Physics Colloquium with Philip Kim on Stacking van der Waals atomic layers: quest for new quantum materials

Over the past 50 years, two-dimensional (2D) electronic systems have served as a key material platform for the study of intriguing quantum phenomena in engineered material systems. More recently, scientists have found that it is possible to fabricate atomically thin van der Waals (vdW) layered materials. In these atomically thin materials, quantum physics allows electrons to move effectively only in a 2D space. Moreover, by stacking these 2D quantum materials, it is also possible to create vdW heterostructures with a wide range of interfacial electronic and optical properties. Novel 2D electronic systems realized in vdW atomic stacks have served as a platform for engineered quantum materials. In this talk, we will discuss several research initiatives aimed at realizing emergent physical phenomena in stacked vdW interfaces between 2D materials.

This lecture was made possible by the William C. Ferguson Fund