CAREER: Observing topological magnetoelectric effects by magneto-optics and quantum transport

非技术描述：量子技术可以解决世界上一些最具挑战性的问题，包括医学设计、人工智能和网络安全，以及基础物理和化学研究。因此，实现这些目标对国家健康、繁荣和安全至关重要。为了发展量子技术，需要量子效应明显的新材料，因此可以获得，控制和利用。该项目的重点是一个特殊的量子力学现象称为磁电效应，它描述了电力和量子力学自旋之间的耦合。通过发现和探索新材料，该项目旨在以前所未有的精度，效率和鲁棒性通过电气手段实现量子自旋的控制。该项目推动了量子物理学的知识边界，有可能做出完全出乎意料的发现。该项目培养下一代量子科学家和工程师。毕业生可以在基础量子科学研究领域的学术界和追求量子技术的科技公司找到工作。该项目还包括强有力的教育和推广活动，特别注重通过与历史上的黑人研究型大学合作，帮助代表性不足的群体，并在K12学生和公众中推广STEM。技术说明：该项目旨在从根本上确定由拓扑材料中的非平凡拓扑和Berry曲率唯一启用的新型磁电效应。与宽禁带磁性绝缘体中的磁电效应形成鲜明对比的是，拓扑材料中的磁电效应可以表现出前所未有的特征，例如量子化，发散和无耗散。该项目主要研究三种拓扑相：Axion绝缘体、磁性Weyl半金属和回转超导体，该项目利用了磁光学、非线性光学和量子输运。拓扑磁电效应的观测代表着新的基础量子物理的发现，它推动了当前量子凝聚态研究的拓扑、关联、磁学和自旋电子学等重要课题的前沿。拓扑磁电效应也为迫切需要的新器件原理打开了大门，最引人注目的是拓扑磁电器件，其中可以通过涉及电子学，物理学和材料的多学科方法实现电和磁特性的同时调谐而不会耗散。该项目包含独特的教育和推广活动，包括新的教学概念，以桥梁和融合物理和化学，与历史上的黑人研究型大学合作，创造为期一年的研究交流活动，以及在K中推广STEM，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得支持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。

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Quantum technologies can solve some of the world’s most challenging problems including medicine design, artificial intelligence and cyber security as well as fundamental physics and chemistry research. Therefore, their realization is crucial for national health, prosperity and security. In order to develop quantum technologies, new materials are needed in which quantum effects are pronounced and therefore can be accessed, controlled and harnessed. This project focuses on a particular quantum mechanical phenomenon called the magnetoelectric effect, which describes the coupling between electricity and quantum mechanical spin. By discovering and exploring novel materials, this project aims to achieve control of quantum spin by electrical means with unprecedented precision, efficiency and robustness. The project pushes the knowledge boundary of quantum physics, with the potential to make completely unexpected discoveries. The project trains next-generation quantum scientists and engineers. Graduates can find employment in academia in the area of fundamental quantum science research and in technology companies pursuing quantum technologies. This project also includes strong educational and outreach activities with particular focus on helping underrepresented groups by collaborating with a historically black research university and promoting STEM in K12 students and among the general public. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: This project aims to identify fundamentally new kinds of magnetoelectric effects that are uniquely enabled by the nontrivial topology and Berry curvature in topological materials. In sharp contrast to the magnetoelectric effects found in wide-gap magnetic insulators, the magnetoelectric effects in topological materials can exhibit unprecedented characters such as being quantized, diverging, and dissipationless. The project focuses on three classes of topological phases, Axion insulators, magnetic Weyl semimetals, and gyrotropic superconductors, and the project utilizes magneto-optics, nonlinear optics and quantum transport. The observation of topological magnetoelectric effect represents discoveries of new fundamental quantum physics, which pushes the frontiers of important topics of current quantum condensed matter research including topology, correlation, magnetism and spintronics. The topological magnetoelectric effects also open the door for urgently needed new device principles, most noticeably topological magnetoelectric devices, where simultaneous tuning of electrical and magnetic properties can be achieved without dissipation through a cohesive, multi-disciplinary approach involving electronics, physics and materials. The project contains unique education and outreach activities, including new teaching concepts to bridge and fuse physics and chemistry, collaboration with a historically black research university to create year-long research exchange activity, as well as promoting STEM in K-12 students and the general public by blending quantum science with cultural and art activities.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.