Cal Poly researchers create exotic quantum matter using time-varying magnetic fields

Cal Poly researchers demonstrated that periodically changing a magnetic field can create exotic quantum states that have no static counterpart, publishing in Physical Review B (DOI: 10.1103/c28t-x1dh) in a paper titled 'Flux-switching Floquet engineering.' Led by Physics Department Lecturer Ian Powell with student researcher Louis Buchalter, the study showed that driven quantum phases produced by time-dependent control don't exist under static conditions. The exotic quantum states could be far more stable and resistant to errors — addressing a core challenge in quantum computing. The research advances the field of Floquet engineering, suggesting quantum properties can depend on temporal manipulation rather than just material composition.