2023 Guangdong-Technion Leadership in Science and Technology Lecture by Prof. Xi Chen-Tsinghua University

Title

Classifying condensed matter by topology (凝聚态物质的拓扑分类)

Speaker

Prof. Xi Chen (Professor of Physics at Tsinghua University，Chang Jiang Distinguished Professor)

Host

Prof. David Gershoni (GTIIT Vice Chancellor)

Time and Location

Mar. 6 2023, Monday, 7:00-8:00pm(Beijing Time), 1:00-2:00 pm (Israel Time), GTIIT Auditorium

Language

English

Abstract

There are various ways to classify condensed matter, such as by electrical and magnetic properties, crystalline symmetry, etc. A new paradigm emerged with the discovery of quantum Hall effect in the 80’s of last century. The topological invariants defined on the electronic structure in the momentum space classify crystal into different categories. As one of the most prominent examples, a topological insulator with bulk band gap exhibits robust gapless surface states protected by time-reversal symmetry. Materials with non-trivial topological electronic structure provides a platform for exploring novel quantum phenomena and functionalities. In the talk, I will introduce the basic concept of topological materials and their experimental signatures.

Biography

Prof. Xi Chen is a professor at Physics Department in Tsinghua University. He obtained his PhD in physics in 2004 from Cornell University in the US. In 2004-2006, he was a postdoctoral fellow at University of California, Irvine. After 2006 he moved to Tsinghua University as an assistant professor of physics. Since 2010, he has been a full professor.

Prof. Chen’s research focuses mainly on superconductors and topological materials. He has done seminal work on understanding superconductivity in two-dimensional materials such as atomically thin layers of iron selenides and their sensitivity to fluctuations. He is a pioneer of scanning probe microscopy and low temperature physics in China and internationally. The research results were selected as Top 10 Achievements Award for Science in China in 2010, Top 10 Achievements Award for Science and Technology in Chinese Universities in 2010 and in 2011. Prof. Chen has published 144 papers in peer reviewed journals including Science, Nature Physics, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Physical Review Letters, Physical Review B, Advanced Materials, JACS, Nano Letters, etc. In 2009, he was selected into the “Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University” by the Ministry of Education. In 2010, he was awarded “China National Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists”. In 2011, he won the second prize of the National Prize for Advancement in Natural Science and the Qiu Shi Award for Outstanding Team Achievement. In the same year he was awarded as Chang Jiang Distinguished Professor. He won the Tan Kah Kee Science Award in 2012, and APS Fellow in 2019.