Category: Condensed Matter Physics

Physicists Find New, Improved Way to Control Light at the Nanoscale

May 30, 2026

For decades, the semiconductor transistor has been the workhorse of modern electronics, shrinking steadily to pack more computing power into less space. But transistors have now hit a physical limit, and researchers are turning to light as the next frontier. Photonic chips that process light instead of electrical current promise faster speeds and lower energy … More Physicists Find New, Improved Way to Control Light at the Nanoscale

Exploring nanoscale light and the impact on ultrafast computers

May 1, 2026

Hayk Harutyunyan works in a world where nothing behaves the way it does in everyday life. It’s called nanophotonics, where light interacts with matter on an almost unimaginably tiny scale. “The most important thing about light is that it’s a wave,” says Harutyunyan, a Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in Emory’s Physics Department. “And … More Exploring nanoscale light and the impact on ultrafast computers

Sensing and generating light with a few atoms

October 1, 2025

Researchers from Harutyunyan Lab and their collaborators have built an ultrathin electronic device that can both make and sense light at the scale of a few atoms. The heart of the device is a remarkably stable tunnel junction, two metal films separated by a crystal-clear layer of lutetium oxide (Lu₂O₃). In this tiny gap, electrons … More Sensing and generating light with a few atoms

Prof. Luiz Santos receives prestigious NSF CAREER and DOE awards

August 27, 2025

Associate Professor Luiz Santos has just recevied 2 grants recognizing his work at the forefront of quantum materials research. The first is a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award, titled “Developing New Paradigms for Hybrid Light-Matter Quantum Materials,” which recognizes early-career researchers with ambitious scientific ideas in their field. The second award is a Department … More Prof. Luiz Santos receives prestigious NSF CAREER and DOE awards

The Joy of Quantum Computing

July 28, 2025

Associate Teaching Professor Jed Brody‘s has published a new book on the joys of quantum computing! Get your copy today at your favorite book retailer! Book Synopsis An engaging and accessible presentation of the most famous algorithms and applications of quantum computing The Joy of Quantum Computing introduces quantum computing succinctly, and with minimal mathematical formalism. … More The Joy of Quantum Computing

Mapping the Physics of Moiré Quantum Materials

February 24, 2025

Graduate student Tianhong Lu and Prof. Luiz Santos from Emory Physics Department have made exciting discoveries about exotic quantum states in a special material called twisted bilayer MoTe₂. Their research, published in Physical Review Letters, explores how electrons in this material can form Fractional Chern Insulators (FCIs)—a rare type of quantum phase supporting fractional quasiparticles that … More Mapping the Physics of Moiré Quantum Materials

Polarizing forces in a topological material

May 7, 2024

Chern insulators are paradigmatic topological insulators known for exhibiting quantized Hall conductance even without a magnetic field. Due to their topological nature, electrons within these materials cannot be thought of as forming compact wave packets, known as Wannier functions, pivotal for defining polarization. Consequently, for decades, it has not been clear how to understand the … More Polarizing forces in a topological material

Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in Experimental Condensed Matter or Optics

September 29, 2023

The Department of Physics at Emory University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in experimental condensed matter physics or optics, broadly defined, to begin in fall 2024. We are particularly interested in candidates who demonstrate creativity in their research field and would benefit from and complement the existing strengths of the Department and … More Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in Experimental Condensed Matter or Optics

Superconductivity in Hofstadter Materials

January 10, 2023

Topology and the Renormalization Group (RG) are powerful concepts guiding our understanding of modern materials. Topology classifies emerging properties robust to local perturbations seen in a host of latest quantum materials. RG monitors changes in physical behavior according to the scale of observation, providing a framework to characterize universal behavior near phase transitions. Bringing these … More Superconductivity in Hofstadter Materials

Santos Group Advances Frontier of Topological Phases in Graphene Superlattices

January 11, 2021

Prof. Luiz Santos and his graduate student Jian Wang have proposed a new framework for the realization of topological phase transitions in graphene superlattices. Two-dimensional superlattices, where electrons experience a long length scale periodic potential, have emerged in recent years as versatile platforms to realize exotic forms of quantum matter. A remarkable example of such … More Santos Group Advances Frontier of Topological Phases in Graphene Superlattices