Materials Science Research Lecture

Abstract: Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials emerged as a promising platform for exploring novel physical phenomena and designing nano devices for quantum science applications. It is predicted that more than a thousand different materials — including metals, superconductors, magnets, semiconductors as well as insulators — can be synthesized in a few atom thick monolayer form that exhibits completely different properties compared to bulk. Possibilities for engineering electronic properties within this platform are practically endless. New electronic quantum states can be realized by placing 2D materials onto different substrates, forming heterostructures, and by applying external electric or magnetic fields.
In this talk, I will introduce several quantum states of mater, such as quantum spin Hall state and topological superconductivity, that can emerge in 2D heterostructures. I will also describe current efforts in our lab aimed at observing signatures of these states using electronic transport measurements and scanning probe microscopy. Possible applications for quantum science and current challenges will also be discussed.

About the Speaker: Stevan Nadj-Perge is Assistant Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science at Caltech. He received his PhD in 2010 from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and became a Marie Curie fellow at Princeton University before moving to Caltech in 2016. His lab uses scanning tunneling probe microscopy and spectroscopy combined with electronic transport measurements to investigate novel materials and nano-devices at cryogenic temperatures. His work has been recognized by European Commission Marie Curie fellowship, Kavli Nanoscience Institute Wheatley scholarship and National Science Foundation CAREER award.