Experimental Quantum Seminar - Xiaoqian Chen, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, “Tracking phase fluctuations in quantum materials using coherent x-rays”

Event time: 
Wednesday, February 26, 2020 - 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Location: 
Wright Lab (WNSL), 216 See map
272 Whitney Avenue
New Haven, CT 06511
Event description: 

“Tracking phase fluctuations in quantum materials using coherent x-rays”
Quantum materials are condensed matter systems where subtle changes at the quantum level manifest as macroscopic emergent properties, mediated by interactions among electronic and lattice degrees of freedom. Due to this complexity, quantum materials often exhibit dynamical properties. Studying equilibrium and nonequilibrium dynamics in quantum materials is, therefore, a direct route to understanding their ordering mechanics, vital to the design and control of future functional materials. This calls for a microscopic tool that is sensitive to a wide range of dynamical time scales. Synchrotron-based coherent soft x-rays are ideal probes to study the phase history and dynamics of elementary collective phenomena. In this talk, I will use an artificial magnetic lattice and a cuprate superconductor as examples to demonstrate how the coherent property of x-rays serves as a tool for tracking both classical and quantum type of fluctuations. I will end my talk by discussing the ‘brighter’ future of quantum science enabled by a new generation of coherent x-ray sources.
Host: Bonnie Fleming