on the kagome lattice, theoretically predicted to host a plethora of magnetic transitions and excitations. In particular, different variants of kagome spin ice models can exhibit different sequences of symmetry breaking upon cooling from the paramagnetic to the fully ordered ground state. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the frustrated intermetallic HoAgGe stands as a faithful solid-state realization of kagome spin ice. However, whether any of the established symmetry-breaking pathways apply to this material remains unaddressed. Here, we use single-crystal neutron diffuse scattering to map the spin ordering of HoAgGe at various temperatures more accurately; surprisingly, we find that the ordering sequence appears to be different from previously known scenarios: From the paramagnetic state, the system first enters a partially ordered state with fluctuating magnetic charges, in contrast to a charge-ordered paramagnetic phase, before reaching the fully ordered state. Through Monte Carlo simulations and scaling analyses using an extended three-dimensional (3D) spin model for the distorted kagome spin ice in HoAgGe, we elucidate a single 3D XY phase transition into the ground state with broken time-reversal symmetry (TRS). However, the 3D XY transition has a long crossover tail before the fluctuating magnetic charges fully order. More interestingly, we find, both experimentally and theoretically, that the TRS-breaking phase of HoAgGe features an unusual, hysteretic response: Despite their vanishing magnetization, the two time-reversal partners are distinguished and selected by a nonlinear magnetic susceptibility tied to the kagome ice rule. Our discovery not only unveils a new symmetry-breaking hierarchy of kagome spin ice but also demonstrates the potential of TRS-breaking frustrated spin systems for information technology applications. |
Mukharjee, P. K.; Erdmann, S.; Wang, L.; Kaiser, J.; Jesche, A.; Puphal, P.; Isobe, M.; Hepting, M.; Keimer, Bernhard; Gegenwart, P.; Tsirlin, A. A. Anisotropic magnetoelastic coupling in the honeycomb magnet Na3Co2SbO6 Journal Article Phys. Rev. B 113, (2026). @article{mukharjee2026anisotropicmagnetoelasticcouplinghoneycomb,We present magnetization and dilatometry measurements on the honeycomb cobaltate Na3Co2SbO6 and map out its detailed field-temperature phase diagram down to sub-Kelvin temperatures. Our data for in-plane magnetic fields show a strongly anisotropic 𝑐*-axis lattice response, which is dominated by the variation of Co–O–Co bond angles according to ab initio calculations. At 𝑇=0.4K, the magnetization 𝑀(𝐵) exhibits steplike features that are also highly anisotropic. In the case of 𝐵∥𝑏, a small hysteresis observed around the second field-induced magnetic transition (𝐵𝑐2) indicates its first-order character, whereas the apparent divergence of the magnetic Grüneisen parameter at 𝐵𝑐2 is suppressed upon cooling and signals the absence of quantum critical behavior upon entering the field-polarized state. None of our thermodynamic measurements provide evidence for a field-induced quantum spin-liquid state near or above 𝐵𝑐2. |
Mukharjee, P. K.; Erdmann, S.; Kalaivanan, R.; Sankar, R.; Choi, K. -Y.; Tsirlin, A. A.; Gegenwart, P. Thermodynamic signatures of a field-induced ordered intermediate phase in Na2Co2TeO6 Unpublished (2026), arXiv:2605.15829. @unpublished{mukharjee2026thermodynamicsignaturesfieldinducedordered, |
Toyoda, S.; Kocsis, V.; Tokunaga, Y.; Kézsmárki, I.; Taguchi, Y.; Arima, T.; Tokura, Y.; Ogawa, N. All-optical control of antiferromagnetic domains via an inverse optical magnetoelectric effect Journal Article Nat. Mater. (2026). @article{toyodaAllopticalControlAntiferromagnetic2026,All-optical control of antiferromagnetic order is essential for realizing next-generation energy-efficient spintronic and high-speed memory applications. However, the optical writing of antiferromagnetic domains remains a fundamental challenge, because conventional opto-magnetic recording techniques rely on net magnetization, which is absent in antiferromagnets. In certain multiferroic antiferromagnets, the magnetic toroidal moment provides an additional degree of freedom through its inherent magnetoelectric coupling, which manifests as directional asymmetry in light propagation. Here we demonstrate the all-optical writing of antiferromagnetic domains using the inverse optical magnetoelectric effect in ferrotoroidic LiNiPO4, driven solely by reversing the light propagation direction. This directional control arises from a strong coupling between the photon linear momentum and the magnetic toroidal moment, enabling non-volatile, deterministic and repeatable switching between time-reversed domains with arbitrary light polarization. Our findings establish an inverse optical magnetoelectric effect as a distinct mechanism for manipulating antiferromagnetic order, opening a new paradigm in opto-magnetism driven by photon momentum. |
Impressions from past events








































The research programme
We seek to design and utilize new quantum states by taking advantage of the recently developed capability to tailor electron systems in complex materials through a variety of complementary constraints, focusing on spin-momentum locking, gauge structures of interacting spin systems, and kinetic constraints.
News
Here you can find all the important news around the project ConQuMat: recent publication, internal events for project members and opening for various positions.
Outreach - Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Dive with us into the fascinating world of quantum matter! (science communication offers in German)
Es gibt viele Angebote, um die Forschung aus dem Projekt ConQuMat der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich zu machen. Egal ob durch einen Blog, Spiele oder Erlebnisveranstaltungen – tauchen Sie mit uns in die faszinierende Welt der Quantenmaterie ein!