Adam Wei Tsen

Professor, Chemistry

Research interests: low-dimensional quantum materials and devices

Biography

Professor Adam Wei Tsen joined the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and the Department of Chemistry as an assistant professor in 2016.

After receiving a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, as well as a BS in Engineering Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, he completed his PhD in Applied Physics at Cornell University under the guidance of Jiwoong Park.

Tsen then joined the Department of Physics at Columbia University as a postdoctoral associate with Abhay Pasupathy and Philip Kim, where he studied atomically thin quantum materials and incorporated them in nanoscale electronic devices.

Education

PhD, Applied Physics, Cornell University, 2013
BS, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, 2006
BS, Engineering Physics, University of California, Berkeley, 2006

Adam Wei Tsen

Research

Tsen's research focuses on the study of solid-state materials exhibiting rich quantum phenomena (superconductors, charge density waves, topological materials, etc.), applications of which may lead to significant breakthroughs in technology. Of particular interest are nanoscale systems where reduced phase space and increased correlations generally lead to enhanced quantum effects. Their low dimensionality also allows compatibility with current nanofabrication techniques, making them more suitable for future device integration. Tsen uses a combination of methods to probe the structural, optical, and transport properties of nanoscale quantum materials and further develops novel electronic and optoelectronic devices based on their unique behavior.

Publications

Selected Publications

A. W. Tsen, B. Hunt, Y. D. Kim, Z. J. Yuan, S. Jia, R. J. Cava, J. Hone, P. Kim, C. R. Dean, A. N. Pasupathy, “Nature of the Quantum Metal in a Two-Dimensional Crystalline Superconductor,” Nature Phys., 12, 208 (2016).
A. W. Tsen, R. Hovden, D. Z. Wang, Y. D. Kim, Y. Liu, Y. Sun, J. Hone, L. F. Kourkoutis, P. Kim, A. N. Pasupathy, “Structure and Control of Charge Density Waves in Two-Dimensional 1T-TaS₂,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 112, 15054 (2015).
J. S. Alden, A. W. Tsen, P. Y. Huang, R. Hovden, L. Brown, J. Park, D. A. Muller, P. L. McEuen, “Strain Solitons and Topological Defects in Bilayer Graphene,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 110, 11256 (2013).
A. W. Tsen, L. Brown, M. P. Levendorf, F. Ghahari, P. Y. Huang, R. W. Havener, C. S. Ruiz-Vargas, D. A. Muller, P. Kim, J. Park, “Tailoring Electrical Transport Across Grain Boundaries in Polycrystalline Graphene,” Science, 336, 1143 (2012).
A. W. Tsen, L. A. K. Donev, H. Kurt, L. H. Herman, J. Park, “Imaging the electrical conductance of individual carbon nanotubes with photothermal current microscopy,” Nature Nanotechnol., 4, 108 (2009).
Y. H. Ahn, A. W. Tsen, B. Kim, Y. W. Park, J. Park, “Photocurrent Imaging of p-n Junctions in Ambipolar Carbon Nanotube Transistors,” Nano Lett., 7, 3320 (2007).