Project Details
Quantum materials provide exciting scientific opportunities at the forefront of physics and potential pathways to advanced and efficient energy and information technologies. Interactions among electrons in such materials are key to their properties and enhance their complexity. Understanding electron correlations in materials hosting interesting behaviors related to their underlying symmetry, anisotropy, or topology is particularly important and challenging. Because strong electron-electron correlations are difficult to model theoretically, synergistic experimental studies of high-quality samples are essential. The overarching goal of this project is to advance our experimental understanding of quantum materials that exhibit collective phenomena and adopt ground states associated with electron correlations. To achieve this, we have three specific aims: (1) Understand magnetism, excitations, and transport in van der Waals bonded, cleavable antiferromagnets, (2) Discover emergent physics and instabilities in kagome-based systems, (3) Probe coupling of crystal chemistry, magnetism, and electronic behaviors in topological and chiral crystals. We will address these aims by identifying, developing, and studying model material systems. This leverages our core strengths in synthesis of high-quality crystals and investigation of physical properties using crystallographic, transport, and thermodynamic measurements. We will pursue deeper understanding of the most interesting materials through collaborations involving theoretical, scattering, and spectroscopic techniques. Overall, our research addresses the ability to control and exploit quantum mechanical behaviors targeting novel functionality, a priority research direction identified in the BES report on Quantum Materials. More specifically, developments in 2D materials, antiferromagnets, and topological materials will impact microelectronics and spintronics, two key research areas for energy applications.
