MIT-Oak Ridge Team Rapidly Reprograms Solids by Moving Tens of Thousands of Atoms in Minutes

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have demonstrated a method that can relocate tens of thousands of individual atoms inside a crystalline solid at room temperature. Using a tightly controlled electron beam guided by custom algorithms, the team created more than 40 000 quantum defects in a 13-nanometer-thick crystal of chromium sulfide bromide in roughly 40 minutes. The technique moves columns of atoms three-dimensionally, a capability that was previously limited to surface-only, two-dimensional manipulations.

Interesting EngineeringResearchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms

The first atomic-positioning milestone occurred in 1989 when IBM scientists used a scanning tunneling microscope to arrange 35 surface atoms into the letters “IBM.” Subsequent approaches—optical tweezers for neutral atoms and oscillating electric fields for trapped ions—expanded control but remained confined to ultra-cold, high-vacuum environments and to two-dimensional layouts. The new MIT-ORNL method overcomes both temperature and dimensional constraints, enabling bulk-material engineering.

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The work was led by MIT’s TDK Professor Frances Ross and MIT research scientist Julian Klein. Co-authors include Kevin Roccapriore and Andrew Lupini (ORNL), former MIT visiting student Mads Weile, former Radboud University researcher Sergii Grytsiuk, Bielefeld University professor Malte Rösner, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague professor Zdenek Sofer, King’s College London research associate Dimitar Pashov, and National Laboratory of the Rockies scientists Mark van Schilfgaarde and Swagata Acharya. Funding was provided in part by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms

The method employs a high-performance electron microscope at ORNL. Sophisticated algorithms direct the beam with picometer-scale precision, looping tightly to locate a target atom and then tracing an oscillating path that pushes entire atomic columns, akin to swiping a smartphone screen. By using only a few electrons to acquire positional information, the process avoids crystal damage. In the reported experiments, columns of chromium atoms were shifted within the semiconductor lattice, generating paired vacancies and interstitials that theoretical calculations predict will endow the material with exotic quantum properties.

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atomsInteresting Engineering

Creating stable, three-dimensional defect patterns opens pathways for quantum sensors, dense magnetic memory, atomic-scale logic devices, and components of quantum computers that can operate outside vacuum chambers. The ability to program matter at the atomic level also suggests a new class of “programmable matter” whose collective physics could be engineered on demand.

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms

MIT officials highlighted the technique’s scalability, noting that moving thousands to millions of atoms could reveal “completely new physics.” The Department of Energy described the work as a “significant step toward practical quantum-device engineering,” while the National Science Foundation emphasized its potential to broaden experimental access to quantum phenomena in ambient conditions.

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms

Researchers caution that the demonstrated success relies on the unique electronic structure of chromium sulfide bromide. Ongoing studies aim to identify other crystals compatible with the electron-beam algorithm, assessing whether similar defect engineering can be achieved across a broader material palette.

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms

Current data are limited to a single semiconductor system; performance metrics for alternative materials, larger defect arrays, and long-term stability remain unreported. No contradictory findings have emerged, but the scalability claim beyond 40 000 defects has yet to be experimentally verified.

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms

• “It’s like a photocopier that can create columns of identical atomic defects,” — Frances Ross, MIT Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms

• “The results demonstrate the ability to deterministically move atoms repeatedly within a material’s 3D atomic lattice,” — Julian Klein, MIT Research Scientist

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms

• “We developed algorithms that allow us to quickly obtain information on where the beam is in the material,” — Julian Klein, MIT Research Scientist

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms

• “The trick is to use very few electrons in the process of getting that information, so the whole process is fast and does not unintentionally damage your crystal.” — Julian Klein, MIT Research Scientist

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms

• “We were trying to improve the number of atoms we could move in a reasonable length of time,” — Frances Ross, MIT Professor

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms

The team plans to test the algorithm on additional semiconductors, explore defect patterns that simulate molecular electronic structures, and scale the process toward million-atom architectures. Such advances could solidify the foundation for robust, room-temperature quantum devices and programmable materials.

Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms