Correlated Electron Systems with Strong Spin-orbit Coupling

该奖项支持理论研究和教育，以预测电子物质有趣的新阶段。材料的电子和磁性是许多现代技术的基础。了解呈现不寻常电子状态的材料有助于为新技术奠定知识基础，在这种情况下，新的电子设备和可能的设备不仅可以利用电荷，还可以利用电子的自旋进行操作。自旋是电子固有的量子力学性质；电子可以粗略地认为是在旋转。PI的目标是探索电子自旋与其运动强烈相互作用的材料，同时电子彼此之间强烈相互作用，从而产生运动中的相关性。结合强电子相关性和强自旋轨道耦合的材料为发现物质的新状态提供了机会。PI旨在研究这些材料，并着眼于预测可能出现的不寻常性质和相。通过该项目，一名研究生将接受理论凝聚态物质和材料物理学方面的培训，项目负责人将向公众和高中生开展拓展活动，包括历史上在物理学领域代表性不足的群体，特别是女性和西班牙裔。该奖项支持强电子相关和强自旋轨道耦合材料的理论研究和教育。本项目的主要目标是：(i)对具有相关性的拓扑相进行具体的材料预测；（ii）研究具有强自旋-轨道耦合的相关薄膜系统中的二维到三维交叉；（iii）研究光-物质相互作用的物理特性，例如将具有强自旋-轨道耦合的相关薄膜放置在光子波导或微腔中。PI将专注于具有重过渡金属离子的过渡金属氧化物，例如4d和5d系列。其中一些材料的电子相关可能介于高相关和弱相关之间。将使用各种技术，包括：精确对角化，第一性原理方法，密度泛函理论与动态平均场理论相结合。通过该项目，一名研究生将接受理论凝聚态物质和材料物理学方面的培训，项目负责人将向公众和高中生开展拓展活动，包括历史上在物理学领域代表性不足的群体，特别是女性和西班牙裔。

NONTECHNICAL SUMMARYThis award supports theoretical research and education to predict interesting new phases of electronic matter. The electronic and magnetic properties of materials underpin many modern technologies. Understanding materials that present unusual electronic states helps to lay the knowledge foundation for new technologies, in this case new electronic devices and possibly devices that can exploit not only the charge but also the spin of the electron for their operation. Spin is an intrinsic quantum mechanical property of an electron; the electron can be loosely thought of as spinning. The PI aims to explore materials in which the electron's spin interacts strongly with its motion while at the same time electrons interact strongly with each other giving rise to correlations in their motion. Materials that combine both strong electron correlations and strong spin-orbit coupling present opportunities for the discovery of new states of matter. The PI aims to study such materials with an eye towards predicting unusual properties and phases that may appear. A graduate student will receive training in theoretical condensed matter and materials physics through this project, and the PI will engage in outreach activities to the general public and high school students, including historically underrepresented groups in physics, notably women and Hispanics.TECHNICAL SUMMARYThis award supports theoretical research and education on materials with strong electronic correlations and strong spin-orbit coupling. The main goals of this project are to: (i) Make specific material predictions for topological phases with correlations, (ii) Study the two-dimensional to three-dimensional crossover in correlated thin-film systems with strong spin-orbit coupling, and (iii) Investigate the physics of light-matter interaction, such as when a correlated thin-film with strong spin-orbit coupling is placed in a photonic waveguide or microcavity. The PI will focus on transition metal oxides with heavy transition metal ions, such as those from the 4d and 5d series. Electronic correlations in some of these materials may be intermediate between highly correlated and weakly correlated. A variety of techniques will be used including: exact diagonalization, first principles methods, and density functional theory combined with dynamical mean field theory.A graduate student will receive training in theoretical condensed matter and materials physics through this project, and the PI will engage in outreach activities to the general public and high school students, including historically underrepresented groups in physics, notably women and Hispanics.