The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has launched a four-year research program that allows scientists to revolutionize the way they understand and design quantum materials.
Known as a controlled number for emergency transients in non-equilibrium quantum matter (CONNEQT), the initiative brings together experts from ORNL, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and Knoxville University.
Their goal is to model the complex behavior of materials driven from equilibrium using high performance computing (HPC). This is pushed out of the natural balance by heat, light, magnetic fields or currents.
The importance of non-equilibrium quantum materials
In real applications, materials rarely rest. Whether it’s microelectronics, quantum computing, or energy devices, constant exposure to external forces means that their properties are constantly changing.
A non-equilibrium environment unlocks hidden stages of matter and reveals new phenomena that remain invisible in equilibrium.
Understanding how quantum materials react under these conditions is essential for the development of next-generation technologies.
From unconventional superconductors to quantum magnets, mastering their actions could pave the way for breakthroughs in information technology, energy efficiency and quantum information science.
Filling the gap between experiments and theory
Experimental advances have revealed remarkable insights into how quantum materials behave when they are out of balance, but computational science is struggling to maintain the pace.
To predict their long-term evolution and large-scale behavior, models can capture extremely accurately the complex interactions between electrons and particles.
Conneqt then intervene. By combining advanced mathematical tools with Exascale Computing Power, collaboration aims to bridge the gap between theory and experiment.
The project will utilize Frontier, the world’s first Exuspale supercomputer housed at ORNL, to run cutting-edge simulations at an unprecedented scale.
Conneqt’s three research pillars
Over the next four years, the team will focus on three ambitious objectives.
New computational framework: Building a robust and unbiased method for predicting how interacting electrons behave under external forces. Accelerated modeling: Apply computer science and mathematical innovations to speed up simulation of complex dynamic systems. Discovering emergency behavior: Using supercomputers, how electrons interact to generate unexpected patterns and properties in non-equilibrium quantum materials.
By pursuing these goals, researchers want to create a toolkit that can not only explain current experimental findings, but also predict new material states that can transform technology.
The path to future energy breakthroughs
The broader impact of this study goes far beyond theory. By revealing how quantum materials behave in real conditions, Conneqt can induce innovation in energy-related applications, from more efficient superconductors to new quantum devices.
The knowledge gained also feeds back into high-performance computing and advances the capabilities of the science simulation itself.
The combination of national research institutes, academic researchers, and the raw computational power of the Ekascale system has enabled Conneqt to drive the frontier of quantum materials research.
The next four years may not only deepen scientific understanding, but also lay the foundations for technology that redefines computing, communication and energy.
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