Scientists at Rice University, working with the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, have confirmed what once was thought as a theoretical concept. They managed to show that flat electronic bands are alive and active in the chromium based kagome metal CsCr₃Sb₅.
New Superconductors for Quantum Computers
This discovery transforms abstract equations into practical tools. It unlocks new ways to engineer exotic quantum behavior and build the next generation of superconductors. As Rice associate professor Ming Yi put it, the geometry of these materials has finally “leapt off the chalkboard and into the lab.”
At the heart of this breakthrough are kagome lattices, remarkable structures formed by interlinked triangles in two dimensions. For years, scientists believed that their flat bands lay dormant, far from where electrons normally interact. But in CsCr₃Sb₅, these bands are no longer passive.
They actively shape the material’s superconducting and magnetic properties, making them a driving force in its quantum behavior. Advanced techniques such as angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy and resonant inelastic X ray scattering revealed compact molecular orbitals, standing wave patterns that change how electrons move and respond to one another.
This breakthrough was only possible thanks to advanced crystal-making methods, powerful lab tools, and teamwork across different scientific fields. What once felt like a far-off dream in physics has now become a real achievement, moving science from imagination to practical quantum engineering.
Finding New Phenomenon
And the story does not stop here. Researchers have linked similar flat band phenomena to superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene, where microwave radiation near critical temperatures can amplify the superconducting gap by up to 20 percent. The geometry of these quantum systems is proving to be more than an academic curiosity, it is a driver of real physical performance.
Flat bands, with their unusual transport and pairing properties, are poised to reshape superconducting devices in ways once unimaginable. From ultra sensitive junctions to high temperature superconductors, they open pathways to faster quantum processors and more energy efficient technologies.
This is the first time scientists have shown a way to use flat bands in real materials as levers to control superconductivity, magnetism, and superfluidity.