Erik Henriksen, assistant professor of physics in Arts & Sciences, was awarded a $406,431 National Science Foundation grant for his project, “Pursuit of Quantum Spin Liquids in Exfoliated Anti-Ferromagnetic Insulators.” Henriksen will apply techniques adapted from his graphene research to investigate the physical properties of ruthenium trichloride — a layered, crystalline material that exhibits the special magnetic characteristics of quantum spin liquids. Using samples that are only a single atom thick, Henriksen’s new work will take advantage of the surprising ability of graphene to “feel” the behavior of materials it touches. Quantum spin liquids may hold the key to developing such groundbreaking technologies as room temperature superconductivity or topological quantum computation.
