Spin-Orbit Coupling in Correlated Materials: Novel Phases and Phenomena

IRG-1 is investigating materials where spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and electron-electron (Coulomb) correlations are of comparable magnitude, and the subsequent emergence of novel electronic phases in those materials. Using chemistry, structure, epitaxial strain and d-electron count, IRG-1 tunes fundamental interactions in 5d based materials to discover new phases and give insight into their novel properties. Among the remarkable new phases that can arise are axion insulators (predicted to possess unusual magnetoelectric properties) and Weyl semimetals (predicted to have disconnected “Fermi arcs” on the surface of the material). IRG-1 is going beyond the widely studied d⁵ iridates to explore d-electron counts from d² to d⁴.

Goals:

• Electron correlations + spin orbit coupling
  • Correlations→high Tc and heavy fermions
  • Spin-orbit coupling→topological insulators
• Tune competition→new phenomena

More information on IRG-1

IRG-1 Faculty

• Nandini Trivedi, Professor of Physics (Co-leader)
• Patrick Woodward, Professor of Chemistry (Co-leader)
• David McComb, Professor of Materials Science Engineering
• Mohit Randeria, Professor of Physics
• Wolfgang Windl, Professor of Materials Science Engineering
• Fengyuan Yang, Assoc. Professor of Physics
• Rolando Valdes Aguilar, Asst. Professor of Physics
• Adam Kaminski, Asst. Professor of Physics, Iowa State University
• Jiaqiang Yan, Asst. Professor of Materials Science Engineering, University of Tennessee