Physics Colloquium
Synthesizing, Understanding, and Controlling Quantum Materials
Dr. Na Hyun Jo
Postdoctoral Researcher, Quantum System Accelerator
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
We are currently living on the edge of the silicon age, characterized by the rapid growth of the semiconductor industry. Yet, a new class of materials destined to become as familiar as silicon is underway. These materials are so-called quantum materials and will be very important for future technologies such as quantum computers. In order to use quantum materials for future applications, it is essential to understand and control their electrical properties. In this colloquium, I will present synthesizing, understanding, and controlling a quantum material, WTe2. WTe2 is a semi-metallic transition metal dichalcogenide, and it has fascinating physical properties such as extremely large magnetoresistance, temperature-induced Lifshitz transition, and topologically non-trivial feature, type-II Weyl semimetal. More importantly, it has remarkable tunability under the combined effect of strain and magnetic fields. To be more specific, WTe2 shows a large and temperature non-monotonic elastoresistance, driven by uniaxial stress, that can be tuned by the magnetic field. Using first-principle and analytical low-energy model calculations, I will provide a semi-quantitative understanding of our experimental observations.
Hosted by Prof. Janko
All interested persons are invited to attend remotely—email physics@nd.edu for information.