About

Two sorts of development typically lead to significant advances in the field of quantum materials:  New ways to more sensitively probe subtle properties of materials and new questions that serve as organizing principles that can provide a coherent whole out of many individual observations.  

Over the last 30 years, our group has played a leading role in spearheading both these sorts of advances.  We made seminal contributions to the study of vortex physics in high-Tc materials, particularly through studies of engineered multilayered model-systems, studied magnetic-field dependent low-temperature specific-heat to thermodynamically prove lines of nodes in YBCO, developed the Sagnac interferometer to detect time-reversal symmetry breaking (TRSB) signals with unprecedented sensitivity, initially for testing possible anyon superconductivity in cuprates, then invented a 1000-fold more sensitive device to test for TRSB in unconventional superconductors, while more recently designed and constructed a photothermal microscope for the study of thermal diffusivity in complex materials. Beyond condensed matter, we utilized sub-attoNewton force-sensors cantilevers to search for macroscopic scale deviations from Newton’s inverse square-law of gravity, and currently collaborate on searches for QCD-axions by sensing their spin-coupling fictitious magnetic-field. While planning to “stay opportunistic” in selecting future problems, we are currently focused on solving several outstanding questions in physics: See our current research topics HERE.