CAREER: Quantum spin liquids meet spintronics: Theory of probing quantum spin liquids with spin Hall effects

非技术总结该奖项支持量子磁学和自旋电子学（也称为自旋电子学）交叉领域的理论研究，其总体目标是找到一类称为量子自旋液体的材料的自旋敏感探针，其中原子自旋永远波动而不是以固定的配置排列。量子自旋液体的这种强烈无序的自旋配置赋予它们一系列不寻常的和潜在的有益特性，包括提供一个可以实现量子计算的平台的可能性。该领域的挑战之一是，候选量子自旋液体材料的实验结果往往显示出相互矛盾的结果，或导致多种理论解释。因此，重要的是开发新的方法，检查和表征候选量子自旋液体材料。在这个CAREER奖的支持下，研究团队将通过将自旋电子学的概念和实验技术与量子磁性相结合来解决这个问题，并提出这些材料的新探针。通过对量子自旋液体的发现和表征做出贡献，该项目的成果从长远来看可能会使量子通信和计算的新技术成为可能，并有助于在现代生活的许多方面创造机会，包括药物设计，天气预报和物流优化。该奖项还支持旨在促进美国STEM劳动力增长和扩大参与的教育和推广活动。PI将（i）指导博士和本科生的研究，（二）在纽约科学院课后STEM指导计划中提供关于自旋电子学的年度网络研讨会，并为纽约市的初中和高中学生提供研究指导，代表性不足的人口群体，和（iii）开发皇后学院本科生的计算自旋电子学课程，并为纽约城市大学的研究生创建一个关于非平衡量子多体系统的博士课程。PI和他的团队将从理论上分析自旋电子学启发的设备，以（i）开发基于自旋霍尔效应的量子自旋液体的动态探针，（ii）使用基于自旋霍尔的自旋注入和检测来量化Kitaev量子自旋液体的自旋输运，以及（iii）分析开放Kitaev量子自旋液体在基于自旋霍尔的自旋电流注入存在下的非平衡行为。所提出的探针的概念是通用的：这样的探针可以应用于所有的量子自旋液体。因此，这项CAREER奖支持的活动将推动一项新的研究的诞生，该研究旨在研究基于自旋电子学现象的自旋敏感探针如何促进量子自旋液体的实验识别和表征。该奖项还支持旨在促进美国STEM劳动力增长和扩大参与的教育和推广活动。PI将（i）指导博士和本科生的研究，（二）在纽约科学院课后STEM指导计划中提供关于自旋电子学的年度网络研讨会，并为纽约市的初中和高中学生提供研究指导，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

NONTEHCNICAL SUMMARYThis award supports theoretical research at the intersection of quantum magnetism and spin-electronics (also known as spintronics) with a general aim to find spin-sensitive probes of a class of materials known as quantum spin liquids, in which the atomic spins perpetually fluctuate rather than order in a fixed configuration. This strongly disordered spin configuration of quantum spin liquids endows them with a range of unusual and potentially beneficial properties including the possibility of offering a platform that may realize quantum computation. One of the challenges in the field is that experimental results on candidate quantum spin liquid materials often show conflicting results or lend themselves to multiple theoretical interpretations. It is, therefore, important to develop novel methods that examine and characterize candidate quantum spin liquid materials. With the support of this CAREER award, the research team will address this issue by integrating concepts and experimental techniques from spintronics with those of quantum magnetism and propose novel probes of these materials. By contributing to the discovery and characterization of quantum spin liquids, outcomes of this project may, in the long run, enable new technologies in quantum communication and computation, and help create opportunities in numerous aspects of modern life, including drug design, weather forecasting, and logistics optimization. This award also supports educational and outreach activities that are aimed at contributing to the growth of the US STEM workforce and broadening participation within it. The PI will (i) mentor doctoral and undergraduate students in their research, (ii) deliver annual webinars on spintronics at the New York Academy of Sciences Afterschool STEM Mentoring Program and provide research mentoring for New York City middle and high school students from underrepresented demographic groups, and (iii) develop a computational spintronics course for Queens College undergraduates and create a doctoral course on nonequilibrium quantum many-body systems for the City University of New York graduate students.TEHCNICAL SUMMARYThis award supports theoretical research at the intersection of quantum magnetism and spintronics with an aim to offer new pathways to realize spin-sensitive probes of quantum spin liquids. The PI and his team will theoretically analyze spintronics-inspired devices to (i) develop a dynamical probe of quantum spin liquids based on spin Hall effects, (ii) quantify spin transport through the Kitaev quantum spin liquid using spin Hall-based spin injection and detection, and (iii) analyze the nonequilibrium behavior of an open Kitaev quantum spin liquid in the presence of spin Hall-based spin current injection. The concepts underlying the proposed probes are universal: such probes can be applied to all quantum spin liquids. Activities supported by this CAREER award will thus fuel the birth of a new line of research that investigates how spin-sensitive probes based on spintronics phenomena can facilitate the experimental identification and characterization of quantum spin liquids. This award also supports educational and outreach activities that are aimed at contributing to the growth of the US STEM workforce and broadening participation within it. The PI will (i) mentor doctoral and undergraduate students in their research, (ii) deliver annual webinars on spintronics at the New York Academy of Sciences Afterschool STEM Mentoring Program and provide research mentoring for New York City middle and high school students from underrepresented demographic groups, and (iii) develop a computational spintronics course for Queens College undergraduates and create a doctoral course on nonequilibrium quantum many-body systems for the City University of New York graduate students.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.