Quantum magnetism, spin liquids, and topology

Authors

  • Matthias Vojta ⋅ DE Institute of Theoretical Physics, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

Abstract

Understanding and classifying phases of interacting many-body systems is a key topic in modern condensed-matter physics. Quantum magnets play a key role in this endeavor: They can display both conventional (i.e. symmetry-breaking) and topological forms of order, together with novel types of elementary excitations, with magnetic monopoles in spin ice being a prominent example. After a general introduction, this talk will discuss a particularly fascinating class of frustrated magnets, so-called quantum spin liquids, in which large classical degeneracies and quantum effects conspire to produce non-trivial ground states which do not break any symmetries but are characterized by topological order. The emergence of fractionalized excitations and artificial gauge fields will be discussed using explicit microscopic models. Physical signatures of these emergent phenomena will be highlighted, together with candidate spin-liquid materials and key experimental results.

About the Speaker

Matthias Vojta, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

Matthias Vojta received his PhD from Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden) in Germany in 1998. After postdoctoral positions at Yale (USA) and the University of Augsburg (Germany) he held faculty appointments in Karlsruhe and Cologne (Germany). In 2010 he became Professor of Physics at TU Dresden. His research interests are in theoretical condensed matter physics and include quantum phase transitions, frustrated magnets and spin liquids, topological phases, high-temperature superconductors, as well as quantum impurities. He has served as a Divisional Associate Editor of Physical Review Letters and is currently a Board Member of Physical Review B.

Downloads

Issue

Article ID

SPP-2021-INV-2H-01

Section

Invited Presentations

Published

2021-09-18

How to Cite

[1]
M Vojta, Quantum magnetism, spin liquids, and topology, Proceedings of the Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas 39, SPP-2021-INV-2H-01 (2021). URL: https://proceedings.spp-online.org/article/view/SPP-2021-INV-2H-01.