Condensed Matter/Materials & Biological Physics Seminar with Ken Burch on Quantum Materials

Raman scattering, invented at the end of the last pandemic, can provide a wealth of information on the fractional, magnetic, lattice and charge excitations at the heart of quantum materials and devices. As an example I will discuss how Raman provides direct evidence for coupled phonon-electron fluids in topological semimetals, helping to explain their remarkable transport mobilities. Next I will discuss our discovery of an unconventional axial Higgs mode in the Topological Semimetal GdTe3. The Axial Higgs mode is revealed using the interference of  excitation quantum pathways in Raman scattering. I will discuss how the Axial Higgs mode emerges from the combination of the quantum geometry of the Fermi surface and the charge density wave, opening opportunities for new topological - correlated states. Time permitting I will discuss our efforts to use quantum materials in biosensing to help prevent the next pandemic.