Publications
Pairing in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene: Role of phonon and plasmon umklapp
Identifying the microscopic mechanism for superconductivity in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) is an outstanding open problem. While MATBG exhibits a rich phase-diagram, driven partly by the strong interactions relative to the electronic bandwidth, its single-particle properties are unique and likely play an important role in some of the phenomenological complexity. Some of the salient features include an electronic bandwidth smaller than the characteristic phonon bandwidth and a nontrivial structure of the underlying Bloch wave functions.
Superconducting Quantum Metamaterials from High Pressure Melt Infiltration of Metals into Block Copolymer Double Gyroid Derived Ceramic Templates
Mesoscale order can lead to emergent properties including phononic bandgaps or topologically protected states. Block copolymers offer a route to mesoscale periodic architectures, but their use as structure directing agents for metallic materials has not been fully realized. A versatile approach to mesostructured metals via bulk block copolymer self-assembly derived ceramic templates, is demonstrated.
Intense monochromatic photons above 100 keV from an inverse Compton source
Quasimonochromatic x rays are difficult to produce above 100 keV, but have a number of uses in x-ray and nuclear science, particularly in the analysis of transuranic species. Inverse Compton scattering (ICS) is capable of fulfilling this need, producing photon beams with properties and energies well beyond the limits of typical synchrotron radiation facilities.
Path-Dependent Supercooling of the He 3 Superfluid A - B Transition
We examine the discontinuous first-order superfluid He3 A to B transition in the vicinity of the polycritical point (2.232 mK and 21.22 bar). We find path-dependent transitions: cooling at fixed pressure yields a well-defined transition line in the temperature-pressure plane, but this line can be reliably crossed by depressurizing at nearly constant temperature after transiting Tc at a higher pressure. This path dependence is not consistent with any of the standard B-phase nucleation mechanisms in the literature.
Interfacial and bulk spin Hall contributions to fieldlike spin-orbit torque generated by iridium
We present measurements of spin-orbit torques generated by Ir as a function of film thickness in sputtered Ir/CoFeB and Ir/Co samples. We find that Ir provides a dampinglike component of spin-orbit torque with a maximum spin-torque conductivity σDLeff=(1.4±0.1)×105-2eω-1m-1 and a maximum spin-torque efficiency of ζDL=0.042±0.005, which is sufficient to drive switching in a 0.8 nm film of CoFeB with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We also observe a surprisingly large fieldlike spin-orbit torque (FLT).
Remarkably Weak Anisotropy in Thermal Conductivity of Two-Dimensional Hybrid Perovskite Butylammonium Lead Iodide Crystals
Two-dimensional (2D) hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites consisting of alternating organic and inorganic layers are a new class of layered structures. They have attracted increasing interest for photovoltaic, optoelectronic, and thermoelectric applications, where knowing their thermal transport properties is critical. We carry out both experimental and computational studies on thermal transport properties of 2D butylammonium lead iodide crystals and find their thermal conductivity is ultralow (below 0.3 W m-1 K-1) with very weak anisotropy (around 1.5) among layered crystals.
Spectroscopy of a tunable moiré system with a correlated and topological flat band
Moiré superlattices created by the twisted stacking of two-dimensional crystals can host electronic bands with flat energy dispersion in which enhanced interactions promote correlated electron states. The twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG), where two Bernal bilayer graphene are stacked with a twist angle, is such a moiré system with tunable flat bands.
Bad metallic transport in geometrically frustrated models
We study the transport properties for a family of geometrically frustrated models on the triangular lattice with an interaction scale far exceeding the single-particle bandwidth. Starting from the interaction-only limit, which can be solved exactly, we analyze the transport and thermodynamic behavior as a function of filling and temperature at the leading nontrivial order in the single-particle hopping. Over a broad range of intermediate temperatures, we find evidence of a DC resistivity scaling linearly with temperature and with typical values far exceeding the quantum of resistance h/e2.
Separated transport relaxation scales and interband scattering in thin films of SrRuO3, CaRuO3, and Sr2RuO4
The anomalous charge transport observed in some strongly correlated metals raises questions as to the universal applicability of Landau Fermi-liquid theory. The coherence temperature TFL for normal metals is usually taken to be the temperature below which T2 is observed in the resistivity. Below this temperature, a Fermi liquid with well-defined quasiparticles is expected. However, metallic ruthenates in the Ruddlesden-Popper family frequently show non-Drude low-energy optical conductivity and unusual ω/T scaling, despite the frequent observation of T2 dc resistivity.
Creation of moiré bands in a monolayer semiconductor by spatially periodic dielectric screening
Moiré superlattices of two-dimensional van der Waals materials have emerged as a powerful platform for designing electronic band structures and discovering emergent physical phenomena. A key concept involves the creation of long-wavelength periodic potential and moiré bands in a crystal through interlayer electronic hybridization or atomic corrugation when two materials are overlaid. Here we demonstrate a new approach based on spatially periodic dielectric screening to create moiré bands in a monolayer semiconductor.