The MagLab is funded by the National Science Foundation and the State of Florida.
The MagLab is funded by the National Science Foundation and the State of Florida.
The MagLab’s Condensed Matter Science Group hosts regular seminars featuring the work of visiting scientists. All seminars are open to the public and take place in Room B101 of the MagLab.
Date: September 19, 2025
Speaker: Robert McQueeney, Iowa State University
Title: Magnetism of the RT6Sn6 kagome metals
Host: Mykhailo Shatruk
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Robert McQueeney's Abstract
Date: June 26, 2025
Speaker: John Singleton, Pulsed Field Facility, Los Alamos
Title: Electrons behaving badly: experimental techniques applied to electrical insulators and neutral fermions
Host: Ali Bangura, CMS - DC Field
Location: B333 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View John Singleton's Abstract
Date: May 2, 2025
Speaker: Wei Pan, Sandia National Labs
Title: Josephson effects in Dirac semimetal Cd3As2
Host: Kun Yang
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Wei Pan's Abstract
Date: April 25, 2025
Speaker: Chunli Huang, University of Kentucky
Title: Non-perturbative Landau-Level Mixing and SU(4) Symmetry Breaking in Graphene
Host: Cyprian Lewandowski
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Chunli Huang's Abstract
Date: April 11, 2025
Speaker: Dahlia Klein, Weizmann Institute of Science
Title: Nanoscale Imaging of Potential Landscapes with the Atomic SET
Host: Cyprian Lewandowski
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Dahlia Klein's Abstract and Bio
Date: March 28, 2025
Speaker: Chunjing Jia, University of Florida
Title: Theoretical investigation of strain engineered perovskite nickelates
Host: Hitesh Changlani
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Chunjing Jia's Abstract
Date: February 14, 2025
Speaker: Emanuel Tutuc, University of Texas
Title: Tunneling and Interlayer Coherence in Twist-Controlled van der Waals Heterostructures
Host: Oskar Vafek
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Emanuel Tutuc's Abstract and Bio
Date: January 31, 2025
Speaker: Subir Sachdev, Harvard University
Title: Fermi-volume-changing quantum phase transitions and the cuprate phase diagram
Host: Kun Yang / Guangxin Ni
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Subir Sachdev's Abstract and Bio
Date: January 24, 2025
Speaker: Erica Carlson, Purdue University
Title: Critical Nematic Correlations Throughout the Superconducting Doping Range in BSCO
Host: Vladimir Dobrosavljavec
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Erica Carlson's Abstract and Bio
Date: December 6, 2024
Speaker: Sheng-Jie Huang, Oxford University
Title: Quantum matter through the lens of topological holography
Host: Kun Yang
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Sheng-Jie Huang's Abstract and Bio
Date: November 15, 2024
Speaker: Binghai Yan, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel / Penn State University
Title: Spin, Orbital and Charge at Nonequilibrium Phase in Chirality-induced Spin Selectivity
Host: Peng Xiong
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Binghai Yan's Abstract
Date: November 8, 2024
Speaker: Jaychandran Padayasi, Ohio State University
Title: Conformal invariance and multifractality at Anderson transitions
Host: Kun Yang
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Jaychandran Padayasi's Abstract
Date: November 1, 2024
Speaker: Matthew Yankowitz, University of Washington
Title: New twists on topology in moiré quantum matter
Host: Cyprian Lewandowski
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Matthew Yankowitz's Abstract and Bio
Date: October 25, 2024
Speaker: Di Xiao, University of Washington
Title: Fractional Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect In Twisted Bilayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides
Host: Oskar Vafek
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Di Xiao's Abstract
Date: October 18, 2024
Speaker: Efthimios Kaxiras, Harvard University
Title: Twistronics: the unconventional behavior of electrons in two-dimensional solids
Host: Oskar Vafek
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Efthimios Kaxiras's Abstract
Date: October 11, 2024
Speaker: Laszlo Forro, University of Notre Dame
Title: Surprises in Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Revealed by Interlayer Charge Tansport
Host: Vladimir Dobrosavljevic
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Laszlo Forro's Abstract and Bio
Date: October 4, 2024
Speaker: Nicolas Regnault, Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris and CNRS
Title: Classifying topological modes in the continuum
Host: Oskar Vafek
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Nicolas Regnault's Abstract
Date: October 1, 2024
Speaker: Anton Souslov, University of Cambridge
Title: Classifying topological modes in the continuum
Host: Kun Yang
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Anton Souslov's Abstract and Bio
Date: September 27, 2024
Speaker: Emanuel Tutuc, University of Texas
Title: Tunneling and Interlayer Coherence in Twist-Controlled van der Waals Heterostructures
Host: Oskar Vafek
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Emanuel Tutuc's Abstract and Bio
Date: August 30, 2024
Speaker: Francisco Guinea, IMDEA, Spain
Title: Superconductivity in graphene stacks
Host: Cyprian Lewandowski
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: Superconductivity has been observed in a number of twisted and untwisted graphene multilayers. The dependence of the superconducting properties on the geometry of the graphene stack will be discussed. The possibility of novel phenomena due to non-trivial order parameters will also be highlighted.
Date: August 28, 2024
Speaker: Sandeep Joy, Ohio State University
Title: The story of Wigner crystallization in Bernal bilayer graphene
Host: Cyprian Lewandowski
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Sandeep Joy's Abstract and Bio
Date: May 24, 2024
Speaker: Samuele Sanna, University of Bologna
Title: The fascinating cascade of quantum phase transitions in novel 2D Kagome superconductors as observed by local probes
Host: Rong Cong
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Samuele Sanna's Abstract and Bio
Date: April 26, 2024
Speaker: Edwin Huang, University of Notre Dame
Title: The Hubbard model: what we know from finite-temperature numerics
Host: Hitesh Changlani
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Edwin Huang's Abstract and Bio
Date: April 19, 2024
Speaker: Mumtaz Qazilbash, College of William & Mary
Title: Novel insights into the metal-insulator transition of vanadium dioxide (VO2)
Host: Guangxin Ni
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Mumtaz Qazilbash's Abstract and Bio
Date: March 22, 2024
Speaker: Eslam Khalaf, Harvard University
Title: Bridging Hubbard and quantum Hall physics in twisted bilayer graphene
Host: Oskar Vafek
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Eslam Khalaf's Abstract and Bio
Date: March 1, 2024
Speaker: Daniel Kim, Northwestern University
Title: Cardiac MRI of Patients with a Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device
Host: Samuel C Grant
Location: B101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Daniel Kim's Abstract and Bio
Date: February 23, 2024
Speaker: Kin Fai Mak, Cornell University
Title: Electron fractionalization under zero magnetic field
Host: Oskar Vafek
Location: CAPS 120 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: Electron fractionalization is of significant interest to both fundamental physics and topological quantum computing. The emergence of two-dimensional moiré materials provides a platform to explore the physics of electron fractionalization under zero magnetic field. In this talk, I will discuss two examples of zero-field electron fractionalization in moiré semiconductors: 1) the fractional Chern insulator that spontaneously breaks the time reversal symmetry, and 2) the time reversal symmetric fractional quantum spin Hall insulator.
Date: February 9, 2024
Speaker: Hari Srikanth, University of South Florida
Title: The rise of chatbots and tips on writing manuscripts – An Editor’s Perspective
Host: Laura Greene
Location: MagLab B 101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: This talk will introduce good practices from a journal editor’s perspective as well as an active senior researcher’s point of view in writing up your research results for peer-reviewed publications in recognized journals, especially in condensed matter and materials physics. In recent times there has been a paradigm shift in the way large volume of data is handled through AI, machine learning which has led to the emerging popularity of chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing and Google’s Bard. There are benefits in using chatbots to help improve and polish written drafts but there are also the risks of incorrect logic, questions on scientific ethics and loss of creativity and originality. I will present some specific examples to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of using chatbots in scientific publishing. A general view on all this will be presented in a 45 min perspective talk followed by interactive Q&A and discussion with the attendees.
Bio: Hari Srikanth is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of South Florida. He received his Ph.D. in experimental condensed matter physics from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and has been at USF since 2000 where he directs the Functional Materials Laboratory. His research spans a wide range of topics in magnetism and magnetic materials. He has over 300 publications and has given over 200 invited talks around the world. In 2019, he was an IEEE Magnetics Society Distinguished Lecturer. Hari is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, Fellow of the Institute of Physics and a Senior Member of IEEE. Hari also has over a decade of experience as an Editor for several condensed matter and materials physics journals. He was an Associate Editor for Journal of Applied Physics from 2014-2020. At present he serves as an Associate Editor for Physical Review B and as an Editor for Journal of Alloys and Compounds. He is also an Editorial Board Member for Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials.
Date: December 8, 2023
Speaker: Petr Stepanov, University of Notre Dame
Title: Quantum Heavy Fermion Simulator in Moiré Materials
Host: Cyprian Lewandowski
Location: MagLab B 101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: The unexpected discovery of superconductivity in magic angle twisted bilayer graphene immediately generated a wave of intense theoretical and experimental research attracted by its rich phase diagram, which seemingly resembles ones of copper-oxide high-temperature superconductors. Originated in the low-energy narrow electronic bands, a family of magic angle graphene compounds hosts a collection of exotic phases including but not limited to superconductivity, correlated insulators, topological and magnetic orders. Compared to other strongly-correlated systems, 2D multilayers offer a unique opportunity to tune the charge carrier density in situ and adjust system properties in other ways (for example, by alternating the distance to the gate or varying the dielectric environment), thus offering a potentially faster progress in understanding the underlying microscopic mechanisms governing its strong correlations. While the seemingly disagreeing electronic transport and scanning tunneling microscopy experiments brought up a controversy about the locality of the Wannier orbitals in these materials, a definitive experimental evidence merging two patterns together has been much coveted. Here I discuss on the first local thermoelectric measurements in the flat electronic bands of the twisted symmetric trilayer graphene (TSTG). We use a cryogenic near-field optical microscope with an oscillating atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip irradiated by infrared photons to create a nanoscopic hot spot in the planar samples. We observe a breakdown of the non-interacting Mott formalism at low temperatures (~10 K) signaling an importance of the electronic interactions in PV generation. Explained by the interacting topological heavy-fermion model, our data suggest a spatial variation of the interaction strength dependent on the local twist angle. These experimental findings provide the first evidence of heavy fermion behavior in the topological flat bands of moiré graphene and epitomize an avenue to apply local thermoelectric measurements to other strongly correlated materials in the disorder-free limit.
Date: October 27, 2023
Speaker: Milan Orlita, Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses, CNRS, Grenoble, France
Title: Magneto-optics of van-der-Waals antiferromagnets
Host: Mykhaylo Ozerov
Location: MagLab B 101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: Infrared and THz magneto-spectroscopy serves as a relevant tool for investigating a wide range of low-energy excitations in solids. During my presentation, I will provide a succinct overview of research activities employing this experimental technique combined with the high-magnetic-field facility at the LNCMI in Grenoble. My talk will be primarily focused on recent results obtained on layered antiferromagnets, particularly those belonging to the FePS3 family. These investigations have revealed a surprisingly complex magneto-optical response which goes beyond the conventional picture of classical antiferromagnetic resonance. We interpret it in terms of magnon-polarons and magnon excitations with high angular momenta.
Date: October 20, 2023
Speaker: Gang Cao, University of Colorado at Boulder
Title: Control of chiral orbital currents in a colossal magnetoresistance material
Host: Peng Xiong
Location: MagLab B 101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: Colossal magnetoresistance is an extraordinary enhancement of the electric conductivity in the presence of a magnetic field, an important property of matter that has been studied for decades.
It is conventionally associated with a magnetic-field-induced spin polarization, which drastically reduces spin scattering, thus electric resistance. Our earlier studies uncover an intriguing exception to this rule in that the electric resistivity in a magnetic insulator is reduced by up to 7 orders of magnitude only when a spin polarization is absent [1]. Here I report a newly identified quantum state in a honeycomb material where chiral orbital currents flowing along edges of crystal unit cells dictate electric conductivity, providing a key element driving the novel colossal magnetoresistance [2] and a current-sensitive Hall effect [3]. The control of the exotic quantum state, along with implications of this discovery, will be presented and discussed after a brief review of conventional colossal magnetoresistance and loop currents in other materials.
References:
Date: October 13, 2023
Speaker: Adrian E Feiguin, Northeastern University
Title: Beyond perturbation theory: multi-photon and non-radiative recombination effects in spectroscopies
Host: Kun Yang
Location: Virtual(Zoom) 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: The conventional calculation of scattering cross sections relies on a treatment based on timedependent perturbation theory that provides formulation in terms of Green’s functions in the frequency domain. In equilibrium, it boils down to evaluating a simple spectral function equivalent to Fermi’s golden rule, which can be solved efficiently by a number of numerical methods. However, away from equilibrium, the resulting expressions require a full knowledge of the excitation spectrum and eigenvectors to account for all the possible allowed transitions and intermediate states, a seemingly unsurmountable complication. We have recently presented a new paradigm to overcome these hurdles[1-3]: we explicitly introduce the scattering particles (neutron, electron, photon, positron) and simulate the full scattering event by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The spectrum is recovered by measuring the momentum and energy lost by the scattered particles, akin an actual energy-loss experiment. I here show how these ideas can be generalized to study multi-photon processes such as coincidence ARPES, and the interplay between radiative and non-radiative recombination channels in X-ray spectroscopies.
References:
[1] Krissia Zawadzki, Luhang Yang, Adrian E. Feiguin; Phys. Rev. B 102, 235141 (2020).
[2] Krissia Zawadzki, Adrian Feiguin; Phys. Rev. B 100, 195124 (2019).
[3] Krissia Zawadski, Alberto Nocera, and Adrian E. Feiguin arXiv: 1905.08166
Date: October 6, 2023
Speaker: Xiao-Xiao Zhang, University of Florida
Title: Optical probing of electronic and spin states in 2D quantum materials
Host: Luis Balicas
Location: MagLab B 101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View Xiao-Xiao Zhang abstract and Bio
Date: August 24, 2023
Speaker: Rong Cong, Brown University and Center for Intergrated Nanotechnology (CINT)
Title: Orbital glass induced unconventional magnetic order in a correlated insulator
Host: Arneil Reyes
Location: MagLab B 101 at 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Abstract: Intertwined electronic and orbital degrees of freedom in strongly correlated materials with strong spin-orbit-coupling has shown to give rise to many exotic quantum phenomena, especially to emergent quantum phases and transitions [1]. Coupling between the spin and orbit degrees of freedom can lead to two different viable order parameters: magnetic (spin) order and multi-polar (orbital) order. In this talk, I will present our recent direct observation of an orbital glass state caused by such a coupling in the 5d1 relativistic Mott insulator Ba2NaOsO6 by implementing a technique that is able to independently probe interactions of different symmetries [2]. I will talk about simultaneous measurements of the fluctuations in the spin and orbital order using a Hahn echo sequence, giving an unprecedented view into the nature of a complex spin-orbit phase transition. We observe short-range quadrupolar order up to room temperature and a dramatic increase of orbital fluctuations near the phase transition. The presence of quadrupolar fluctuations well above the phase transition solves a long-standing puzzle of missing entropy in this material. In the end of the talk, I will transition the focus and discuss our most recent progress in using resistive detected magnetic resonance techniques to probe spin properties in 2D quantum materials and phases.
[1] Witczak-Krempa, William, et al. "Correlated quantum phenomena in the strong spin-orbit regime." Annu. Rev. Condens. Matter Phys. 5.1 (2014): 57-82.
[2] Carr, Stephen, et al. "Multi-modal spectroscopy of phase transitions." Phys. Rev. B 108, 054421 (2023)
Date: August 22, 2023
Speaker: Shengzhi Zhang, National MagLab, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Title: Electronic and magnetic phase diagrams of quantum spin liquid candidates under high magnetic fields
Host: Arneil Reyes
Location: MagLab B 101 at 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Abstract: One crucial step toward understanding a compound is establishing its phase diagram via parameter tuning, such as temperature (T) and magnetic field (H). By examining these phase diagrams, we gain valuable insights into the underlying physics behind the phases. Additionally, examining the intrinsic spin dynamics is indispensable to further achieve a microscopic understanding of the compound's behaviors within each phase. In this talk, I will present our recent work on constructing comprehensive T-H phase diagrams of a potential Kiatev quantum spin liquid candidate, Na2Co2TeO6. Using five different techniques including magnetization, specific heat, dielectric constant, magnetostriction, and magnetocaloric effect measurements, I have identified four distinct phases, among which one exhibits the characteristics of a potential field-induced quantum spin liquid phase. Moreover, I successfully resolved a long-standing debate concerning the magnetic structure (zigzag vs. triple-Q) for the low-field phase utilizing a symmetry-sensitive electric polarization measurement. In the end, I will propose a couple of quantum spin liquid candidates where nuclear magnetic resonance measurement will play an important role in identifying the nature of their high-field phases.
Date: August 11, 2023
Speaker: Raquel D. Ribeiro, Iowa State University
Title: La2Ni7 – A Small Moment System with AFM Order
Host: Greg S Boebinger
Location: MagLab B 101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: Small moment magnetic systems attract attention as their magnetic ordering temperatures can often be tuned towards a quantum phase transition, using non-thermal parameters, to study exotic physical phenomena such as unconventional superconductivity, heavy Fermi liquid, etc. La2Ni7 presents a series of AFM phase transitions at 61.0K, 56.5K, and 42.2K with a low saturated moment of 0.12μB/Ni. I will highlight the main results of recent collaborative works in La2Ni7 single crystal. Analysis of M(T), M(H), ρ(T) and ρ(H) data allow for the construction of anisotropic H-T phase diagrams. Neutron diffraction studies have found the propagation vectors and magnetic moment directions of the three magnetically ordered phases. ARPES data reveal several electron and hole pockets that have hexagonal symmetry. NMR also shed light onto the nature of the magnetic order and how it impacts the bandstructure. DFT calculations show reasonable agreement experimental data, demonstrating their applicability to itinerant antiferromagnet systems.
Date: August 10, 2023
Speaker: Xiaoling (Cocoa) Wang, California State University East Bay
Title: Untangling the unconventional coupling between charge density wave order and superconductivity in kagome superconductors
Host: Arneil Reyes, CMS - DC Field
Location: MagLab B 101 at 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Abstract: The investigation of the interplay between superconductivity and other ordered states, such as charge density wave (CDW) state, constitutes a fundamental aspect of condensed matter physics. The discovery of the layered kagome metal AV3Sb5 (A=K, Rb, Cs) offers a new experimental platform for exploring this competition.
AV3Sb5 lattices exhibit both a non-conventional CDW order (TCDW ∼ 80 − 104 K) and a topological superconducting ground state (TC ∼ 0.9 − 2.5 K). In this talk, I will present our investigation on the superstructure deformation in the crystal lattice associated with the CDW order, utilizing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Our observations shed light on the formation and configuration of CDW states and indicate a new avenue for further exploring the electronic structure evolution of various instabilities of kagome superconductors.
Date: April 21, 2023
Speaker: Long Ju, MIT
Title: Electron correlation and topology in rhombohedral multilayer graphene
Host: Cyprian Lewandowski
Location: MagLab B 101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: Rhombohedral stacked multilayer graphene is an ideal platform to search for correlated electron phenomena, due to its pair of flat bands touching at zero energy and further tunability by an electric field. Furthermore, its valley-dependent Berry phase at zero energy points to possible topological states when the isospin symmetry is broken by electron correlation. In this talk, I will first show our efforts on the optical spectroscopy study of trilayer graphene/hBN moire superlattice. We observed optical signatures of flat moire band formation and Mott insulator due to band splitting at half-filling. Then I will talk about DC transport measurements of pentalayer graphene without any moire superlattices. We observed a plethora of correlated and topological states including a ferro-valleytronic half-metal, a correlated insulating state and Chern insulator states. Our results point to a new direction of exploring electron correlation and topology in natural 2D crystals where the layer number plays a critical role.
Date: March 3, 2023
Speaker: Jerome K. Hyun, Department of Chemistry and Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, Korea
Title: Modulating light scattering and absorption for active structural colors
Host: Hanwei Gao (Physics)
Location: MagLab B 101 at 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
Abstract: Structural colors refer to colors arising from the scattering and interference of light by judiciously designed nanostructures. To be viable candidates for display or smart colorimetric sensing applications, their responses must be dynamic. To this end, our lab has worked on designs that can be tuned through a suite of external stimuli including electricity, humidity, and chemical vapor. Unlike plasmonic designs that require the excitation of surface plasmons, our approach mainly relies on photonic responses such as Mie resonances and dielectric waveguide-array modes which free our system from ohmic damping and the interdependence between wavelength and intensity. We also extend our approach to the microwave regime where unprecedentedly thin electromagnetic wave absorbers are realized.
Date: February 17, 2023
Speaker: Sergio de la Barrera, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Title: Superconductivity in an engineered moiré quasiperiodic system
Host: Cyprian Lewandowski
Location: MagLab B 101 at 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Abstract: View abstract
Date: February 3, 2023
Speaker: Pavan Hosur, University of Houston
Title: Superconductor vortices in Weyl semimetals
Host: Hitesh Changlani
Location: MagLab B 101 at 3:00 PM-4:30 PM
Abstract: View abstract
Last modified on 09 June 2025