Principal Investigator Patrick Lee
Project Website http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1522575&HistoricalAwards=false
Project Start Date August 2011
Project End Date July 2018
This award supports theoretical research and education in condensed matter physics. The theoretical work takes its inspiration from experimental discovery in new materials and aims to explain and predict novel phenomena. Such novel phenomena often arise in materials where electrons are strongly interacting with each other, and this work will focus on this rich arena. Past examples include Nobel winning discoveries such as the fractional quantum Hall effect and high temperature superconductivity. The current project involves studies of a novel state of matter called quantum spin liquid, as well as the theory behind high temperature superconductivity. This research area is particularly well suited for the training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows because both mathematical sophistication and an understanding of real materials are required to make progress.