Publications
The Chromium Dimer: Closing a Chapter of Quantum Chemistry
The complex electronic structure and unusual potential energy curve of the chromium dimer have fascinated scientists for decades, with agreement between theory and experiment so far elusive. Here, we present a new ab initio simulation of the potential energy curve and vibrational spectrum that significantly improves on all earlier estimates. Our data support a shift in earlier experimental assignments of a cluster of vibrational frequencies by one quantum number.
Dissipation by surface states in superconducting radio-frequency cavities
Recent experiments on superconducting cavities have found that under large rf electromagnetic fields the quality factor can improve with increasing field amplitude, a so-called "anti-Q slope."Linear theories of dissipation break down under these extreme conditions and are unable to explain this behavior. We numerically solve the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations at the surface of a superconductor in a parallel AC magnetic field, finding that at large fields there are quasiparticle surface states with energies below the bulk value of the superconducting gap.
Resonant enhancement of particle emission from a parametrically driven condensate in a one-dimensional lattice
Motivated by recent experiments, we investigate particle emission from a Bose-Einstein condensate in a one-dimensional lattice, where the interaction strength is periodically modulated. The modulated interactions parametrically excite a collective mode, leading to density oscillations. These collective oscillations in turn drive particle emission. This multistep process amplifies the drive, producing larger particle jets. We find that the amplitude dependence of the emission rate has a characteristic threshold behavior, as seen in experiments. © 2022 American Physical Society.
A tunable bilayer Hubbard model in twisted WSe2
Moiré materials with flat electronic bands provide a highly controllable quantum system for studies of strong-correlation physics and topology. In particular, angle-aligned heterobilayers of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides with large band offset realize the single-band Hubbard model. Introduction of a new layer degree of freedom is expected to foster richer interactions, enabling Hund’s physics, interlayer exciton condensation and new superconducting pairing mechanisms to name a few.
Deep-learning analysis of micropattern-based organoids enables high-throughput drug screening of Huntington's disease models
Organoids are carrying the promise of modeling complex disease phenotypes and serving as a powerful basis for unbiased drug screens, potentially offering a more efficient drug-discovery route. However, unsolved technical bottlenecks of reproducibility and scalability have prevented the use of current organoids for high-throughput screening. Here, we present a method that overcomes these limitations by using deep-learning-driven analysis for phenotypic drug screens based on highly standardized micropattern-based neural organoids.
Growth of PdCoO2films with controlled termination by molecular-beam epitaxy and determination of their electronic structure by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy
Utilizing the powerful combination of molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we produce and study the effect of different terminating layers on the electronic structure of the metallic delafossite PdCoO2. Attempts to introduce unpaired electrons and synthesize new antiferromagnetic metals akin to the isostructural compound PdCrO2 have been made by replacing cobalt with iron in PdCoO2 films grown by MBE. Using ARPES, we observe similar bulk bands in these PdCoO2 films with Pd-, CoO2-, and FeO2-termination.
Piezomagnetic switching of the anomalous Hall effect in an antiferromagnet at room temperature
Piezomagnetism couples strain linearly to magnetic order, implying that it can produce and control magnetization. However, unlike magnetostriction, which couples magnetization quadratically to strain, it enables bidirectional control of a net magnetic moment. If this effect becomes large at room temperature, it may be technologically relevant, similar to its electric analogue, piezoelectricity. However, current studies of the piezomagnetic effect have been primarily restricted to antiferromagnetic insulators at cryogenic temperatures.
The Role of Buckling Instabilities in the Global and Local Mechanical Response in Porous Collagen Scaffolds
Background: Porous polymer scaffolds are commonly used for regenerative medicine and tissue-engineered therapies in the repair and regeneration of structural tissues which require sufficient mechanical integrity to resist loading prior to tissue ingrowth. Objective: Investigate the connection between scaffold architecture and mechanical response of collagen scaffolds used in human tissue-engineered cartilage. Methods: We performed multi-scale mechanical analysis on two types of porous collagen scaffolds with honeycomb and sponge architectures.
What influences students' abilities to critically evaluate scientific investigations?
Critical thinking is the process by which people make decisions about what to trust and what to do. Many undergraduate courses, such as those in biology and physics, include critical thinking as an important learning goal. Assessing critical thinking, however, is non-trivial, with mixed recommendations for how to assess critical thinking as part of instruction. Here we evaluate the efficacy of assessment questions to probe students' critical thinking skills in the context of biology and physics.
Heuristic bounds on superconductivity and how to exceed them
What limits the value of the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) is a question of great fundamental and practical importance. Various heuristic upper bounds on Tc have been proposed, expressed as fractions of the Fermi temperature, TF, the zero-temperature superfluid stiffness, ρs(0), or a characteristic Debye frequency, ω0. We show that while these bounds are physically motivated and are certainly useful in many relevant situations, none of them serve as a fundamental bound on Tc.