Research Highlights

1. From spinon band topology to the symmetry quantum numbers of monopoles in Dirac spin liquids

arXiv:1811.11186.  To appear in PRX

2. Unifying description of competing orders in two-dimensional quantum magnets

Nature Communications (2019) . Xue-Yang Song, Yin-Chen He, Ashvin Vishwanath, and Chong Wang

Reviewed in: Quantum electrodynamics in a piece of rock
by John MacGreevy (UCSD) in Nature Reviews Physics (2019)

"Gauge theories, such as quantum electrodynamics, are a cornerstone of high-energy particle physics. They may also describe the physics of certain unassuming materials. Recent theoretical work moves this idea closer to reality."

Group Description

 This wordle  gives you a picture of some of our current interests which include:   (i)  Weyl semimetals & topological phases with strong interactions,   (ii) unconventional quantum critical points and dualities   (iii) Moire materials   (iv) Quantum coherence in driven many body systems.

We are a Theoretical Physics group specializing in the study of Condensed Matter Physics. We seek to understand phenomena such as superconductivity and magnetism starting from fundamental physical laws like quantum mechanics. Historically, this has led to a deeper understanding of interacting quantum systems of very many particles as well as applications like the transistor, magnetic memories and magnetic resonance imaging.

We explore both the fundamental theory of such states, as well as their experimental signatures. We use a variety of theoretical tools, e.g. quantum field theory, but our research is primarily guided by interesting physical problems and ideas rather than techniques. We are happy to pick up new tools if they suite the problem at hand - for example we recently exploited concepts from quantum information theory to sharpen our understanding of topological phases.  We also work closely with experimental groups that  study interesting states of matter in solids and ultracold atomic systems.