TOCHA · Dissipationless topological channels for information transfer and quantum metrology

The goal of TOCHA is to develop the next generation of topological devices and architectures across which information can flow without losses. This conceptually simple yet technologically and fundamentally challenging requirement is crucial for the development of technologies in fields ranging from information processing to quantum communication and metrology. In each of these areas, the dissipation of information is a key hurdle that leads, for example, to unacceptable thermal loads or error rates. TOCHA will harness topological protection in novel materials and nanoscopic structures to empower electrons, phonons and photons to flow with little or no dissipation and, ultimately, crosslink them within a hybrid platform. This will entail the design of novel topological photonic/phononic waveguides and the engineering of disruptive heterostructures elaborated from the combination of topological insulators and ferromagnetic materials. In the optical domain, this will enable the creation of reflection and scattering free waveguides and, in thermal management, efficient transport and localized dissipation of heat. In electronics, TOCHA will develop ballistic transistors that could operate at THz cut-off frequencies and, for metrology, it will establish a new paradigm for electrical resistance quantization standardization. The hybridization of three distinct quantum particles is expected to lead to novel functionalities, such as the shielding of quantum emitters from phonon-based decoherence processes, or the conversion of information from electronic to optical form and vice versa. TOCHA will gather a young consortium and foster the creation of a new community in Europe on the use of topology for Information and Communication Technologies. Thanks to its high interdisciplinary embodiment involving electronic materials, optics, thermal management and metrology, TOCHA will help advance all levels of the value chain, from fundamental science to engineering and technology.