Thursday, March 28th, 2013
Anand Sharma
Department of Physics, UVM"Novel quantum states of matter in two dimensions"
In the past decade there has been exciting new developments in the field of condensed matter physics, in particular with the theoretical prediction and experimental realization of 'Dirac materials'. This new class of matter comes with intriguing physical properties such as that of a linear spectrum of chiral low-energy excitations. Its electronic band-structure with associated spin or pseudo-spin degree of freedom is mapped on to relativistic Dirac equation. These materials have not only provided an excellent platform to investigate the fundamental nature of topological phases of massless (as well as massive) Dirac fermions but they also carry a lot of potential for practical applications. In this talk, an overview of such novel quantum states of matter in two dimensions will be presented.