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Joe Checkelsky (MIT): Materials Science and Engineering Seminar

Wu and Chen Auditorium (Levine Hall) 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Title: “Quantum Materials: A View from the Lattice”

Connecting theoretical models for exotic quantum states to real materials is a key goal in quantum materials science. The structure of the crystalline lattice plays a foundational role in this pursuit in the subfield of quantum material synthesis. We here revisit this long-standing perspective in the context low dimensional emergent electronic phases of matter, including the realization of model two-dimensional topological and correlated electronic phenomena. Along the way, we discuss how to define a quantum material, and how this definition has evolved in recent years. Finally, we comment on the perspective for realizing further two-dimensional model systems in complex material structures and connections to new paradigms for programmable quantum matter.

Yoshi Krockenberger (NTT Basic Research Laboratories): LRSM Seminar

LRSM Reading Room 3231 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Title: “Molecular beam epitaxy of functional complex 4d & 5d transition metal oxides”

The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates in 1986 ignited significant research into complex transition metal oxides. While 3d oxides have been extensively studied, 4d and 5d systems have been less explored due to challenges in achieving high-quality growth and controlling volatile oxide formation.

We have developed an electron-beam molecular beam epitaxy (EB-MBE) system equipped with electron impact emission spectrometry (EIES) for precise real-time control of elemental fluxes. This approach enables the synthesis of complex 4d and 5d transition metal oxides with tailored stoichiometries. To address the issue of volatile oxide formation, we employ a rate control system that compensates for element loss during oxidation.

To optimize the growth process, we have implemented a Bayesian optimization-based machine learning method. This approach allows for efficient exploration of the parameter space, enabling us to identify optimal growth conditions. By combining machine learning with EB-MBE, we can accelerate the discovery and synthesis of new materials with intriguing physical properties, such as palladates like Nd2−xCexPdO4.

A notable achievement is the synthesis of the first gold oxide, Sr5Au3O8, using molecular beam epitaxy. We will also discuss our recent progress in synthesizing complex osmates, a class of materials known for their high volatility and challenging growth conditions. Sr3OsO6, a double-perovskite related structure, exhibits the highest Curie temperature discovered so far among insulators. Our approach demonstrates the potential of EB-MBE and machine learning for exploring the frontiers of complex transition metal oxide materials science.

Marina Radulaski (UC Davis): Electrical and Systems Engineering Seminar

Raisler Lounge (Towne 225) 107 Towne Building, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Title: “Color center photonics in silicon carbide: scalable fabrication, cryogenic experiments, and quantum simulation on NISQ testbeds”

Color center systems are among the leading platforms in the development of quantum communication and quantum sensing hardware due to their desirable spin, optical, and spin-photon properties. Among them, the near infrared emitters in silicon carbide, such as the nitrogen-vacancy center in 4H-SiC, provide fiber-friendly operation in an industrially mature substrate, ideal for scalable deployment of quantum networking hardware. By exploring the triangular geometry in quantum-grade SiC, we develop the first wafer-scale fabrication process for color center photonics based on ion beam etching at an angle, realizing a broad range of devices for guiding and resonating light.
 
Due to their near-identical emission, color centers enable unprecedented studies of multi-emitter-cavity physics, or the Tavis-Cummings (TC) model, with applications in quantum light generation and quantum memories. Here, a lossy resonator interacts with multiple quantum emitters in resonant and off-resonant systems. Modeling of TC systems in an open quantum setting is limited to small dimensions on classical computing resources. We explore how quantum computers can help bridge this knowledge gap and propose algorithms for quantum mapping, analog and digital simulation of the TC model on superconducting and trapped ion DOE testbeds.

Qing Gu (NCSU): Materials Science and Engineering Seminar

Wu and Chen Auditorium (Levine Hall) 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Title: “Opportunities in Whispering-Gallery Microresonators: Fundamentals and Applications”

Dr. Gu received the Bachelor’s degree from University of British Columbia, Canada in 2008, and the Ph.D. degree from University of California, San Diego in 2014, both in Electrical Engineering. Prior to joining NC State, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas from 2016 to 2021. Her research activities include the experimental realization of quantum-inspired nanophotonic semiconductor light sources using emerging materials or novel cavity configurations, active and topological hyperbolic metamaterials, and perovskite optoelectronics. She is the author of book “Semiconductor Nanolasers” by Cambridge University Press, published in 2017.

Dr. Gu’s experimental research in nanophotonics lies at the intersection of electrical engineering, physics and materials sciences. She holds a joint appointment of ECE and Physics, and is a member of the Chancellor's Faculty Excellence Cluster in Carbon Electronics.

Doug Natelson (Rice University): Condensed and Living Matter Seminar

David Rittenhouse Lab A8 209 S 33rd St, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Title: “Shot noise as a probe of correlated materials / Light emission as a probe of electronic pDNrocesses at the nanoscale”

Strange metal behavior has been observed in materials ranging from high-temperature superconductors to heavy fermion metals. In conventional metals, current is carried by quasiparticles; although it has been suggested that quasiparticles are absent in strange metals, direct experimental evidence is challenging to acquire. We measure shot noise to probe the granularity of the current-carrying excitations in nanowires of the heavy fermion strange metal YbRh2Si2.

When compared to conventional metals, shot noise in these nanowires is strongly suppressed. We argue that this suppression can be attributed neither to electron-phonon nor to electron-electron interactions in a Fermi liquid, suggesting that the current is not carried by well-defined quasiparticles in the strange metal regime we probed.

This work sets the stage for similar studies of other strange metals, to test for universality of this response, and ideally for studies in single devices that may be tuned between Fermi liquid and strange metal regimes. It is also important to consider the noise in strongly interacting Fermi liquids, to see if interactions modify the expectations familiar from conventional mesoscopic physics. Time permitting, I will discuss some recent interesting findings in YbAl3, a mixed valence heavy fermion material.