University of Waterloo
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Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
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Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Institute for Quantum Computing
University of Waterloo
Dr. Tsen leads the Quantum Materials and Devices Lab, where research is focussed on the study of solid-state materials exhibiting manifestly quantum phenomena on macroscopic scales, with particular interest in low-dimensional systems.
>> learn more about research in the Quantum Materials and Devices Lab
We have recently demonstrated an experimental platform to isolate 2D quantum materials that are unstable in the ambient environment. I will discuss our studies of the charge density wave (CDW) compound 1T-TaS2 and Weyl semimetal 1T’-MoTe2 in the atomically thin limit, made possible using this technique. In TaS2, we
1) find that the lock-in CDW transition becomes increasingly metastable in thin samples,
2) demonstrate electrical control over this transition,
3) spatially image the growth of CDW domains, and
4) uncover a new surface CDW transition distinct from that in the bulk layers.
In MoTe2, lowering dimensionality suppresses the intermediate centrosymmetric phase, driving the Weyl ground state up to and beyond room temperature. The changing electronic structure of thin samples are studied by magnetotransport at low temperature.
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Indigenous Initiatives Office.