Professor Jin Hu
University of Arkansas
Intertwined degrees of freedom in layered materials
Location: 1080 Physics Research Building
Faculty Host: Fengyuan Yang
Abstract: Exploring innovative materials with exotic properties has become a driving force in advancing condensed matter physics and materials science. Layered materials serve as exceptional platforms hosting a spectrum of exotic quantum phases and phenomena, including superconductors, correlated electrons, topological phases, and non-trivial spin textures. The distinct structural characteristics of layered compounds offer significant tunability through chemical or mechanical means, enabling the manipulation of electronic states and properties. Furthermore, the ability to obtain atomically thin flakes of these materials opens avenues for investigating novel properties in reduced dimensions. This capability also facilitates more intricate material designs, allowing for the achievement of advanced functionalities through the construction of various heterostructures. In this talk, I will provide an overview of our recent work on topological and magnetic materials. By utilizing intertwined lattice, spin, charge, and topology degrees of freedom in these materials, our research explores the engineering of electronic states through lattice and time-reversal symmetry. This manipulation results in a variety of intriguing phenomena, including the emergence of new surface electronic states, potential enhancements in electronic correlations, insulator-to-metal transitions, and more.
Bio: Jin Hu is an associate professor of physics at the University of Arkansas. He earned his BS degree from University of Science and Technology of China in 2008 and his PhD degree from Tulane University in 2013. Following the completion of his doctorate, he served as a postdoctoral associate and later as a research assistant professor at Tulane University before joining the University of Arkansas in 2017. He has been working on various quantum material systems including unconventional superconductors, topological materials, 2D materials. He received the DOE Early Career Award in 2021 and the NSF Career Award in 2023.
