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在某些二维氧化铜和砷化铁材料中观察到的高温超导性。另一个最近发现的不寻常的物质电子状态是石墨烯-一个单层的碳原子形成一个电子膜，其中电子表现出奇怪的行为，例如完全通过通常反射电子的障碍，以及量子力学电子波的完美透镜。这些例子说明，低维固体中的电子经常表现出新的物质状态，这些状态具有一系列有趣的特性，这些特性为新技术带来了希望。最近的兴趣也集中在超低温下碱金属原子和碱土金属原子的行为上。在这种情况下，这些原子的量子性质变得明显，并且取决于所使用的原子类型（玻色子或费米子），它们表现出从玻色凝聚到成对超流性的现象。从凝聚态物理学的角度来看，这样的系统提供了一个独特的视角来理解固体中电子的行为-原子在许多方面的行为与电子类似，但冷原子实验可以以一种干净的可控方式调整原子之间的相互作用，这是固体中电子无法实现的。拟议的研究将解决固态材料和超冷原子气体中物质的强相关量子态的基本方面，以及探索这种理解对新技术的应用。

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.