Date/Time
Date(s) - 07/12/2016
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Title: Miracle of the spin 1/2: from high temperature superconductivity to spin liquid

Speaker: Dr. Takashi Imai

Institute: McMaster University

Location: ABB 102

Description:

Electrons have a spin 1/2, the simplest example of generalized angular momentum taught in undergraduate quantum mechanics. Despite their deceivingly simple representations by 2×2 matrices, spin ½â??s arranged in a regular pattern in low dimensional solids exhibit amazingly rich physics owing to strong quantum effects. I will describe a highly biased overview of how spin ½ physics evolved in quantum condensed matter physics over the last 3 decades, taking examples from our NMR research into high temperature superconductors and quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnets.