Prize Talk: Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize II: The unreasonable effectiveness of topology in the science of quantum materials

ORAL · Invited

Abstract

Topological concepts have played an unexpectedly pivotal role in the field of quantum materials. In this talk I will briefly revisit various examples that transcend the established notions of topology in band insulators, including extensions to the gapless regime such as Weyl and Dirac semimetals, and explorations beyond the independent electron approximation. I will also discuss some exciting recent developments in moire' materials where band geometry and topology lead to new collective properties and stabilize fractional Hall states at zero magnetic field. Finally, I will highlight hidden connections that were found between seemingly distinct topological phenomena, the key role played by many-body quantum entanglement in propelling conceptual progress and conclude with some open directions in this field.

* Funding from the following sources is acknowledged. The Center for the Advancement of Topological Semimetals (CATS), an Energy Frontier Research Center at the Ames National Laboratory. Work at the Ames National Laboratory is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) and is operated for the U.S. DOE by Iowa State University under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11358. The Simons Foundation, via a Simons Investigator grant and by the Simons Collaboration on Ultra-Quantum Matter (618615, A.V.), by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's EPiQS Initiative, Grant GBMF8683 and from the National Science Foundation's grant NSF-DMR 2220703.

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Presenters

  • Ashvin Vishwanath

    Harvard University

Authors

  • Ashvin Vishwanath

    Harvard University