Events

Presenter: Xi Dai (PhD Candidate, Physics and Astronomy – Quantum Information)

Landau-Zener tunneling, which describes the transitions in a two-level system during the passage through an anti-crossing, is a model applicable to a wide range of physical phenomena. Dissipation due to coupling between the system and environment is an important factor in determining the transition rates. Using a superconducting tunable capacitively shunted flux qubit, we observe the crossover from weak to strong coupling to the environment.

Dr. Varda F. Hagh, University of Chicago

Traditionally, the properties of bulk materials such as elastic moduli or plasticity have been understood from the characteristic scales and symmetries of underlying ordered structures, e.g., atomic crystals or colloidal lattices. However, disordered materials, such as glasses or granular media, have great untapped potential: they can exist in a multitude of metastable states that are distinguished by their microstructure.

Dr. Joshua S. Dillon; University of California, Berkeley

21 cm cosmology promises to become a revolutionary new 3D probe of our universe. With it, we can uncover the astrophysics of the "Cosmic Dawn"—the era of the first stars and galaxies—and test our standard model of cosmology with exquisite precision. Realizing the potential of 21 cm cosmology requires overcoming considerable challenges; the 21 cm signal from neutral hydrogen is buried under astrophysical foregrounds that are orders of magnitude brighter.

Daniel Rhodes will begin this talk by highlighting the difficulties and challenges that face the 2D community when it comes to exploring new kinds of 2D materials and some potential solutions to overcoming these challenges, particularly for transition metal dichalcogenides. Subsequently, I will follow up with an example of the new kinds of physics that such control over material quality can allow us to explore: the interaction between ferroelectricity and superconductivity.

In the effort to explore quantum matter using x-rays, spatial coherence in x-ray beams is the new frontier, promising fresh insights across various spatiotemporal scales. Yet, fully capitalizing on beam coherence remains a challenge. This seminar introduces a novel approach: by restricting sampling to simple spatial structures, we can more easily track well-defined Fourier transforms. This technique is especially useful during the onset of first-order phase transitions, when antiferromagnetic domains begin to form.

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Landau-Zener tunneling: from weak to strong environment coupling

Presenter: Xi Dai (PhD Candidate, Physics and Astronomy – Quantum Information)

Systematic manipulation of disorder for extraordinary function in materials

Dr. Varda F. Hagh, University of Chicago

Opening the 21 cm Window on Our Cosmic Dawn

Dr. Joshua S. Dillon; University of California, Berkeley

Ultraclean 2D Materials for Ferroelectricity, Superconductivity, and Topological Phenomena

Lessons from Dilute Antiferromagnetic Domains Towards a New Wave of Coherent X-ray Scattering Experiments

Affiliations