Artificial intelligence and machine learning are becoming indispensable tools in many areas of physics, including astrophysics, particle physics, and climate science. In the arena of quantum materials, the rise of new experimental and computational techniques has increased the volume and the speed with which data are collected, and artificial intelligence is poised to impact the exploration of new materials such as superconductors, spin liquids, and topological insulators. This review by QMC members Ichiro Takeuchi and Johnpierre Paglione outlines how the use of data-driven approaches is changing the landscape of quantum materials research. See more in the Communications Materials online publication.
Congratulations to You Zhou, Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science& Engineering, University of Maryland, a recipient of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Award.
You Zhou received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University and was a postdoctoral scholar at Harvard before joining the University of Maryland.
His proposal, entitled "CAREER: Crystalizing electrons in coupled atomically thin semiconductors,” aims to study how electrons in a semiconductor can self-arrange into a periodic pattern, a crystal, and how such a crystal melts as a result of both thermal and quantum effects. The project utilizes semiconductors that are only a few atoms thick, so-called two-dimensional materials, to realize electron crystals and explores methods to probe and control the crystallization of electrons. The controlled melting of electron crystals due to quantum effects could form a novel platform for realizing quantum electronic and optoelectronic devices.
To learn more about the Zhou research group, please follow this link.
Honoring his first mentor Walter J. Carr: Through all his professional growth and success, James Carr (Ph.D. ’89, Physics) has always appreciated the impact his very first mentor—his father—had on his life. And, in 2007, he found a way to pay it forward. Working with UMD, he established the W.J. Carr Lecture Series on Superconductivity and Advanced Materials in the Department of Physics to honor the man who introduced him to physics. The next Carr lecture will be given by Dale J. Van Harlingen, the Donald Biggar Willett Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Read article "Taking Satellite Technology—and Physics—to New Heights" about James Carr's career.
A "Magazine" journalist visiting several UMD facilities discusses quantum science being pursued by QMC, JQI and IonQ in an article entitled "Who will dominate the tech arms race?". See article here and PDF version here.