Quantum 'gruyeres' for spintronics of the future

They are 'strange' materials, insulators on the inside and conductors on the surface. They also have properties that make them excellent candidates for the development of spintronics and more in general quantum computing. However, they are also elusive as their properties are extremely difficult to observe. Now a study proposes a new family of materials whose topological state can be directly observed experimentally, thus simplifying things for researchers.