Scientists discover exotic quantum state at room temperature An illustration depicting a topological insulator in action. - Shafayat Hossain and M. Zahid Hasan of Princeton University For the first time, physicists have observed novel quantum effects in a topological insulator at room temperature. Researchers at Princeton found that a material known as a topological insulator, made from the elements bismuth and bromine, exhibit specialized quantum behaviors normally seen only under extreme experimental conditions of high pressures and temperatures near absolute zero. The finding opens up a new range of possibilities for the development of efficient quantum technologies, such as spin-based,...