CAREER: Designing topological superconductivity and correlated phases in Van der Waals materials

非技术性总结该职业奖支持理论研究和教育，旨在识别和设计具有新物质状态的超导材料，拓扑超导体。超导性是电子的集体量子力学状态，可以在零电阻的情况下导电。拓扑超导体在其表面上还具有特殊的量子力学状态，称为马约拉纳模式。由于这些马约拉纳模式，拓扑超导体可以成为量子计算的平台，对破坏量子态导致错误的环境噪声具有高度抵抗力。然而，阻碍实验进展的一个关键挑战是难以发现明确表现出马约拉纳模式的实际超导材料。为了预测新的拓扑超导体，PI的目标是利用最近的实验突破，通过操纵被称为货车德瓦尔斯材料的原子薄层，为实现预测的拓扑和其他量子相提供新的机会。PI和她的小组将开发识别和设计具有拓扑超导性和各种量子相的材料和材料系统的基本指导原则。通过强电子相互作用组织起来。特别是，PI将集中在如何实现目标阶段在货车范德华材料系统使用实验上可访问的“旋钮”，如层之间的相对取向和结构和组成的各个层。指导原则将来自描述目标阶段的数学框架，并通过分析和数值方法在现实的材料模型上加以证明。这项研究的影响将有助于通过合作指导实验工作，以找到拓扑超导体或具有有趣量子相的货车德瓦尔斯材料。该奖项还支持旨在启动新的外展计划的努力，该计划旨在（1）通过父母培养学前儿童对科学的兴趣，（2）支持育龄妇女或有年幼子女的妇女从事学术事业。为了推进（1），PI将推出一个公共多媒体频道，为孩子们经常问的与物理相关的“流行”问题提供解释，使用幼儿友好的语言。为了推进（2），PI将为育龄、怀孕或在南本德地区有孩子的女学生、博士后和教职员工组建支持小组。支持小组的总体目标是通过提供情感和职业支持来减少女性在学术界的“泄漏管道”问题。技术总结该职业奖支持一阶和高阶拓扑晶体超导体以及货车德瓦尔斯系统中相关量子相的理论指导材料设计的研究和教育。拓扑超导体材料的稀缺性一直是该领域的关键挑战之一，这阻碍了二维和三维一阶和高阶拓扑超导相的实验研究和应用。最近在工程少层货车范德瓦尔斯系统的实验突破提供了新的机会，实现拓扑和相关的阶段。尽管如此，材料种类、晶格结构、扭曲角和其他实验调节旋钮的巨大多维参数空间邀请理论指导来设计面向目标的新系统。拟议的研究旨在获得理论推导的指导原则和预测具体的候选系统托管拓扑超导和相关相在几层货车的范德瓦尔斯材料。为了实现这些目标，PI将采用或开发由晶体对称性保护的高阶拓扑超导性的数学框架，处理单粒子和多体莫尔物理的技术，以及新颖的机器学习方法。本研究旨在通过以下方式调动实验努力：（1）导出货车德瓦尔斯系统中高阶拓扑超导性的材料设计的综合配方，（2）开发使用材料数据库和机器学习方法搜索拓扑超导体的系统的四阶段方法，以及（3）提出了新的扭曲和非扭曲的货车德瓦尔斯系统，可以通过设计重整化群流来承载各种相关的阶段。该奖项支持教育和推广计划，学前儿童的父母，学术母亲和女性研究人员。活动包括启动方案：1。十万个自然的为什么：为学前儿童的父母提供的公共多媒体频道。这个频道将发布播客，为孩子们经常问的与物理相关的“流行”问题提供简短而正确的解释，使用幼儿友好的语言。将举行民意调查和问卷调查，以收集家长的建议和反馈。学术界母亲的咖啡时间：女性研究人员的支持小组。支持小组将成立的女学生，博士后和教师谁是育龄，期待或有孩子在南本德地区。导师与学员的关系和分享经验旨在提供情感和职业支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并且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。

NONTECHNICAL SUMMARYThis CAREER award supports theoretical research and education with the aim to identify and design superconducting materials that possess a new state of matter, topological superconductors. Superconductivity is a collective quantum mechanical state of electrons that can conduct electricity with zero electrical resistance. Topological superconductors additionally possess special quantum mechanical states on their surfaces called Majorana modes. Owing to these Majorana modes, topological superconductors could be a platform for quantum computing that is highly resistant to the environmental noise that spoils the quantum states leading to errors. However, a key challenge that hinders experimental progress is the difficulty in discovering actual superconducting materials that unambiguously exhibit Majorana modes. To predict new topological superconductors, the PI aims to harness recent experimental breakthroughs that provide new opportunities to realize predicted topological and other quantum phases through manipulating stacked atomically thin layers of materials known as van der Waals materials.The PI and her group will develop fundamental guiding principles for identifying and designing materials and materials systems exhibiting topological superconductivity and various quantum phases self-organized through strong electron interactions. In particular, the PI will focus on how to achieve targeted phases in Van der Waals material systems using experimentally accessible “knobs”, such as the relative orientation between layers and the structure and composition of the individual layers. Guiding principles will be derived from mathematical frameworks describing the targeted phases and demonstrated on realistic materials-based models with analytical and numerical methods. The impact of the proposed research will be to help guide experimental efforts through collaboration to find Van der Waals materials that are topological superconductors or host interesting quantum phases.This award also supports an effort aimed to initiate new outreach programs that aim to (1) foster interest in science for pre-K children through their parents, and (2) support the pursuit of an academic career for women of child-bearing age or with young children. To advance (1), the PI will launch a public multi-media channel that provides explanations for physics- related “popular” questions kids often ask using toddler friendly language. To advance (2), the PI will form support groups for female students, postdocs, and faculty who are of child-bearing age, are expecting, or have children in the South Bend area. The overarching goal for the support groups is to reduce the “leaky pipeline” problem of women in academia by providing emotional and career support.TECHNICAL SUMMARYThis CAREER award supports research and education on theory-guided material design for first- and higher-order topological crystalline superconductors as well as correlated quantum phases in Van der Waals systems. The rareness of materials that are topological superconductors has been one of the key challenges in the field, which hinders experimental investigations and applications of first- and higher-order topological superconducting phases in two and three dimensions. Recent experimental breakthroughs in engineering few-layer Van der Waals systems provide new opportunities to realize topological and correlated phases. Nonetheless, the huge multi-dimensional parameter space of material species, lattice structures, twist angle, and other experimental tuning knobs invites theory guidance for designing target-oriented new systems. The proposed research seeks to obtain theory derived guiding principles and predict concrete candidate systems hosting topological superconducting and correlated phases in few- layer Van der Waals materials. To achieve these goals, the PI will employ or develop mathematical frameworks for higher order topological superconductivity protected by crystalline symmetries, techniques treating single particle and many-body moire physics, as well as novel machine learning methods. This research is aimed to mobilize experimental efforts by (1) deriving comprehensive recipes for material design of higher-order topological superconductivity in Van der Waals systems, (2) developing a systematic four-stage approach for searches of topological superconductors using material databases and machine learning methods, and (3) proposing new twisted and untwisted Van der Waals systems that could host various correlated phases by designing renormalization group flows.This award supports education and outreach programs that target parents of pre-K children, academic mothers, and female researchers. Activities include initiating the programs: 1. A Hundred Thousand Whys in Nature: a public multi-media channel for parents of pre-K children. This channel will publish podcasts that provide short and correct explanations for physics-related “popular” questions kids often ask using toddler-friendly language. Polls and questionnaires will be held to collect suggestions and feedback from the parents.2. Coffee Breaks for Mothers in Academics: Support groups for female researchers. Support groups will be formed for female students, postdocs, and faculty who are of child-bearing age, are expecting or have children in the South Bend area. The mentor-mentee relationships and experience of sharing are aimed to provide emotional and career support.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.