CAREER: Dynamics, Transport and Novel Phenomena at Quantum Phase Transitions

技术摘要：该职业奖支持理论凝聚态物理领域的综合研究、教育和推广活动。研究重点是量子相和相变及其与各种固态系统和冷原子气体中现象的联系。该研究的重点是量子临界点。第 1 部分重点关注尚未探索的量子临界点的热电输运特性，以及动量空间表面上的低位量子涨落问题。第 2 部分重点关注穿越量子临界点的非平衡动力学。第 3 部分涉及在基于序参数的传统相变描述不充分的情况下研究量子相变。 PI 将研究量子临界性玻色子模型中的相变，以更好地理解此类量子相变。这些易于处理的系统可以表现出经典模型中未见的有趣行为，特别是当临界波动由分数激发引起时。教育和推广活动旨在传达现代量子凝聚态物理的智力兴奋和广度。在大学内部，将根据支持上述研究的思想，开发跨越传统学科的研究生课程材料，并在公共网站上提供讲义。除了大学之外，教育和推广工作还与伯克利的一个受欢迎的博物馆劳伦斯科学馆合作计划。将针对访问量大的劳伦斯科学馆主页建立动态物理教育网络资源，并将包含当地物理教师的持续投入。这种“物理之谜”资源将使非科学公众，尤其是年轻人，了解奇怪的量子世界及其对材料特性的惊人影响。它将包括最近的研究结果，并将每月更新。从当地学校挑选的五名教师小组将提供评估和持续反馈。劳伦斯科学馆将举办一场外展活动，其中 PI 和来自这些学校的一组学生进行直接互动。非技术摘要：该职业奖支持基础理论凝聚态物理方面的综合研究、教育和外展活动。该研究的重点是在绝对零温度下发生的物质状态之间的转变。据信，这些导致材料在有限温度下表现出不寻常的特性，这对我们的理解提出了挑战。物质在这些转变附近表现出全新的特性，称为量子临界点。其中一些转变超出了相变的标准理论，部分研究旨在理解这些奇怪的相变，这些相变本质上是量子力学的起源。教育和推广活动旨在传达现代量子凝聚态物理的智力兴奋和广度。在大学内部，将根据支持上述研究的思想，开发跨越传统学科的研究生课程材料，并在公共网站上提供讲义。除了大学之外，教育和推广工作还与伯克利的一个受欢迎的博物馆劳伦斯科学馆合作计划。将针对访问量大的劳伦斯科学馆主页建立动态物理教育网络资源，并将包含当地物理教师的持续投入。这种“物理之谜”资源将使非科学公众，尤其是年轻人，了解奇怪的量子世界及其对材料特性的惊人影响。它将包括最近的研究结果，并将每月更新。从当地学校挑选的五名教师小组将提供评估和持续反馈。劳伦斯科学馆将举办一次外展活动，PI 和这些学校的一组学生将进行直接互动。

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This CAREER award supports integrated research, education and outreach activities in theoretical condensed matter physics. The research emphasis is on quantum phases and phase transitions and their connection to phenomena in a variety of solid-state systems and cold atomic gases. The research focuses on quantum critical points. Part 1 focuses on the largely unexplored thermoelectric transport properties of quantum critical points and on problems where the low-lying quantum fluctuations live on a surface in momentum space. Part 2 focuses on non-equilibrium dynamics of sweeping through quantum critical points. Part 3 involves investigating quantum phase transitions in situations where a conventional description of phase transitions based on an order parameter is not adequate. The PI will study phase transitions in bosonic models of quantum criticality to better understand these kinds of quantum phase transitions. These tractable systems can display interesting behavior not seen in classical models, especially when the critical fluctuations arise from fractionalized excitations.The educational and outreach activities are aimed to convey the intellectual excitement and breadth of modern quantum condensed matter physics. Within the university, new course material at the graduate level that cuts across traditional disciplines, based on ideas that underpin the research above will be developed, and lecture notes made available on a public web-site. Beyond the University, education and outreach efforts are planned in collaboration with a popular museum in Berkeley, the Lawrence Hall of Science. A dynamic physics educational web resource for the much visited Lawrence Hall of Science home page will be set up and will contain sustained input from local physics teachers. This 'Physics Mysteries' resource will expose the non-scientific public, especially young adults, to the strange quantum world and its striking consequences for materials properties. It will include results of recent research and will be updated monthly. Evaluation and continuing feedback will be provided by a five member teacher panel picked from local schools. The Lawrence Hall of Science will host an outreach event involving direct interaction of the PI and a set of students from these schools.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:This CAREER award supports integrated research, education and outreach activities in fundamental theoretical condensed matter physics. The research focuses on transformations between states of matter that occur at the absolute zero of temperature. It is believed that these lead to unusual properties at finite temperature displayed in materials that have presented challenges to our understanding. Matter displays fundamentally new properties in the vicinity of these transformations that are called quantum critical points. Some of these transformations lie outside the standard theory of phase transitions and part of the research aims to understand these curious phase transitions that are fundamentally quantum mechanical in origin.The educational and outreach activities are aimed to convey the intellectual excitement and breadth of modern quantum condensed matter physics. Within the university, new course material at the graduate level that cuts across traditional disciplines, based on ideas that underpin the research above will be developed, and lecture notes made available on a public web-site. Beyond the University, education and outreach efforts are planned in collaboration with a popular museum in Berkeley, the Lawrence Hall of Science. A dynamic physics educational web resource for the much visited Lawrence Hall of Science home page will be set up and will contain sustained input from local physics teachers. This 'Physics Mysteries' resource will expose the non-scientific public, especially young adults, to the strange quantum world and its striking consequences for materials properties. It will include results of recent research and will be updated monthly. Evaluation and continuing feedback will be provided by a five member teacher panel picked from local schools. The Lawrence Hall of Science will host an outreach event involving direct interaction of the PI and a set of students from these schools.