Non-Technical Abstract The extensive and intensive research on novel electronic materials in the last decade has made it increasingly clear that the behavior of an assembly of interacting electrons will routinely surprise us with entirely unexpected phenomena that call for further experimental and theoretical exploration. The materials known as transition metal oxides are a class of new electronic materials that recently have revealed a large array of exotic physical phenomena and even some paradoxes that challenge the very fundamentals of conventional physics. These phenomena reflect new physics and present profound intellectual challenges. It is these challenges that provide strong motivation for us to further pursue these studies, which are currently among the most important and interesting in the field of Condensed Matter Physics. The US leadership in Condensed Matter Physics has been eroded in recent years due in part to the lack of materials physicists who specialize in both synthesizing and characterizing new materials. The proposed project will help fill this gap by providing rigorous training that emphasizes both materials synthesis and characterization in the same lab. In addition, this project will help draw young minds to physical sciences by introducing modern techniques and equipment. This is particularly urgent and important as we are entering an era of high technologies with steadily declining numbers of physical sciences undergraduates in the US who are the future human capital in technologies that drive the economy.
The 4d and 5d transition metal oxides as a class of new correlated electron systems have recently revealed a large array of exotic electronic, magnetic and orbital phases and even some paradoxes that challenge the very fundamentals of conventional physics. The objective of this project is to continue our experimental investigation of these materials to further address issues that are currently among the most important and interesting in the field of Condensed Matter Physics. These materials are characterized by the strong interplay of charge, spin and orbital degrees of freedom and the high sensitivity to small perturbations. They not only cover almost every state in Condensed Matter Physics but also exhibit a wide array of extraordinary phenomena not or rarely found in other materials. These phenomena reflect new physics and present profound challenges. It is these challenges that provide strong motivation for us to further pursue these studies. The project encompasses a systematic effort to elucidate the underlying physics of these materials as well as a search for new materials with interesting properties. Research activities range from single crystal growth to characterization of structural, transport and thermodynamic properties as a function of temperature, magnetic field, pressure and chemical composition. Graduate students involved will receive rigorous training that emphasizes both materials synthesis and characterization in the same lab.
