Dr. Trevor Arp
UC Santa Barbara
Imaging Emergent Phases of Matter in 2D Materials
Location: 1080 Physics Research Building
Faculty Host: Fengyuan Yang
Abstract: One of the most fascinating problems in modern physics is the connection between the microscopic physics of quantum objects, such as electrons, molecules, or excitons, and macroscopic collective behavior, a concept known as emergence. Modern nanoscience provides a powerful platform for this physics; through engineering the quantum properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials emergent phases of matter can be stabilized. This is powering the rapid discovery of novel nano-electronics with macroscopic quantum effects. In this talk, I will discuss how quantum material properties emerge from electronic interactions, and how sophisticated imaging experiments can reveal mesoscale dynamics that connect the microscopic world to the macroscopic world. To demonstrate this, I will describe a nanoSQUID-on-Tip imaging experiment in rhombohedral graphene that reveals emergent ferromagnetism. Then I will discuss emergence in strongly interacting electron-hole pairs, called optical excitons, and draw lessons relevant to emergent physics in a diverse array of electronic quantum systems.
Bio: Dr. Trevor Arp is currently a postdoc with Andrea Young at the University of California Santa Barbara, focusing on precise scanned probe measurements of rhombohedral graphene. He began his career in physics as an undergraduate at the University of Washington. He then went to the University of California Riverside working with Nathan Gabor and getting his PhD on optoelectronic imaging of excited electrons and holes. He is interested in the convergence of advanced instrumentation and nanoelectronics to reveal exotic phases of matter.
