Our research is mainly focused at investigating the emergent critical behavior in Quantum Materials – in particular: topological materials, frustrated quantum spin systems, and high temperature superconductors.
We leverage the immense existing knowledge of materials and their various properties to tailor new materials that are a blend of the desired characteristics of the known. After we identify and synthesis new compounds in our labs we probe various static and dynamic characteristics of the resulting materials – such as crystal and magnetic structures, spin and lattice excitations, chemical doping, field- and pressure-induced phase transitions, etc.
We pursue such studies by conducting x-ray and neutron scattering studies at the leading national and international facilities, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology as well as the National High Magnet Field laboratory. In collaborations with theorists we use these measurements to explain the fundamental physics and the phenomena that actually take place in the real-world systems. The results then help guide us toward the next round of material design, synthesis and discovery, as we utilize the outcome to develop an educated recipe for materials with exotic magnetic and electronic states and phase transitions.
In addition to our own experiments, we collaborate with scientists around the world who are welcome to use the samples synthesized and the single crystals grown in our lab in complementary experimental techniques, further advancing our understanding of the fundamental physics in exotic Quantum Materials.
Text by Kristen Coyne; Infographic by Caroline McNiel
Source > Fields Magazine: Science, Discovery & Magnetism