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Skyrmion pairing: a topological route to superconductivity

Event Type
Seminar/Symposium
Sponsor
Department of Physics
Location
ESB 190
Date
Feb 24, 2022   11:00 am   5:00 pm
Speaker
Shubhayu Chatterjee, University of California Berkeley, Department of Physics
Contact
Marjorie Gamel
E-Mail
mgamel@illinois.edu
Phone
217-333-3762
Views
104
Originating Calendar
Physics - Condensed Matter Seminar

Atomically thin Van der Waals materials have emerged as a highly versatile platform to advance our understanding of quantum matter driven by strong electron correlations. Recent experimental breakthroughs in stabilizing few-layered graphene structures with a “magic” relative twist between layers has led to the discovery of a wide variety of correlated states ranging from magnetism to superconductivity. Despite compelling experimental evidence for unconventional superconductivity, the glue which binds electrons into Cooper pairs remains a mystery. In this talk I will propose a novel resolution: the Cooper pairs are composed of electrically charged topological spin textures called “skyrmions,” rather than electrons. First proposed by Tony Skyrme to model baryons in particle physics, I will explain how their topological properties can give rise to superconductivity in an electronic model with purely repulsive interactions, and without recourse to phonons which are conventionally responsible for pairing.

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