Why edges matter

Why edges matter Q-EDGE investigates atomically thin materials that exhibit the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect. These materials are characterised by a band gap at their interior and metallic states at their edges. These topologically protected edge states promise to revolutionise low-energy electronics and quantum computing. In this project, we grow atomically clean sheets of germanene, a honeycomb material that exhibits the QSH effect, and using state-of-the-art scanning probe microscopies, we try to understand how the electrons move along the edges of germanene, what causes devia-tions from the ideal transport behaviour, and how to engineer further germanene to host exotic quantum states called Majorana zero modes. The project could impact fields ranging from low-energy electronics to quantum computing.