Twisted boron nitride layers offer new control over quantum light
Researchers say rotating atom-thin hBN sheets can tune quantum emitters, a possible aid for future quantum computers, sensors and secure communications.
By Priya Raghavan · Science Reporter
3 min read
Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney say they have shown a new way to control quantum light sources by rotating atom-thin layers of hexagonal boron nitride. The finding matters because quantum emitters are potential components for quantum computers, secure communications systems and highly sensitive sensors.
The work, reported in Science Advances, focused on microscopic light sources embedded in hexagonal boron nitride, or hBN. According to the university, changing the twist between stacked layers of the material altered the color and wavelength of light produced by the emitters.
Lead author Dr. Angus Gale said the approach gives researchers a practical control point for systems that are often difficult to turn into usable devices. “You can measure these quantum emitters and see that they exist, but it's hard to make them work in practice,” Gale said, according to the university. “This gives us a lever to get closer to that — a step towards the realization of quantum technologies.”
How the twist changes the device
Hexagonal boron nitride is a layered material, which means scientists can separate, stack and rotate its thin sheets. UTS said Gale’s team used that structure to adjust quantum emitters in ways that are difficult with more conventional solid-state materials such as diamond or silicon carbide.
Many experiments using twisted materials make a device at one angle and then study it as built. In this work, according to UTS, the researchers could lift, turn and restack the layers repeatedly, allowing them to keep changing the material’s properties.
Gale said the size of the shift in emitted light was larger than the team had expected. “Often when you control these systems, the amount of manipulation is very limited, but in this case the shift was much larger than expected,” he said.
The researchers framed the method as a way to use hBN’s natural structure rather than force it to act like other quantum host materials. Gale said the team took advantage of hBN’s thin, layered and twistable form.
Why hBN is useful
UTS said the material’s sheet-like structure sets it apart from bulk materials. Gale compared the difference to slices of cheese rather than one solid block, saying layered material can be peeled apart and reassembled so the layers interact differently.
That reassembly is central to the result. According to the university, putting hBN layers back together at selected angles can change the behavior of defects in the material that act as quantum emitters.
Supervising author Professor Igor Aharonovich said twisted layered materials can show behavior that does not appear in the separate layers. “You can take two layers that don't do much on their own, put them together at a specific angle, and suddenly you have a completely different system,” he said, according to UTS.
Aharonovich said the work could support future technologies in quantum computing, quantum communications and quantum sensing. He also cited possible applications in healthcare, cybersecurity and improved GPS, while saying the immediate advance is greater control over the building blocks needed for those technologies.
The study, “Twist-controlled modulation of quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride,” was authored by Angus Gale, Seungjun Lee, Seungmin Park, Evan Williams, Helen Zhi Jie Zeng, James Liddle-Wesolowski, Young Duck Kim, Milos Toth, Tony Low and Igor Aharonovich. It was published in Science Advances in 2026.
This story draws on original reporting from ScienceDaily.