Skip to main content
Log in

The codes of matter and their applications

  • Article
  • Materials Science
  • Published:
Science Bulletin

Abstract

The elements in the periodic table are the building blocks used to form substances with different compositions. Nevertheless, it is the properties of substances that are decisive for their existence and practical applications. Searching for new class of materials with exotic properties has always been challenging because of the complexity of both the theoretical and the experimental approaches developed so far. Here, we propose that the three ubiquitous and paramount attributes of all existing matter charge (Q), spin (S) or rotational motion, and linear motion (K) can be used to account for the formation of different types of matter/materials and their properties that have been or will be known to us. The three attributes or original codes can produce six primary codes which can further produce another sixty codes. The physical meanings represented by each code are unlocked. The table consisting of the 60 codes is introduced as the table of properties of codes of matter. We demonstrate that these codes can be used as building blocks to form new properties and new materials. Many new types of quasiparticles and new classes of materials with exotic properties of Q, S and K are predicted. Their possible experimental realizations are proposed. The possible applications of the codes of matter in other fields such as elementary particles, photonics and chemistry are briefly discussed. We know that there should be more new materials and new electronic, spin and photonic states to be discovered, but we do not know what they are. The codes of matter clearly reveal to us how many and what they are and how easily we can recognize what they are. Experimental and theoretical exploration for new forms of matter, new quasiparticles, or new electronic and spin states, or new states of photon or properties of light, as well as macroscopic entities with exotic properties represented by the codes of matter, is imminent.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kim BJ, Koh H, Rotenberg E et al (2006) Distinct spinon and holon dispersions in photoemission spectral functions from one-dimensional SrCuO2. Nat Phys 2:397–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Fu L, Kane CL (2008) Superconducting proximity effect and Majorana fermions at the surface of a topological insulator. Phys Rev Lett 100:096407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Wen XG, Witten E (1985) Electric and magnetic charges in superstring models. Nucl Phys B 261:651–677

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Castelnovo C, Moessner R, Sondhi SL (2008) Magnetic monopoles in spin ice. Nature 451:42–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Ray MW, Ruokokoski E, Kandel S et al (2014) Observation of Dirac monopoles in a synthetic magnetic field. Nature 505:657–660

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Ali MN, Xiong J, Flynn S et al (2014) Large, non-saturating magneto resistance in WTe2. Nature 514:205

    Google Scholar 

  7. Tsidilkovski IM (1996) Electron spectrum of gapless semiconductors. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  8. Wang XL, Dou SX, Zhang C (2010) Zero gap materials for future spintronics, electronics and optics. NPG Asia Mater 2:31–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Leuken HV, de Groot RA (1995) Half-metallic antiferromagnets. Phys Rev Lett 74:1171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Kane CL, Mele EJ (2005) Z2 topological order and the quantum spin Hall effect. Phys Rev Lett 95:146802

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Konig M, Wiedmann S, Brune C et al (2007) Quantum spin hall insulator state in HgTe quantum wells. Science 318:766–770

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Fu L, Kane CL (2007) Topological insulators with inversion symmetry. Phys Rev B 76:045302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Wang XL (2008) Proposal for a new class of materials: spin gapless semiconductors. Phys Rev Lett 100:156404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Andreev AF (1964) Thermal conductivity of the intermediate state of superconductors. Sov Phys JETP 19:1228

    Google Scholar 

  15. Byers JM, Flatte ME (1995) Probing spatial correlations with nanoscale two-contact tunnelling. Phys Rev Lett 74:306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Rashba EI (1960) Properties of semiconductors with an extremum loop. 1. Cyclotron and combinational resonance in a magnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the loop. Sov Phys Solid State 2:1109

    Google Scholar 

  17. Bychkov YA, Rashba EI (1984) Oscillatory effects and the magnetic susceptibility of carriers in inversion layers. J Phys C 17:6039

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Oerter R (2006) The theory of almost everything: the standard model, the unsung triumph of modern physics. Pearson Plc, London

    Google Scholar 

  19. Braibant S, Giacomelli G, Spurio M (2012) Particles and fundamental interactions: an introduction to particle physics, 2nd edn. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  20. Khanikaev AB, Mousavi SH, Tse WK et al (2013) Photonic topological insulators. Nat Mater 12:233–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Chai Y, Guo T, Jim CM et al (1991) Fullerenes with metals inside. J Phys Chem 95:7564–7568

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Wang J, Neaton JB, Zheng H et al (2003) Epitaxial BiFeO3 multiferroic thin film heterostructures. Science 299:1719–1722

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Weyl H (1929) Electron and gravitation. I Z Phys 56:330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Wan XG, Turner AM, Vishwanath A et al (2011) Topological semimetal and Fermi-arc surface states in the electronic structure of pyrochlore iridates. Phys Rev B 83:205101

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (Professorial) Program (FT130100778). The author is very thankful to Dr. Tania Silver for editing the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiao-Lin Wang.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOC 145478 kb)

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wang, XL. The codes of matter and their applications. Sci. Bull. 60, 1661–1673 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-015-0901-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-015-0901-1

Keywords

Navigation