Discovery-Driven Search for Polar Electronic Phases

该奖项是作为2021财年数学和物理科学上升博士后研究奖学金（MPS-Ascend）的一部分。每项研究金在一名赞助科学家的指导下，支助在一个东道机构进行的数学和物理科学研究和培训项目，包括应用于其他学科。Juan Chamorro博士的这项研究金支持他题为“发现驱动的极性电子相搜索”的研究项目。该研究金的主办机构是加州大学圣巴巴拉分校，赞助科学家是Ram Seshardri博士和Rob Wilson博士，Chamorro博士的项目假设是，极性电子状态，如极性金属和超导体，可能出现在载流子掺杂的铁电体和极性绝缘体中，这取决于掺杂的电子-极性声子耦合的强度。如果这种耦合很弱，则可能出现极性金属状态。如果这种耦合足够强，铁电态的不稳定性可能会导致超导性。Seshadri和Wilson将共同建议该研究员在圣巴巴拉的加州大学（UCSB）测试这一假设。他将使用UCSB提供的设施进行理论计算，实验和测量。这项工作还将包括与另一个小组合作，对极性电子材料候选物进行光学实验。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is made as part of the FY 2021 Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (MPS-Ascend). Each fellowship supports a research and training project at a host institution in the mathematical and physical sciences, including applications to other disciplines, under the mentorship of a sponsoring scientist. This fellowship to Dr. Juan Chamorro supports his research project entitled “Discovery-Driven Search for Polar Electronic Phases.” The host institution for the fellowship is the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the sponsoring scientists are Drs. Ram Seshardri and Rob Wilson.Dr. Chamorro’s project hypothesis is that polar electronic states, such as polar metals and superconductors, can potentially arise in carrier-doped ferroelectric and polar insulators depending on the strength of the doped electron-polar phonon coupling. If this coupling is weak, a polar metal state may arise. If this coupling is sufficiently strong, the destabilization of the ferroelectric state may give rise to superconductivity. The fellow will be co-advised by Seshadri and Wilson to test this hypothesis at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He will perform theoretical calculations, experiments, and measurements using the facilities available at UCSB. The work will also include collaboration with another group to perform optical experiments on polar electronic material candidates.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.