Date/Time
Date(s) - 06/04/2011
3:20 pm - 4:20 pm

Title: The Physics of Frustration in Two Dimensions: The Quest for the Quantum Spin Liquid

Speaker: Dr. Young Lee, MIT

Institute: MIT

Location: ABB 102

Description:

I will describe our recent experimental progress on the quest for a “holy grail” of spin frustration. One of the central issues in condensed matter physics involves understanding the exotic phases which emerge from collections of interacting electrons. New states of matter may be produced if quantum effects and frustration conspire to prevent the ground state from achieving classical order. Materials based on the kagome lattice appear to be ideal hosts for studying spin-frustration as well as the possibility of a quantum spin liquid ground state. In particular, I will explain some new physics we have learned from neutron scattering measurements on ideal kagome lattice materials.