Strong correlation physics in low dimensional quantum materials and ultracold atomic gases - novel states of matter and their applications

量子力学定律和电子之间的相互作用有时会导致固体中电子的非凡组织。其中最引人注目的是观察到某些二维氧化铜和砷化铁材料中的高温超导电性。最近发现的另一种不寻常的物质电子态是石墨烯--一层由碳原子组成的超薄薄膜，电子在薄膜中表现出奇怪的行为，比如完全穿透通常反射电子的势垒，以及量子力学电子波的完美透镜。这些例子表明，低维固体中的电子经常表现出新的物质状态，这些状态拥有一系列有趣的性质，这些性质蕴含着新技术的希望。最近的兴趣也集中在碱原子和碱土原子在超低温下的行为。在这种情况下，这些原子的量子性质变得明显，根据人们使用的是哪种原子(玻色子或费米子)，它们表现出从玻色凝聚到成对超流的各种现象。从凝聚态物理的角度来看，这样的系统为理解电子在固体中的行为提供了一个独特的视角--原子在许多方面的行为类似于电子，但冷原子实验可以以一种干净可控的方式调整原子之间的相互作用，这是在固体中的电子无法实现的。拟议的研究将涉及固态材料和超冷原子气体中物质的强关联量子态的基本方面，并探索这种理解在新技术中的应用。

The laws of quantum mechanics together with interactions between electrons can sometimes lead to a remarkable organization of electrons in solids. Among the most spectacular of such effects is the observation of high temperature superconductivity in certain two-dimensional copper oxide and iron arsenide materials. Another recent discovery of an unusual electronic state of matter is graphene - a single layer of carbon atoms forming an ultrathin membrane in which electrons exhibit strange behaviors, such as being completely transmitted through barriers which ordinarily reflect electrons, and perfect lensing of quantum mechanical electron waves. These examples illustrate that electrons in low dimensional solids often exhibit new states of matter, and these states possess a slew of interesting properties which hold the promise of new technologies. Recent interest has also focused on the behavior of alkali atoms and alkaline earth atoms at ultralow temperatures. In this regime, the quantum nature of these atoms becomes apparent, and depending on what kind of atom one is working with (bosons or fermions), they exhibit phenomena ranging from Bose condensation to paired superfluidity. From a condensed matter physics perspective, such systems offer a unique perspective on understanding the behavior of electrons in solids - the atoms behave analogous to electrons in many respect, yet the cold atom experiments can tune the interaction between the atoms in a clean controllable fashion which cannot be achieved with electrons in solids. The proposed research will address fundamental aspects of strongly correlated quantum states of matter in solid state materials and ultracold atomic gases, together with exploring the applications of this understanding towards novel technologies.