Colloquium March 22, 2019: Visualization of topological states of matter

Colloquium:  Visualization of topological states of matter using microwave impedance microscopy

Speaker:  Monica Allen, UC San Diego

Time: 2:00 p.m., Friday, March 22, 2019 (refreshments served at 1:45 p.m.) 

Place: P-148 

Abstract:  A main thrust of condensed matter physics concerns the discovery of new electronic states in emerging materials.  One example is the rapidly expanding class of topological materials, which are posited to enable realization of non-abelian particles and topological quantum computing.  In this talk, I will discuss how exotic phenomena can arise from the interplay of ferromagnetism and topology.  We employ microwave impedance microscopy (MIM), which characterizes the local complex conductivity of a material, to directly image chiral edge modes and phase transitions in a magnetic topological insulator.  Finally, I will outline how MIM could be used in the future to visualize and manipulate Majorana modes, an emerging platform for quantum information processing.